Damaris is a tea picker from Kenya. She is 32 years old, the mother of four children, and separated from her husband. Damaris never went to school due to financial constraints of her family. Now, two of her children are in secondary school and two are in primary school. The money she earns is used to pay for her children's school fees and to buy food for her children. Damaris inherited a small piece of land from her parents where she grows maize, sukuma wiki (similar to kale or collard greens), and beans for home consumption. A lump began growing on Damaris's neck in 2004. She has never received any medical treatment due to a lack of money. The mass has grown larger, and now impinges on her nerve, causing occasional numbness in her right arm and hand. While in church recently, Damaris learned that a visiting physician/general surgeon was offering free consultation. Damaris sought an examination. An ultrasound was done, and it was determined that Damaris had a large cystic mass which the doctor recommended should be removed. Surgeons through our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can provide the services Damaris needs. She traveled to AMH's care center Maua Hospital and on February 13th, surgeons will remove the mass. Following the surgery, there should be a release of pressure and the numbness and pain caused by the mass should be relieved. Damaris is not able to pay the hospital bill and appeals for support. She is seeking help to raise $529 to fund this surgery. Damaris says, "I kindly request for your support."

Thu Ra is a 13-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his family in Karen State. Thu Ra is the youngest of his three siblings. His father is a day labourer and his mother is a homemaker. Around seven years ago, Thu Ra started experiencing a loss of appetite and feelings of dizziness along with muscle tightness and pain throughout his body. He was diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Physicians at Mae Sot General Hospital determined Thu Ra should undergo a splenectomy, surgery to remove the spleen, which will help manage his condition. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Mae Sot General Hospital on April 1st. Once completed, Thu Ra's quality of life is expected to improve. Thu Ra's mother said, “If Thu Ra gets better, I wish for him to finish school and become an educator. Thank you so much to the donors. If it were just up to me, I couldn’t afford the surgery on my own. It means a lot to me and my family. Thank you.”

Thaw is a two-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents and elder sister in Zee Kone Village, but his family migrated to Thailand four months ago to seek better job opportunities. His father works as an agricultural day labourer, while his mother is a homemaker. Thaw’s elder brother and sister take turns working as agricultural day labourers. Thaw’s mother carefully manages their income, and their combined family income is enough to cover their daily basic expenses. Thaw receives free healthcare services at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). On 2 July 2021, Thaw was born through emergency caesarean section. His mother noticed on the following day, while cleaning Thaw’s body, that he was born with a worrying condition that makes it challenging to go to the bathroom. Thaw’s mother immediately informed the doctor, who then referred Thaw to hospital in Ayeyarwady Division. Unfortunately, due to a lack of facilities, he did not receive the necessary treatment at this hospital. He was subsequently recommended to go to Yangon Hospital. However, due to financial limitations, Thaw’s mother could not afford to take him to Yangon Hospital, leading her to cease efforts to seek Thaw’s treatment. Fortunately, Thaw was able to defecate through a fistula however Thaw began to experience troubling symptoms, including at present, Thaw is passing stool through the fistula, experiencing constipation with bowel movements occurring every four or five days, with a distended abdomen. Thaw has been diagnosed with imperforate anus with fistula and his doctors recommend a colostomy. A colostomy is a surgery that creates an opening for the colon through the abdomen. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1500 to fund Thaw's surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital scheduled January 31st. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully alleviate him symptoms. Thaw’s mother expressed her concerns saying, “I want my son to have a healthy, long life. I was always worried about him, and he couldn’t receive treatment due to lack of money. Now, with the help of BCMF and donors, he can undergo surgery. Thank you."