Catherine works hard to care for her two children. She currently lives with her partner who works different part-time jobs to help make ends meet for their family. A month ago, Catherine began experiencing abdominal pain. She got checked at her local health center and was advised to undergo an ultrasound. The test showed that she is suffering from Cholecystolithiasis, a condition where there are one or more gallstones in her gallbladder. Their family already finds it hard to sustain their day-to-day needs, so didn't know where to find the money for her needed surgery. Fortunately, a health center worker knew about our partner care facility, the Our Lady of Peace Hospital, and was able to reach out to World Surgical Foundation Philippines and Watsi for support. Catherine is now scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on April 7th. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,253 to cover the total cost of Catherine's procedure and care. After her recovery, Catherine will no longer experience severe abdominal pain or be at risk of developing severe health complications in the future. “My maintenance medicine costs more than our daily meal budget. I’m grateful to WSFP and WATSI for helping us. Aside from the fact that I’ll be free from pain, I can now take good care of my children,” she shared.

Glorious is a farmer and 40-year-old mother of six children. She completed primary school but due to the financial crisis in her family back then, she could not proceed with her education. She got married and together with her husband, they practice small scale farming to make ends meet. She told us she is proud to have her children in school, even though earning enough for their school fees is hard for their family. Ten years ago, Glorious began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling, breathing difficulties, and heart palpitations. The symptoms, Glorious notes, seem to have worsened in the last six months so she opted to visit Nyakibale Hospital hoping to feel better soon. She was diagnosed with goitre and needs surgery but the cost is high for her family to meet on their own. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Glorious receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on April 12th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Glorious says “I hope that with your support, I will get the surgery and the swelling that is disfiguring me will finally end."

Dorcas is a 3-year-old girl and the last-born in a family of four children. Her father is a casual laborer getting jobs whenever he can while her mother is a housewife. They work hard, but are having a difficult time making ends meet. Dorcas was diagnosed with genu valgus. Her legs bow inward so that her knees touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she has pain and difficulty in walking. Through Watsi funding, Dorcas had her first stage surgery which helped to correct her legs, but given how severely they were impacted, she has now been scheduled for a final surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Dorcas. The procedure is scheduled to take place on May 10th. Treatment will hopefully restore Dorcas's full mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Dorcas’s father says: “Thank you for helping my daughter have her first surgery, it helped correct her legs and now she needs one more surgery."