Ma Win is an 18-year-old girl who lives with her parents, sister and brother-in-law in Yangon, Burma. Ma Win’s sister works at a clothing factory, while her brother-in-law works as a day laborer. Her parents are homemakers. Before Ma Win's current illness, she also worked at a factory. When Ma Win was four years old, she experienced a bout of high fever, and was brought to the local clinic. She received an injection, and the doctor informed her parents that she was born with a heart problem. However, she was too young at the time for corrective surgery. Instead, she was sent home with medication, and appeared to be doing well until this past year. In April, Ma Win began experiencing chest pains, high fever and difficulty breathing. She went to a clinic, and received an x-ray and an echocardiogram. After the doctor checked her results, she was diagnosed with an opening between two major blood vessels leading from the heart. The doctor told her and her family that she would need to have surgery. When Ma Win explained to the doctor that her family could not afford to pay for the surgery, she was referred to the abbot of a local monastery, who provided the family with information about our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. Now Ma Win is scheduled for cardiac surgery on October 23rd at Pun Hlaing Hospital. After she has recovered, she should no longer experience chest pains or difficulty breathing, and she won't have to worry any longer about her condition. She will also be able to return to work, which will help ease her family's financial burdens. Now she needs your help to raise $1,500 to cover the cost of her procedure. Ma Win said: “I am scared to receive surgery, but my mother tries to encourage me. However, I am very happy that I will be able to receive treatment with your help. I would like to say thank you so much to all the donors.”

Owen is a hardworking farmer from Uganda. She is married and has three children, all of whom are in school. To support their family, she and her husband both work as farmers. She also sells farm products to generate additional income to support her family's day-to-day needs. For the past two years, Owen has been experiencing backaches, abdominal pain, and severe bleeding. She has already previously received two blood transfusion due to anemia. She sought medical attention due to her troubling symptoms and was diagnosed by with multiple uterine myomas. Owen shared that due to financial constraints, she is not able to fund her needed procedure. However, if her condition is not treated, her symptoms will continue, and her rapid loss of blood will put her at risk of redeveloping anemia. She must undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus, healing her condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), is requesting $219 to fund Owen's surgery. On August 5th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at AMHF's care center. Once recovered, Owen will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Owen says, “I hope to get support and undergo my surgery. I will get better and continue with farming in good health to sustain my family.”

Kry is a 72-year-old grandfather from Cambodia. He is married and has one daughter, four sons, and nine grandchildren. For many years, he was the chief of his village's pagoda, but he has since retired. He lives with his wife, who is a homemaker, and they are supported by their children. At home, he enjoys listening to monks pray on the radio and taking walks with his wife. Ten years ago, Kry developed a pterygium in his left eye, causing him to experience eye tearing, redness, itchiness, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. Kry has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Kry learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On August 15th, Kry will undergo a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of his procedure is $225, which covers treatment, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Kry shares, "I hope after surgery I will be able to see better, go outside, and visit our pagoda."

Rin is a 60-year-old commune chief from Cambodia. He is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren. Rin currently enjoys spending time listening to the news on the radio and watching TV, but he has many plans for how he wants to spend his time once his condition is corrected. Two years ago, Rin developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him to experience light sensitivity, eye tearing, and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking. Because of this, he is not able to go places on his own. When Rin learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for six hours seeking treatment. On July 18th, doctors will perform small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Rin says, "I hope I can see clearly after my surgery. I want to recognize things well, go far places on my own, and read and write."

Ronnah is a gentle and humble woman from Uganda. She is the mother of twin girls, who are both in kindergarten. Her husband previously worked as a private school teacher, but he lost his job during the Covid-19 lockdown. Ronnah is currently carrying her second pregnancy. Her doctors recommend that she delivers via caesarean section due to her having a short inter-pregnancy interval, meaning the period between her two pregnancies was short and thus raises potential risks, such as the potential for uterine rupture if the baby is delivered naturally. By delivering via C-section, doctors can better ensure the safety of both Ronnah and her child. Ronnah says, “I hope to deliver a live baby and continue in good health after delivering once given your support.”

Thein is a 42-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband, son, daughter, mother-in-law and step-granddaughter in Palu Village, Myawaddy Township, Karen State, Burma. Thein’s husband is still recovering from an illness and is also looking after her as her caregiver. Her mother-in-law has impaired vision and is looked after by her children. Her two children stopped going to school in 2020, when schools closed due to COVID-19. After the coup in February 2021, their school never reopened. Thein works as a day laborer and as a farmer, but she has not been able to plant anything this year. In December 2021, she and her family had to flee their village for a month due to armed clashes in their village. After they were able to return, Thein was too scared to go to her farmland since she had been told that the area around the village is full of landmines. It has been a very difficult time for their family as Thein’s house was also destroyed during the armed clashes in their village. They are currently living with Thein’s mother-in-law, whose house partially survived the recent violence and destruction. Thein's family currently lives off of donations that Palu villagers receive as internally displaced peoples (IDPs), and the rice they harvested last year before they had to flee. Since July 2021, Thein has been experiencing backpain when she sits or lays down. She feels better when she is standing or walking. After she eats, she feels bloated and uncomfortable. She has been diagnosed with large abdominal endometriosis. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Thein's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Thein is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on July 20th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered she will no longer be in pain and will be able to sit and lie down comfortably. Despite the hard moment they are in, Thein tries to stay hopeful about rebuilding her life: “When I recover fully, I want to go back to work so that I can earn money. I want to rebuild my house and live there with my family.”

Ma is a hardworking mother from Burma who enjoys spending her time cleaning her home and visiting the temple to pray. She lives with her husband and their three sons, who attend school in the village. To support their family, Ma is a homemaker, and her husband grows rice on their land to feed their family. They also raise chickens and pigs, which they sell along with the vegetables that they grow. She shares that their monthly income of 30,000 kyat (approx. 30 USD) per month is not enough to cover their daily expenses. They sometimes have to borrow money from their friend with interest and pay them back when they can. Ma is currently experiencing pain in her lower right abdomen and back. If she walks for more than 10 to 15 minutes, she feels very tired. She also has a poor appetite and has lost weight as a result of this. Doctors want Ma to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Ma's CT scan and care, which is scheduled for July 20th. Ma shares, “I want to get better soon because I already miss my husband and my sons. After I get better, I plan to go back to my village and work on my land with my husband.”

Salim is a 58-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She is married and has two sons, three daughters, and eight grandchildren. She and her husband farm ancestral land northeast of the capital, Phnom Penh. After a long day, Salim likes to spend her evenings listening to the news or joining ceremonies at the local pagoda. Five years ago, Salim developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her to experience eye tearing, itchiness, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Salim learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. Salim needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225. This covers supplies, treatment, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for July 21st. Salim says, "I hope after surgery my eye will not be irritated and I will see better. I can go back to the farm field and do housework well."

Christine is a hardworking 50-year-old mother from Uganda. She has two sons and two daughters, with her oldest working as a teacher and the rest currently attending school. After the death of her husband 14 years ago, Christine moved back in with her parents and has been supporting her children through farming. For some time now, Christine has been experiencing severe lower abdominal pains, as well as bleeding. She has been diagnosed with multiple uterine myomas, or growths that develop on the uterus wall. To alleviate her symptoms, she must undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Christine's surgery. On August 4th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Christine will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Christine says “I will really be grateful seeing my health restored. My children are still studying, and they need me. I am in such poor health and unable to help.”

Chham is a 76-year-old retired rice farmer. He is married and has one daughter, two sons, and 12 grandchildren. Both he and his wife are retired from farming and live with their youngest son, who is a farmer. He enjoys listening to the news and to monks pray on the radio. One year ago, Chham developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him to experience light sensitivity, blurry vision, and eye tearing. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so he is not able to go places on his own. When Chham learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On August 3rd, doctors will perform cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help funding this $253 procedure. Chham says, "I hope after surgery I can see better. I would like to go outside to visit our pagoda and join in the ceremonies."

Semei is a humble and understanding 54-year-old family man from Uganda. He has two sons who are teachers, four daughter who are married, and two children who are still in school. Semei works as a small-scale farmer to support his family. He loves grazing goats and listening to the radio. For three years, Semei has dealt with a left indirect inguinal hernia. The hernia causes him to experience severe pain, difficulty walking, and other troubling symptoms. The doctors were concerned that the hernia worsened, causing intestinal obstruction. However, a scan revealed that it fortunately has not reached that level. On August 4th, Semei will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund his surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Semei says “I couldn’t have risked staying with this pain all along. It’s only that I have always been limited financially. I appeal for your support to make my surgery possible.”

Cheng is a retired fish seller from Cambodia. She is 61 years old and has two daughters, four sons, and three grandchildren. She and her husband live with their youngest daughter, who is a garment worker. She likes to listen to the news and to monks pray on the radio. She also enjoys visiting the pagoda with her family. Two years ago, Cheng developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her to experience blurry vision and eye tearing. She often sees cloudy patches, which make it difficult for her to cook and help with housework. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Cheng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for one hour seeking treatment. On August 3rd, doctors will perform 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. Cheng says, "I hope after surgery I can see better and help my daughter take care of my grandchildren."