Channy is a bright 11-year-old girl. Residing in Takeo province, she shares a home with her parents and younger brother. Her family's livelihood revolves around rice farming, with some vegetable crops to add to their diet. Currently in the 6th grade, she enjoys Khmer history and English. Looking towards the future, she would like to become a teacher when she grows up. When she is at home, she enjoys playing with dolls and eating her mother's fried pork with rice. For four years, Channy has been experiencing a sore throat with difficulty swallowing and sleeping at night. She does not sleep well and has missed school. She has trouble eating and gaining weight due to a sore throat. Her mother bought medicine from the local pharmacy, but it did not help. Channy was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Channy, which is scheduled to take place on January 3rd. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Channy of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Her mother shared: "I hope Channy stops having throat infections after the operation. We hope she sleeps and eats better than before."

Shantel is a 7-year-old girl and the only daughter of a single mother. She and her mother live with her grandmother, along with her other cousins. Her mother has been volunteering as a health records officer and plans to go back to school to study orthopedic technology. Shantel’s grandmother is a milk vendor in her village. At school, Shantel accidentally fell and hurt her hand. She has been complaining of pain, tenderness, and swelling on her wrist. The doctors confirmed that she has a displaced volar of the right distal ulna radius fracture or a fracture on her right forearm. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, will perform fracture repair surgery on her arm to facilitate its healing. Shantel needs $679 to fund this procedure. Shantel’s mother says “My daughter accidentally injured her arm, and we are not able to raise funds for her hospital bills. Please help my daughter get well soon so she can continue with her studies when she fully recovers."

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.”