56 year old Sylvia lives with her sister in the Philippines. As she has no family of her own, she takes care of her sister's home to earn money for her personal expenses. Several years ago Sylvia began to experience troubling symptoms, including cough, itchiness and pain in the area around her throat. In June she was examined at our medical partner's care center Our Lady of Peace Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a multinodular, non-toxic goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is able to help Sylvia receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 25th at Our Lady of Peace Hospital, when surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP needs your help to raise the remaining $935 to cover the cost of Sylvia's procedure and care. Sylvia said: "This operation is very important to me since it will help me go back to doing my usual chores properly. I'm very grateful to Watsi and its donors for helping me with my expenses for this life-changing surgery."

Anthony is an 18-month-old toddler who lives with his parents and an older sibling in Uganda. Anthony's parents are small-scale farmers, primarily growing food crops for sustenance. Since he was born, Anthony has had inguinal hernia, a condition in which soft tissue bulges through a weak point in the abdominal muscles. According to his mother, the swelling had worsened in pain in the last six months, causing Anthony to experience more discomfort when he cried, which was also very worrisome for her. She had previously not sought treatment due to lack of funds. However, as the condition worsened, she decided to take him to hospital where upon review, surgery was recommended. If left untreated, the condition may lead to strangulation, cutting off blood flow to the tissue that is trapped, which could be life threatening. Despite their farming efforts, Anthony's family is unable to afford the medical bills required for their son's surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Anthony receive treatment. On April 9th, surgeons at Karoli Lwanga Hospital in Nyakibale will perform a hernia repair surgery to relieve his symptoms and allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Now, Anthony's family needs help to fund this $230 procedure. Anthony’s mother says, “I will be grateful when my son gets this surgery done and feels comfortable, so that I can resume farming work and support our livelihood.”

Sokha is a 19-year-old elephant sanctuary worker. She lives in rural northeast of Cambodia, where she works at one of the country's few elephant sanctuaries. Tragically, her mother passed away during childbirth, and her father has recently passed too. Since then, Sokha and her older sister moved in with their aunt and uncle nearby. In her free time, she enjoys reading, checking her social media, and cooking. About six years ago, she started to develop a painful mass in her salivary gland on the right side of her jaw. She experiences chronic pain and difficulty swallowing. Sokha traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment and hope to feel better soon. On February 19th, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. Now, Sokha needs $273 to fund this procedure. She shared, "I hope I can stop having the painful swelling so I can work and feel happy."