Yoeun is a 70-year-old farmer from Kompong Cham province. She is a widow with no children, as her husband passed away during the Khmer Rouge regime forty years ago. She lives with her disabled brother and supports their living by growing vegetables and bananas to sell at the local market. When she has time, she enjoys joining ceremonies at the village pagoda. About ten years ago, Yoeun developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her irritation, pain, redness. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. When Yoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and half hours seeking treatment. Yoeun needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for December 13th. She said: "I hope after surgery my eye will see well again, my eye will feel comfortable. I want to plant crops around my home and go outside."

Deylove is a five month old girl from Haiti. She lives with her mom and dad and 2 older brothers. Deylove has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Deylove has been experiencing Increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Deylove will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Deylove at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on March 2nd. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Deylove's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Deylove will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Her family is relieved and happy that this surgery will give their little girl a chance of survival.

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.”