Elizabeth, who is seven months old, lives with her parents and two older brothers in a small house in Haiti, that they share with other relatives. Both of her parents are farmers. Elizabeth has a cardiac condition called atrioventricular septal defect. A large hole exists in the center of her heart, which affects all four of the heart's chambers. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving Elizabeth weak and unable to gain weight. Elizabeth will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. As she is too small and weak to undergo major surgery to completely correct her condition, on April 9th she will have a procedure, during which the doctors at Hospital CEDIMAT will implant a shunt, that will allow oxygenated blood to circulate through her body. This will stabilize Elizabeth's condition so that she can continue to grow and gain weight until she can more safely undergo a complete repair in several years. While another organization is contributing money to pay for Elizabeth's surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking your help to fund the $1,500 needed to cover the costs of Elizabeth's pre and post-operative care and for the documents and travel costs for Elizabeth, her family, and the social workers that will accompany the family. Elizabeth's mother said: "Our daughter's heart condition has been very stressful for our family, and we are very thankful to know that there may be a way to solve it!"

Jayden is a 15-month-old baby - full of smiles and jovial. However, it's difficult for him to pass urine, which was diagnosed at birth. He is the only son and his mother is a single parent who is still in school pursuing a hairdressing course. They both live at his grandmother’s home in Western Kenya. Jayden's grandmother works as a laborer getting work when she can. Jayden was born with hypospadias, a birth condition that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of cancer and infertility. Fortunately, Jayden is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on January 12th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $847 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Jayden's mother says, “My child deserves to grow as a normal kid. The good thing is that this condition can be rectified and he can heal.”

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.”