Bakundababu is a farmer from Uganda. She is a widow and a mother of two girlsr. Since 2012, Bakundababu has been experiencing abdominal pain. She has been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $268 to fund Bakundababu's surgery. On October 16, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Bakundababu will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. She says, "After surgery I will be able to do simple work at home."

Anna is a 46-year-old widow from Uganda who works very hard to send all five of her children to school. Anna is a subsistence farmer, growing food on rented land and selling any extra crops in the market for a small cash income. She additionally works as a farm laborer to supplement what she earns. In her spare time, Anna heads the savings and loan association in her village that helps members take out small loans to pay for needed items and school fees. She is also an active member of her church, leading her village's fellowship group. For two years, Anna has had a very painful inguinal hernia that has affected her ability to work. Doctors have recommended surgery, however Anna is only able to subsidize $7 of the treatment's cost. Our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is requesting $229 to fund Anna's surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 3 and, once completed, will hopefully allow Anna to live more comfortably. After surgery, Anna is looking forward to being able to work full time so she can grow more food for her family. “I am so happy to have received this assistance," says Anna. "I would like to tell all the donors thank you for what they have done to help me.”

Hilario is a 23-year-old man from Guatemala. He works as a shoemaker in a local workshop to support his young children, wife, and grandfather. He lives with his family in a cinderblock house with a tin roof and a dirt floor. Hilario's loves to play soccer and go to church. Recently, however, his vision began to worsen. He could no longer play soccer, and he worried that he would become unable to work. In October 2016, Watsi donors funded Hilario's cataract surgery. However, when Hilario arrived for his scheduled surgery, his doctor realized that he did not have cataracts. He simply needed glasses to correct his poor eyesight. On December 5, Hilario received a new pair of glasses. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, is requesting $552 to pay for Hilario's transportation from his rural village, his evaluation by an ophthalmologist and an optometrist, a custom pair of glasses, and follow-up care to adjust and correct his glasses. "I need glasses to help improve my vision because I cannot recognize people or things from far away, which makes it hard to work and even go out and walk on my own," says Hilario. "I appreciate the support because I don't have the resources to buy glasses."

Meet Rehema, a 10-month-old baby girl from Kenya. “Rehema is her mother’s only child,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Since birth, Rehema has faced health challenges due to congenital hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up within the brain. This fluid causes an increase in intracranial pressure, which can contribute to long-term health complications and interfere with important stages of childhood development. “Rehema’s head has been progressively increasing in size,” says AMHF. “Rehema has been vomiting after meals and is therefore at a risk of dehydration. Increased intracranial pressure due to the excess fluid in her head may result in brain damage.” Rehema’s mother and siblings are financially dependent on Rehema's grandmother, who operates a small eatery. “Hailing from a poverty-stricken family, Rehema’s mother is not able to pay for the surgery that her daughter desperately needs to lead the normal, healthy life that she deserves,” says AMHF. For $980, Rehema will undergo surgery to drain the excess fluid from her brain, reducing the intracranial pressure in her head. As part of her treatment, Rehema will receive five days of hospital care in addition to all of the necessary medical examinations—including ultrasounds and CT scans—to facilitate a successful operation and recovery. “I hope she gets treated, goes to school, and grows to be an independent woman in the future,” says Rehema’s mother.

Meet Grant, a 78-year-old man from Nigeria. Grant is dealing with the effects of benign prostatic hypertrophy with urinary retention. Essentially, this means that Grant has difficulty urinating. Patients with this condition often have trouble emptying their bladder completely, constantly feel as though they need to urinate, or still feel as though they need to urinate even after they are finished. Our medical partner, Hope for West Africa (HFWA), explains, “Grant has been dealing with the inability to pass urine for two years (with a regular infection) as a result of a permanent catheter that was inserted.” With this uncomfortable condition, everyday activities are a struggle. However, for $1,465 Grant’s catheter will be removed and, according to HFWA, “The treatment will enable Grant to live a normal life without urine retention and recurring infection.” Grant is the patriarch of a large family and is excited for the time when he will be able to spend for time with them once again. “Grant is married with seven children,” says HFWA. “He is a loving father and a grandfather. He looks forward to spending more time with his grandchildren when the catheter is removed.”

Meet Soeun, a 75-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, "Soeun is married with two sons, five daughters, and 20 grandchildren. She enjoys listening to the monks praying." CSC continues, "Soeun developed a cataract in each eye five months ago, and since then she has been partially blind." A cataract occurs when the lens of the eye becomes clouded with age, causing loss of vision and may also lead to blindness. As a result of her cataract, CSC shares "Soeun feels so bored because it is hard for her to do any work, or to walk and go anywhere outside by herself." For $225 Soeun will receive a surgery where the clouded lens of her eye will be removed and replaced with a clear lens implant. CSC says this treatment will enable "Soeun to see clearly again and regain her independence." After surgery, CSC says "Soeun hopes to see everything more clearly and be able to do any work by herself. She hopes after treatment it will also make it easy for her to go to the pagoda and join in any ceremony."

Meet Nancy, a five-day-old baby girl from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), says, “Nancy is the last born in a family of four children and lives with her parents and two siblings in a two-room house.” AMHF reports, “Five days ago, Nancy was born with a mass swelling on her lower backbone area in a hospital near their home. In the company of her mother, Nancy travelled over 450 kilometers to seek treatment.” Nancy has spina bifida, which is a defect where part of the spinal cord is exposed through a gap in the backbone. AMHF says, “If Nancy does not receive treatment, she is at a risk of infection and development of tethered cord, which can lead to either scoliosis or kyphosis.” Nancy needs a spina bifida closure. This procedure will close the defect over her spinal cord. AMHF says, “After a spina bifida closure, Nancy will no longer be at risk of infection developing in the exposed nerves and tissues. It will also prevent development of tethered cord.” AMHF continues, “Nancy’s mother is a housewife while her father is a motorcyclist taxi operator and he supplements the little that he earns by cleaning his church." Nancy’s family needs $805 to cover the cost of treatment. Nancy’s mother says, “I have heard people talk of this condition but I never thought it could happen to my child. This came to me as a shock and my prayer is that little Nancy will somehow get treated.’’

“Justin is the youngest of four children. He likes to play with toy balls and little cars," our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK) tells us. Justin is one-year-old and lives with his family in Guatemala. “Justin is battling malnutrition due to limited food supply and constant diarrhea and vomiting,” reports WK. “During one particularly bad episode, his mother took Justin to the health center, where she was told that her son was malnourished. However, the health center offered zero counseling and medication to assist.” If acute malnutrition goes uncorrected, Justin will suffer developmental setbacks. His health will flag as his immune system deteriorates, subjecting him to chronic illnesses. He will have difficulty keeping up in school and will fall behind his peers mentally and physically. Justin’s father is unable to work, so his mother is the breadwinner of the family. She often works in the field days at a time to provide for the family. With the strain of supporting four children, it is difficult for her to supply the resources for them all and supply Justin with the extra food and medication to address his malnutrition. She shares, “I am so glad you are here, because I have heard about you and I know that with your help Justin will be able to grow and reach his full potential.” $535 can provide the treatment Justin needs to get his health back on track. This money will provide Justin with macronutrient support to recoup the height and weight he has lost. Medication will help stop the episodes of vomiting and diarrhea, and in time his immune system will become strong enough to ensure he does not continue to get ill. To ensure that Justin and his siblings maintain their health long-term, Justin’s mother will receive nutritional education. “This treatment will give Justin’s mother the education and support she needs to help Justin avoid the permanent effects of malnutrition,” explains WK. “She will feel confident in her care decisions and be able to offer Justin and his siblings higher quality food options via differences in preparation, not cost.” Let’s help Justin and his family take the necessary steps to gain long-term health!

Meet 15-year-old Lah Naw from Burma. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us, “Lah Naw lives with her grandmother, father, brother, and sister. Her mother is deceased. Her father supports the entire family by running a snack shop out of their home and makes about 100 USD per month.” Though their father sometimes has to borrow money for school fees, Lah Naw’s father wants both his children to attend school. As BBP explains, “Lah Naw has completed grade 8, but she misses school frequently because of her condition and has not yet been able to start grade 9.” Lah Naw has a sinonasal papilloma, a benign tumor of the nasal cavity. BBP reports, “Lah Naw first noticed her problem two years ago when she started to get nosebleeds and could feel a mass on the inside of her nose. She went to a clinic in Burma and received medicine to ease the bleeding, but the mass has continued to grow since then.” Currently, Lah Naw has frequent and serious nosebleeds. BBP informs us, “She has to say home from school multiple times per month because of the nosebleeds. Lah Naw is scared that if her condition does not improve, she will not be able to return to school.” With $1,500 in funding, Lah Naw will receive surgery to remove the mass in her nasal cavity, putting an end to her nosebleeds. Funding covers the cost of pre-surgery and post-surgery outpatient visits, hospitalization for scans and surgery, transportation, and food allowance. “After surgery, Lah Naw will be able to go back to school and will be relieved of her symptoms,” confirms BBP. Lah Naw is eager to return to her daily life and looks forward to a bright future. She shares, “I want to go back to school, and after I complete grade 12, I want to continue my education further.”

“Eric is shy,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He likes to play with mud - building some houses and shapes of people and other things.” This is Eric, an adorable, three-year-old boy from Tanzania. “Eric is the only child to his mother, who is a single parent. She loves her son very much and works very hard to take good care of him,” continues AMHF. “She sells some vegetables and fruits at an open market in their village. The little that she earns is not enough to cover the cost of operation which her son needs.” Eric has bilateral genu valgus, a condition in which the knees angle inward and touch one another when the legs are straightened. “Eric is unable to walk without knocking his knees. It is difficult for him to run or walk fast and compete with other children when playing,” reports AMHF. “If not treated, Eric’s gait will continue to be affected and chances of developing osteoarthritis at an early age will increase.” Eric’s mother remarks, “I am worried that my son may fail to walk later on if the condition keeps getting worse.” With $940 in funding, Eric will undergo a combination of casting and surgery that will realign his knee joint and thighbone, straightening his legs. This cost includes the procedure, hospital stay, cast change, medication, labs, outpatient physiotherapy, and a stay at the Plaster House (a recovery center for kids). “Eric’s gait will improve, he will be able to walk without knocking his knees, and chances of developing osteoarthritis will also decrease,” explains AMHF. “I dream of seeing him as a successful, influential young man in the future,” Eric's mother shares. “I want him to live a better life than mine.”

“Ly is married with seven children and ten grandchildren. She spends her days cooking food for the monks and cleaning up around her local pagoda,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). Ly is an 82-year-old woman from Cambodia. She has hypermature cataracts in both eyes. Cataracts are a clouding of the internal lens in the eye. They are common among the elderly and can cause functional blindness if left untreated. CSC tells us, “Ly can't see anything out of her left eye. If she has to go outside she has to bother someone in her family to hold her hand.” $225 will fund the cataract surgery Ly needs to correct her vision. The procedure involves removing the affected lens and replacing it with a clear artificial lens. CSC reports, “Ly will be able to see clearly from her left eye and can return to have surgery on the right eye in one to two weeks.” CSC says, “Ly is looking forward to going back to the pagoda, taking care of her grandchildren and getting some of her independence back.”

"I always wanted to go into the beauty industry. I dream of one day owning a small beauty shop," says Mary, a 29-year-old wife and mother of two from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us, “Mary started losing feeling in her legs a couple of years ago. She is now no longer able to walk or feel her legs.” Mary’s condition is the result of a brain tumor compressing the area of her brain that controls leg movement. The recommended treatment for Mary is a craniotomy—a surgical procedure in which doctors open the skull to access the brain and them remove the tumor. “If the surgery is not done soon,” explains AMHF, “Mary is likely to suffer permanent brain damage and/or death.” For $1,205 in funding, Mary can undergo the needed surgery. Mary’s family members and friends have raised $325 to cover any additional medical costs. “We expect that after the surgery and treatment, Mary will regain use of her legs, and she will be able to work towards her dream of becoming a small business owner,” AMHF shares. Let’s help Mary get the surgery she needs!