Linn is a 50-year-old woman from Burma. She is divorced and lives with her mother and son in Karen State - a conflict area near the border of Burma and Thailand. She works as a shop vendor, selling steamed sticky rice with chicken and pork, and her mother is retired. Her 12-year-old son is in the fifth grade in Burma. Linn also cultivates vegetables in her garden and usually cooks meals using them. Linn enjoys watching movies in her free time, but she has not been able to do so for a while now. One year ago, Linn began to experience blurred and double vision. Currently, Linn cannot read, see, or walk well and requires a caregiver to assist her with daily activities. These symptoms have made it increasingly difficult for her to see clearly. Linn was diagnosed with retinal detachment, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the supportive tissue in the eye, resulting in vision loss. If left untreated, she could lose vision completely. Linn is scheduled to undergo surgery to reattach her retina. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), requests $1,500 to cover her procedure and care costs. After her surgery, Linn's vision will hopefully be restored, and she will resume her daily activities comfortably. Linn expressed, "I am very pleased to receive help and I am relieved that I can also stay at BCMF's patients' house in Chiang Mai. I wish for the success of my eye surgery. After recovery, I hope to restart my previous business again."

Negaso is a young boy from Ethiopia. He is the third child of his parents. He loves playing football with his friends and wants to attend school. He loves the spinach his mother makes. When he was only one day old, he underwent a emergency colostomy in Butajira Hospital as he was born with a birth condition that leads to intestinal blockage. His mother has a small vegetable business on the streets. At the same time, his father is a daily laborer, and their income is minimal. Negaso wants to go to school and cries when he sees other students go to school by school bus in the morning. His family can't send him to school since he has a colostomy, and they haven't been able to get him the necessary follow-up treatment for his condition. He needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction. Negaso is now scheduled to undergo surgery to heal his condition on January 4th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, requests $1,500 to cover Negaso's procedure and care. After his recovery, Negaso will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing severe health complications in the future. His mother said, "I worry that kids would touch his colostomy while I keep him on the street market with me."

Mercy is a determined young lady, a sixth born in a family of nine children. Her father is a small scale farmer and her mother a homemaker. She goes to secondary school in Meru County, but is currently behind on her studies due to delays caused by a condition impacting both legs. Mercy was born with a condition known as bilateral genu varum (sometimes referred to as bowlegs), which causes her legs to curve outward at the knees. The condition has greatly affected her mobility. She finds it difficult to walk long distances, she gets tired quickly, and is unable to fully engage in activities with friends. Her self-esteem has been dramatically impacted by constant teasing from her peers, who find her way of walking different. Fortunately, Mercy is scheduled to undergo a surgery called bilateral Proximal Tibial Osteotomy (PTO) at our medical partner's care center AIC CURE International Hospital. The treatment will heal her legs, allow her to walk easily and support her to engage better both in school and with friends. Mercy hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon in order to help other children in the future. “I am looking forward to see my legs being corrected, to live more actively and continue with my education. God bless you for the support,” Mercy told us.