Vatanak is a three-year-old toddler from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and his nine-month-old brother in rural Ratanakiri province. His parents earn a small living working as cashew tree farmers in the village. Vatanak enjoys eating Cambodian sour soup made by his mom and loves keeping his little brother entertained with toys. Vatanak was born with syndactyly of the right foot. This means that his big and second toes are abnormally large due to overgrowth of the underlying bone and soft tissue. The condition makes it difficult for him to walk or move his toes, and he experiences mild pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Vatanak receive treatment. On April 22nd, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a syndactyly repair surgery to separate and release the fused digits. This will improve Vatanak's mobility, and provide more comfort while wearing shoes. Vatanak and his family are able to contribute $100 towards the cost of his treatment and need help raising $344 more to fund the procedure. Vatanak's mother says, "I hope my son's foot can be fixed so it is easy for him to run and wear shoes when he starts school."

Srey Touch is a 44-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has two daughters, three sons, and an infant grandchild. She enjoys spending time with her family at home and cooking for everyone. In her free time, Srey Touch reads the news on Facebook and watches Cambodian dramas on TV. About ten years ago, Srey Touch developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her to experience itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. 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, wind, or dust, leading the cells to grow abnormally over the pupil. As a result of this condition, Srey Touch has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going outside. When Srey Touch learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for an hour seeking treatment. On February 8th, Srey Touch will undergo a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. CSC is requesting $225 to fund this procedure, which covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Srey Touch said: "I hope, after surgery, my eye will stop feeling irritated and I can go back to my job and my family without being uncomfortable."

Grace is a farmer and a mother of eight living children. She is married to John, a 60-year-old man from Kijweka Village. She has both parents as well as her husband and she is the 6th born in a family of 8 children. She shared that in her childhood, she did not attend school but her husband studied up to primary five. She does small-scale farming together with her husband to sustain their family. She carried sixteen pregnancies and delivered well but 8 of her children died when they were still young. Her children are doing well, and the last born is now ten years old. Grace has been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia. She is having pain in her lower abdomen and back pain. She went to different hospitals and was given treatment but all in vain. This condition has caused her a lot of discomfort, and she no longer does her farming activities well. She finds it hard to be in public because of her condition. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $253 to fund Grace's surgery. On February 2nd, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Rwibaale Health Center. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully alleviate her symptoms and she can live a fuller life once again. Grace shared: "I hope to get rid of pain and resume with farming.’’