Festo is an elderly man from Uganda and a father to four children. He relies on subsistence farming in his coffee and banana plantation. His wife hawks clothes to add to her family's income. Festo came to the hospital with complaints of a painful inguinal swell, which was diagnosed as an inguinal hernia. The swell had been there for over six months and causes him pain whenever he coughed or strained. If not treated, Festo will be at risk of further infections especially hernia strangulations and other complications. The family is not able to raise the funds needed for surgery and appeal for help. Fortunately, on April 25, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Festo's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Festo shared, “I hope to have my normal life health after my surgery is done.”

Aziza is a young student from Tanzania. She is twelve year old and the second born in a family of three children. She is currently in class six and her best subjects are mathematic and Swahili. She would love to be a teacher when she grows up. Aziza is being raised by one of her aunts while her other sibling are being raised by other relatives, this after their mother past away four years ago. Their father developed a drinking problem and was not taking care of the children, so their relatives decided to help the children since they would miss meals and they didn’t have anyone to wash their clothes or provide them with other needs. When she was three years old, Aziza fell on an open fire when playing with her two siblings. She suffered wrist burns and after a hospital stay, she was discharged to continue with dressing the burn at home. Unfortunately, she healed with contractures on her left wrist. In October last year, Watsi donors funded her her wrist contracture release and skin graft. She now needs her fingers released as contractures make it impossible for her to move her fingers freely. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Aziza receive treatment. On February 19th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery so she will be able to move her fingers and hand freely. Now, she needs help to fund this $608 procedure. Aziza requested, “Help me have my hand fully released and be able to use it in my daily activities without challenges.”

12-year-old Joy Nyagathu is in the hospital. Joy came accompanied by her father. She is a polite girl and likes playing with other friends at school. She shared that reading storybooks is her favorite hobby. Joy is the oldest in a family of 3 children and a seventh grader at Ol Donyo Sabuk Academy. Her family hails from Mountain View, near Thika Town in Kiambu County, Kenya. Joy was born with clubfoot which was corrected when she was an infant. She has lived well until last year when the parents noticed an unusual curve on her back developing. Her father heard about Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center CURE Hospital and came for a consultation. Joy was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis and was scheduled to undergo an instrumented spine fusion surgery. Currently, Joy experiences a lot of pain and discomfort while at school. She sometimes needs to skip her studies as a result of pain. Surgery will be of great help to her as she will be able to continue with her studies and her life without any difficulty. Joy's father is a businessman as a greengrocer, while her mother is a housewife. The surgery is expensive for their family and they cannot raise the amount needed. “I would like to be assisted because I am not able to raise the funds on my own. My desire is to see my daughter walking and pursuing her studies like other girls without any hardship. God bless Watsi for what they are doing,” Joy’s father expressed with gratitude.