Liza is a happy eight-year-old girl, living in Kandal province, Cambodia. She has two older siblings - an older sister who works in a factory, and an older brother who is in grade seven. Her father recycles cans and plastic bottles, while her mother stays home to care for her. Liza was born with Down syndrome and she does not attend school, but spends her day enjoying cartoons on TV and helping her mother around the house. For the past five years, Liza has been experiencing frequent throat infections, and difficulty swallowing. She has a harder time breathing at night and does not sleep well, so she is often tired during the day. Her mother says she often cries because her throat hurts so much. Liza was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and to intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Liza, which is scheduled to take place on January 23rd at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During this procedure, surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Liza of her symptoms, and helping her to live a healthier and more comfortable life. Liza's mother shared: "We hope after surgery Liza will stop having sore throats, and it will be easy for her to swallow."

Sonita is a creative and energetic six-year-old girl with two older brothers. In order to support their family, her father works in construction and her mother works in a factory. Some of Sonita's favorite activities are painting and riding her bike. One day, Sonita's mother noticed that she had stopped talking and playing with her friends. After further inspection, she discovered that Sonita had an ear infection, which was causing her pain. She also had a preauricular sinus skin pit on her left ear, meaning there is a cyst right in front of the ear above the ear canal marking a misplaced sinus tract. This causes her to experience discharge, swelling, and pain in her ear. Fortunately, a neighbor in their village told Sonita's family about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), so they traveled there to receive treatment for Sonita. On July 7th, she will undergo ear repair surgery to remove the skin pit and treat the infection. Our medical partner is requesting $297 to fund this procedure. Sonita's mother says that she hopes her daughter's pain goes away so she can grow up with good health.

Mana is a curious 4-year-old boy and the youngest child in his family. He has an older brother and a sister. He does not attend school yet, but likes to play with puppets, or play football with his older siblings. He told us he would like to be a policeman when he grows up. His father sells Khmer cakes at the local market and his mother is a hairdresser. Mana has been experiencing difficulty swallowing and a sore throat. He often loses his appetite and gets fever frequently. His mother has taken him for treatment at other hospitals but his condition has not improved. Mana was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $241 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Mana, which is scheduled to take place on March 14th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Mana of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably as he grows up. Mana's mother says, "I hope Mana will get better soon. I am worried he is small for his age and does not eat well because he is sick so often."

Roy is a charming and energetic toddler from Tanzania. He is playful and full of smiles. He is the youngest of his single mother's three children. His mother sells cassava root at the local bus station to support their family. Roy was diagnosed with bilateral genu varus. This means Roy has difficulty walking due to his legs bowing outwards. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, he walks with an abnormal gait and complains of pain and exhaustion after playing or taking a short walk. His surgery is scheduled for February 18th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is raising $880 to fund Roy's surgery. Treatment will hopefully restore Roy's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Roy’s mother says, “My income is very little, I want my son to have his legs corrected but there is no way I can afford the cost.”

Thou is a 69-year-old widow. She has one son who makes furniture in a local woodshop. Her husband passed away a long time ago, and until recently, she supported herself as a fruit seller in her neighborhood. At home, she likes to listen to movies on TV. One year ago, Thou developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Thou learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled there seeking treatment. On February 28th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. "I hope after surgery I can see well and be more independent," shared Thou.

Deriy is a four-month-old charming, beautiful girl. She's the youngest of four children in her family. Deriy and her parents come from north-central Tanzania, where Serengeti National Park is located. Their income is very modest and mostly comes from Deriy's father seeking day jobs on construction sites and farms. Deriy was born with clubfoot of her left foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, which causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Deriy was brought to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on February 18th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Deriy's surgery. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when she grows up. Deriy’s mother says, “I am worried about how my daughter is going to walk when the time comes. Please help correct her foot.”

Abdulkerim is an adorable 19-month-old baby boy from Ethiopia who loves to laugh with other children, and loves food. He is the youngest child in his family, and his older brother is 14 years old. His parents are farmers and they farm on their land and their neighbors' land. They work hard to make ends meet and to take care of their family. Abdulkerim was born with an abnormally functioning segment of bowel. He has had colostomy procedures in the past, and requires an additional surgery to treat his condition. He has been on a waiting list for a long time now and his family is increasingly worried as they have used their limited income to try to help him, but he needs this care. Another charity organization recommended that their family seek treatment from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH) and BethanyKids Hospital. Fortunately, AMH is helping Abdulkerim receive treatment. On February 3rd, he will undergo corrective surgery to treat his condition. Now, he and his family need help raising $1,500 to fund his procedure and care. Abdulkerim's mom shared, "when I knew about his condition I asked God why he gave me this child with this condition and I was too sad and depressed."

Melany is a joyful six-year-old girl from Colombia. She lives with her great-grandmother as he mother left when she was two years old. Melany loves to play with her "nana", and laughs a lot. Melany was born with Cerebral Palsy, and her great grandmother has been incredibly supportive in her treatment through the years, ensuring that she has the best possible prognosis. Due to her condition, Melany experiences recurrent hip dislocation and requires corrective surgery to help her walk. Fortunately, our medical partner, Clínica Noel, is helping Melany receive treatment. On February 14th, she will undergo corrective surgery, and, now, she and her family need help raising $1,362 to fund her procedure and care. Melany's great-grandmother shared, "my biggest motivation is seeing her walk by herself, or at least depend a little less on me. I'm afraid to die and leave her alone in a world where she only has me and her uncle."

Lydia is a small-scale farmer and a mother of seven. Her husband is also a small-scale farmer and their eldest child is now 50 years old. They own a four-room mud house and work hard to try to make ends meet for their family. Over 20 years ago, Lydia began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck pains and a small swelling which she initially thought would disappear on its own but it did not. Currently, she suffers from airway obstruction and can no longer climb hills comfortably. She very much likes playing and dancing (traditional dances) with her grandchildren but no longer does so comfortably in her current condition. She was scheduled for a surgery appointment at Kabale Referral Hospital about four months ago, but had to cancel because she was unable to raise the funds for surgery. She has now come to Rushoroza Hospital to seek treatment for her multi-nodular goiter, which is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Lydia receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 14th. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and Lydia and her family need help raising money. Lydia says, “I hope to finally get relieved of the goitre through surgery because I have lived in this undesirable condition for quite long. I hope to continue with farming comfortably after my treatment.”

Vicheka is the eldest of two children in her family and loves her younger sister who is three years old. Their family lives in Preah Vihear near the Thai border of Cambodia. Her father is a soldier and her mother is a potato farmer. At school, she is fond of math and Khmer literature and would like to be a teacher when she is older. She likes reading books, painting, playing with her little sister, and taking walks with her parents. When Vicheka was five, she was diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine—a sideways curvature of the spine that most often is diagnosed in adolescents. She has uneven shoulders, a bump in her lower back, difficulty standing up straight, and shortness of breath. It has become difficult for her to breathe, she tires easily, and she is having difficulty walking. This can be very difficult for young girls, they are often hidden at home because other children make fun of the way they look. A neighbor told her parents about our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre, so they traveled over 10 hours for a diagnosis and surgery. Surgeons plan to put in expanding rods along her spine. The expanding rods will allow her to grow and keep her spine from curving further, which could cause her more health problems if left untreated. Their family needs $1,500 for the surgery, which will cover medications, implants, and post-operative care. Vicheka said, "I hope the doctors can fix my spine so I can play with my friends and my back will be straight. I want to continue in school but it is hard for me to keep up, and I miss school."

Jayden is a smiley, six-month-old baby and the only child in his family. His mother is a homemaker, and his father works as a clothes vendor (called “mitumba”) in town. The family shared that their income is about Ksh 500 a day and inconsistent, and their rent is Ksh. 2000 per month, so they have requested support to help cover the needs of Jayden's medical care. Jayden was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. His family visited several local health facilities but was referred to the children’s hospital at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for specialist review and surgery. Jayden needs to undergo reparative surgery to address his symptoms and the risk of future complications. Fortunately, Jayden is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on January 5th. AMH is requesting $847 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Jayden's mother shared, “I hope this surgery helps our kid to be normal like other kids.”

Melvin is a four-year-old girl. She has a twin brother and lives with her grandmother and her father. Her father works finding jobs wherever he can to support their family. Melvin was born with a condition which is known as genu varum, or bowleggedness. She has had examinations at different hospitals but, unfortunately, her condition has worsened. Currently, she is unable to walk, run, or play with her friends. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Melvin receive treatment. On November 22nd, she is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery at AMH's care center. After surgery, she will be able to walk well, play with her friends, and enroll in school. Now, she and her family need help raising $1,224 to fund her procedure and care. Melvin's grandmother shared, "I would love to see my granddaughter walking well like other children. Please support us."