Choury is a shy, 18 year old girl living with her widowed mother in Kandal province in Cambodia. Her brothers are all married and live away from home, while her mother works as a rainy day rice farmer. In her free time, Choury enjoys playing tennis, swimming, cooking, listening to music, and meeting with her friends. Since Choury was about three months old, she has had problems with her mouth. For the past ten years, she has had frequent infections, accompanied by fevers, near her left ear, and stiffness near her temporomandibular joint - which connects the jaw to the skull. Because her father has passed away, her mother has not been able to afford any medical care for Choury. Choury is unable to open her mouth, which makes it difficult for her to eat and drink, and she always wears a mask due to her low self-esteem resulting from her face and frequent infections. Choury has been diagnosed with recurrent ankylosis and chronic osteitis. The ankylosis - and the constant inflammation in her jawbone - cause severely limited jaw function, as well as oral hygiene and nutritional problems. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. They plan to do surgery on December 6th at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre. Her family needs help with the $469 cost of her surgery and hospitalization. After surgery, Choury hopes she will be able to open her mouth, to speak better, and to no longer feel ashamed of her appearance. Choury said: "I hope the doctors can help me open my mouth better, and look like other people my age. I am embarrassed at work and feel poorly. I have not been able to eat real food. This would make me very happy."

Lydia is a 78-year-old woman from Uganda and has raised 7 children (the youngest of which is 27 years old). Both Lydia and her husband are small-scale farmers. She lives in a four-bedroom home with her husband and several family members. For over a year, Lydia has suffered from a right inguinal hernia. She has pain and swelling in her abdomen that has worsened over time. Even with the increasing pain, she has continued to tend to her farm, as she needs the produce and income to support herself and her family. Lydia underwent a thyroidectomy in December 2021, which Watsi helped to fund. While the hernia existed at the time, the thyroidectomy took priority as it was a more urgently needed procedure. Fortunately, on February 16th, she will undergo hernia repair surgery by surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), at their care center, Rushoroza Hospital. AMH is requesting $170 to fund Lydia's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Lydia says, “My prayer is to get well, and I believe I will be well after surgery so that I may be able to continue farming comfortably.”

Peace is a 65-year-old farmer and a mother to three children. Her eldest daughter is in the army, middle child is in the police force, and the youngest one is married to a farmer. During her studying days, her wish was to be a nurse but she lost her father in high school. Unfortunately, her mother couldn’t raise her school fees leading her to drop out. She has been married for 32 years, and she and her husband are farmers. She shared that together they enjoy attending church services, preaching to the young generation, and caring for each other. Five years ago, Peace began to experience troubling symptoms, including anterior neck swelling, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and swallowing with persistent heart palpitations. She was diagnosed with nontoxic goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Peace receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 28th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252. She and her family need help raising money. Peace says “I hope for a full recovery once am operated and with God's mercy, I think all will be well.”