Nine-year-old Thiri is a first-grader, living with her mother and two brothers in Burma. Her mother sells vegetables in a local shop, while Thiri and her brothers attend school. While playing with her friends in front of her house in early January 2023, Thiri tripped, and fell into a pile of rice sacks, injuring her left eye in the process. Immediately, she realized that she could not see out of her left eye. Over time, her eye injury became more painful, red, and sensitive to light. Eventually, when her eye did not heal, her mother brought her to Mae Sot Hospital, where she was diagnosed with traumatic glaucoma. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Thiri. On February 1st, doctors at Mae Sot General Hospital will remove the natural lenses from both of her eyes, and replace them with intraocular lens implants. Once she has recovered. Thiri will regain her ability to see clearly. Now she needs your help to fund this critical procedure. Thiri's mother said: "I want her to receive surgery and recover soon so that she [Thiri] can go back to school and I can go back to work. I want her to be rich in the future, not like me, and own her own shop, because she likes to cook."

Stravensky, who is 18 years old, and in his final year of high school, lives in Port-au-Prince in Haiti, with his parents and two sisters. He aspires to go on to university to study engineering. Stravensky was born with atrial septal defect, a cardiac condition, where a hole exists between the upper two chambers in his heart. Instead of circulating through his lungs and picking up oxygen, the blood leaks through the hole, leaving him weak and short of breath. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to fund the costs of the surgery that Stravensky needs to repair his heart. The procedure, during which the hole will be repaired, is scheduled for February 1st, at Clinica Corominas. After this life changing operation, Stravensky should be able to live a healthy and comfortable life, and to pursue his ambitions without experiencing his current symptoms. From Stravensky: "I have been hoping to have my heart fixed ever since I was a small child - I can't believe it is finally happening!"

47-year-old Sophea is a farmer, living with his mother in Kandal province in Cambodia. When not working on the farm or caring for his elderly mother, he enjoys doing housework and spending time with friends. Since he was about ten years old, Sophea has lived with a mole on the right side of his nose near his eye. Recently, the mole spread to his lower eyelid. Sophea visited a private clinic and had the mole removed. However, the mole returned and began to bleed. Sophea is worried that it might be cancerous. Sophea sought help from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. On February 7th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform an excision of the lesion, and send a sample for histology. Sophea needs help to fund this $673 procedure. Sophea said: "I hope the doctors can remove the tumor and I can go to work and take care of my mother."

Daw Nan is a 64-year-old woman from Myanmar. She lives with her husband in a village in Karen State. Her husband is retired and she occasionally works as an agricultural day laborer. She also grows cashews in her garden and sells what she harvests once a year. Sometimes, her daughter, who works in Thailand, sends her pocket money. In her free time, she likes to go to the temple and meditate. Currently, she can only perceive light with her right eye and the vision in her left eye is starting to blur. She cannot see people's faces with her right eye, and her left eye is sensitive to light. Because of her poor vision, she can only walk slowly because she is worried that she will trip and fall. She also feels stressed about her vision problem, and she has lost weight and has little appetite. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Daw Nan. On February 10th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Daw Nan's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Daw Nan said, "Since the vision in my right eye worsened and I noticed that the vision in my left eye is worsening, I feel stressed at all times. I cannot work properly as my [left] eye hurts and waters when it is bright outside. I feel sad. Even though I eat, I have a poor appetite and I have lost weight. I will be very happy if I can see again after my surgery."

Sophea is an 18-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives at home with her parents and two siblings. Her dad is a rice farmer and her mom cares for the children at home. Sophea spends most of her free time reading and studying. She enjoys spending time with her family and going to school. Sophea was born with club feet, a condition in which the feet are turned in and under, making it difficult to walk and balance. Currently, Sophea uses a wheelchair to help her get around. Sophea's family traveled an hour and a half to visit our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), so she could undergo clubfoot treatment. On February 15th, surgeons will perform bilateral tendon Achilles lengthening (TAL) and casting. Surgery and physiotherapy will improve her mobility. The procedure will cost $572. Sophea said, “I hope I will look better after surgery and walk someday.”

John is a 79-year-old banana farmer from Uganda. He is a small-scale farmer and, together with his wife, they care for their banana plantation to earn a living for their family. He is a father of nine with three school-aged children. John and his wife are currently living with their youngest son as they repair their mud-made house. For two years, John has had a right inguinal hernia. The hernia causes him severe pain. The swelling appears when he stands for a long period of time. It is even more painful after walking long distances and he has currently stopped farming completely. He needs surgery and is asking for support. Fortunately, on February 15th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $170 to fund John's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. John says, “I pray and hope that I may get well through surgery and be able to live a normal and more productive life once again. I will continue with farming after recovery.”

Htwe is a 12-year-old student from Thailand. He lives with his uncle's family, while his parents work in Bangkok. He enjoys playing football with his friends. Two years ago, Htwe's right eyelid became swollen and red, and by July 2021, the swelling worsened. He was able to feel a small mass in his right eyelid and developed double vision. Htwe was diagnosed with a cyst in his right eyelid. The doctor planned to surgically remove the cyst in early February, but he decided to postpone the surgery because he was worried about what was causing Htwe's symptoms. Doctors want Htwe to undergo a CT scan so that they can diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Htwe's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 20th. Htwe said, “I have difficulty studying and doing my homework because I cannot see clearly."

Mylene is a small food business owner from the Philippines. She lives with her mother and two cousins. Her earnings from her business contribute towards sustaining the family's daily needs. Two months ago, Mylene began to experience troubling symptoms, including stomachaches and back pain. Thinking it was simply a urinary tract infection, she opted to delay her checkup. However, her symptoms worsened as her skin began to yellow and she began to experience severe skin itchiness. As a result, she temporarily closed her business as she was compelled to see a doctor. She was advised to undergo an ultrasound test and was diagnosed with Chronic Calculous Cholecystitis, a condition that causes swelling and irritation of the gallbladder. Doctors have recommended she undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Mylene is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on February 24th. Mylene needs help raising $1,128 to fund her procedure and care. Mylene shared, "This free surgery is a life-changing opportunity. I no longer have to worry about how or where to find money to pay for my hospital bill. I'm truly grateful to WATSI and World Surgical Foundation Philippines for helping me!"

Som is a 68-year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Cham. She has two sons, five daughters, and fifteen grandchildren. Sadly, ten years ago, her husband passed away from a heart attack. Since then, she has retired and lives with one of her sons who took over the rice farm. Her hobbies are cooking and visiting the mosque in her village. Around two years ago, Som developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her tearing and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus is unable to travel on her own. When Som learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 6th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She said, "I want to be able to see again because I feel very afraid when I go out."

Neap is a 75-year-old retired rice farmer, mother, and grandmother. She has two sons, seven daughters, and twenty grandchildren. After her husband passed away, Neap moved in with one of her daughters, who supports them by working as a rice farmer. In her free time, she enjoys listening to the radio and visiting her local pagoda. About a year ago, Neap developed a cataract in her left eye, causing itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus is unable to travel on her own. When Neap learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four hours to seek treatment. On March 7th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Neap said, "After surgery I want to see more clearly so I can take care of my family."

Khorn is a 64-year-old tamarind farmer who spends her free time visiting her local pagoda with her sister, who lives in the same village. About two years ago, Khorn developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus is unable to travel on her own. When Khorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for an hour and a half to seek treatment. On March 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery to implant an intraocular lens in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Khorn said, "I hope after surgery I can see better and take better care of myself."

Giripina is an elder from Uganda who had eleven children- three of whom are still living. She is a small-scale farmer alongside her husband, who also practices carpentry. During her free time, Giripina enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. One month ago, Giripina began to experience uncomfortable symptoms, including a bulging abdomen. She continued with her activities at home, hoping that the condition would go away on its own. When the symptoms intensified, she was referred to a hospital where she was diagnosed with partial intestinal obstruction. The doctors recommended surgery given that, if left untreated, Giripina could develop worsened obstruction, gangrene, intestinal perforation, sepsis, or death. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Giripina with this life-saving treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a curative laparotomy on March 10th. This procedure will cost $297, and Giripina and her family need your support. Gripina says, “I pray for a successful surgery. I hope to get well so that I may be able to continue taking care of myself and my family through farming.”