Monicah is a 36 year old from Kenya. She works as a cleaner and her income is inconsistent. She is a single mother of four children. Her older child is in primary two while the youngest is in nursery school. She is the breadwinner and their family lives in a single-room rental house costing about $7. Monica was well until December 2022. She reports that her hearing kept decreasing and one day it just went down. She has been diagnosed with severe hearing loss in both ears. She cannot hear unless someone shouts. She is accompanied by her elderly mother who is helping her. She can hear well if she gets a hearing aid device and needs two devices for both ears. She has been living with the condition for a year now and has not been able to get medical attention due to a lack of finances. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting funds of $1,171 to cover hearing aid fitting and devices for Monicah. Monicah says, “I used to hear well, and I am looking forward to hearing again.”

Naw Gay is a 24-year-old woman who lives with her husband and two sons in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. Originally from Bago Division across the border in Burma, she fled to the refugee camp with her family last May due to armed conflict in their area. Currently, Naw Gay is a homemaker while her husband is unemployed. Her children are too young to attend school. They receive free basic health care in the refugee camp, provided by Malteser International (MI) Thailand, and some financial support from nonprofit The Border Consortium and their uncle living in the United States. During her free time, she loves to play with her children and clean her house. Naw Gay is currently expecting her third child. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a Caesarean section. Both of Naw Gay's sons were born through C-section due to eclampsia. She has received regular antenatal care at the hospital in the refugee camp and she was told that she will have to give birth through C-section in order to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Gay undergo a C-section on February 1st. Naw Gay's family needs your support to cover $1500 of her treatment. Naw Gay shared, “My husband would like to have a girl this time because we already have two sons. As for me, I don’t mind if it’s a boy or a girl because I will love my baby either way.”

Sandi is a young monk from Burma. He lives alongside his fellow novices and monks in a monastery. As a novice, Sandi does not have a personal income, but his family support him and the monastery provides him with food and shelter. In his free time, Sandi enjoys listening to the Dhamma. In February 2022, Sandi began experiencing blurred vision in both eyes. A CT scan revealed a cystic lesion in his brain, indicating a fluid-filled tumor, craniopharyngioma. Sandi experiences significant blurred vision in both eyes, occasional headaches and dizziness, and pain at the nape of his neck. Due to his poor vision, he cannot read books and cannot walk without assistance. Sandi sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. He is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on January 10th. Our partner is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Sandi said, "I want to express my gratitude to BCMF and donors for helping me. I would love to request continued assistance throughout my entire treatment. My desire is to fully recover my vision. Once I recover, I aspire to dedicate myself to studying and trying to become a monk."