Sovannara is a nine-year-old boy who lives with his parents in Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia. Both his father and mother work as rice farmers. Sovannara is currently in grade four and particularly enjoys studying Khmer language and history. He aspires to become a teacher. When Sovannara was a baby, fell off a bed, resulting in a neck injury. He has been suffering from torticollis, the twisting of the muscles on the left side of his neck, which leads to tightness and shortening of the muscles. Consequently, Sovannara's head tilts to one side, and one shoulder appears elevated compared to the other. Turning his head to the right is arduous and painful for him. Sovannara has not received any prior medical treatment for his condition, because his parents cannot afford to pay for his care. Fortunately, they were referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for diagnosis and treatment. On April 5th, Sovannara will undergo a procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, to release the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the left side of his neck. After the procedure, Sovannara will be able to bend his neck and turn his head without difficulty. Sovannara needs $572 to fund this procedure. Sovannara's father said, "We hope our son will be able to control his neck and can join in daily activities in school and at home."

Lezina is a 51-year-old woman with 3 children. She separated from her husband who later remarried and shared that she believes he left because of her medical condition. All her children are women and they got married at a tender age due to financial challenges in their family. Currently, Lezina has found it difficult to secure even a low-paying job as a maid. Lezina likes chatting with her grandchildren and enjoys eating anything that is available. Lezina indicated that she started experiencing a swelling above the umbilical area in 2020. She lived with the problem since it was on and off and was not associated with pain. Later in 2023, the swelling episodes became frequent and it began to affect her daily activities. Lezina presented herself to Kamuzu Central Hospital where different tests were done, without much help. As time passed by, in December 2023 she had increasing pains and went back to KCH where further assessments were done, and a diagnosis of hernia was made after identifying the source of pain. KCH booked Lezina on their waiting list. While still waiting, her first-born daughter met a friend who shared the good news that she was a beneficiary of Watsi's program with our partner African Mission Healthcare and recommended aher to report to PIH Hospital for support. Lezina met the surgeon at PIH who confirmed the diagnosis of hernia and the need for surgical intervention called hernia repair. A hernia is a condition in which soft tissue bulges through a weak point in the abdominal muscle. If the hernia is left untreated, the size of the protruding intestine might get bigger and become strangulated leading to the reduction of blood flow to the surrounding tissues which may be life-threatening. Lezina was referred to our program due to her financial instability. Her daughter committed to helping support her treatment and Lezina believes that the surgery will help her get back to normal life and that people will now have a different perception of her. Lezina needs your help raising $575 to fund her surgery. Lezina happily said, “I just want to get well and concentrate on my children.”

Ignitius is a 12-year-old boy - the second in a family of four siblings in junior secondary school, grade seven. His elder sibling has just completed class eight; the rest are in primary school. He dropped out of school in grade four and went to look for a job as a house helper to support the family. Ignitius' father does any casual job available to bring food to the table for his family. Ignitius' mother is also a simple laborer. She works on other people's farms where she digs, weeds, and sometimes washes clothes for a small wage. They have a small piece of land where they have kept two goats and three chickens. They reside in a three-roomed timber house and have a small kitchen built of poles. It was late in the evening on November 16th. His mother sent him to the nearest open-air market to buy cabbage and potatoes. Unfortunately, he was hit by a speeding motorbike, which disappeared immediately after the accident. His parents were informed of the accident over the phone. They rushed him to a clinic, where they were referred to Maua Hospital. He arrived to the hospital with an open tibia fibular fracture and was in much pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Ignitius receive treatment. On November 17, surgeons will perform surgery to restore his limb function. Now, Ignitius and his family need help to fund this $741 procedure. Ignitius' father says, "Please help my son; he is in deep pain. Kindly help us to fund the surgery costs."