76-year-old Smaoh Bernado is a married man from Mpando Village in Mozambique. He has seven children, all of whom are married and in their respective homes. He lives with his wife and grandchildren. In the past, Smaoh was a farmer who grew maize for consumption and commercial purposes to support his family; however, due to his old age, he now depends on his children for support. Smaoh has been using a catheter for the past year as a result of his inability to pass urine. He experiences pain while attempting to pass urine and much discomfort from the catheter. He has been going to a local health center for regular catheter changes until he opted to seek additional evaluation and treatment at our medical partner's care center Nkhoma Hospital. Smaoh was diagnosed with enlarged prostate, and was scheduled for open prostatectomy surgery. His family is unable to cover the complete expenses of the procedure. If left untreated, he may have recurrent urinary tract infections, and he may have to live with the catheter. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Smaoh receive treatment. On March 12th, surgeons at Nkhoma Hospital will perform open prostatectomy surgery which will relieve him of the pain. Now, Smaoh needs help to fund this $530 procedure. Smaoh says, “I look forward to returning home free from this condition.”

Sokly lives in Battambang province with her husband, younger sister, and her two sons. Her husband works in a tire repair shop and Sokly is a teacher in a primary school. The two sons work in a local shop to help support the family. In her free time, Sokly likes trying new recipes and shopping with her sister in the local market. Sokly has been experiencing tinnitus and discomfort in her left ear for several weeks. Tinnitus is a noise or ringing in the ears, even though no external sound is present. She has been taking sick days and is having difficulty teaching due to this condition. Sokly traveled around five and a half hours from Battambang province with her younger sister to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, seeking treatment. During her examination, doctors found a small growth in her left ear. On April 1st, Sokly is scheduled for surgery to remove the growth and some of the bone in her ear canal to widen the channel from the outside of the ear to the eardrum. Sokly can contribute $100 for her surgery but needs an additional $726 to fund the cost of this procedure. Sokly said, "I hope I don't have to worry about this anymore and I can continue my work as a teacher."

Sok is an 80 year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Thom province. Since her husband died five years ago, she has been living alone. Her six children and twelve grandchildren live in neighboring villages. The family checks in on her often, but it has become increasingly difficult for Sok to go out on her own due to deteriorating vision. She misses going to the pagoda to pray and taking walks. Her favorite things are her grandchildren and listening to Buddhist radio. About one year ago, Sok developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Sok learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On March 7th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sok shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, easily go out on my own, and recognize my family."