Monicah is a shy four year old girl who loves being with her grandmother. She is the first born in a family of two. She hails from a village in Machakos county, Kenya. Monicah was diagnosed to have hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a condition that paralyses one side of the body. She also has clubfoot of her right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Monicah's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on October 25th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Monicah's clubfoot repair. The surgery will be impactful to her since she will be able to walk without pain and finally she will be able to step on the ground with her right foot. “I am pleading support for my daughter to undergo surgery. I would love to see her stepping on the ground confidently,” Monicah’s mother told us.

Sonita is from the Koh Kong province and lives with her parents and younger brother. Her parents are rainy-day rice farmers, and her brother is in grade one. She is in grade four and excels in Khmer literature and math. She shared that she would like to be a lawyer some day. When not studying, Sonita likes writing stories, reading books, doing homework, watching TV, and going to the market with her mother. At home, she eats a soft meal and drinks juice due to her inability to open her mouth. Sonita was born with temporal mandibular joint ankylosis. This is a bony or fibrous adhesion of the mandible joint components. Trauma is the most frequent cause, followed by infection, but Sonita's parents do not know how she developed it. She is unable to open her mouth, causing difficulties with chewing, speaking, and oral hygiene as well as limiting the growth of her mandible (micrognathia). She is shy, and shared that she is often embarrassed that she cannot speak well enough to be heard. Her parents took her to a local hospital when she was three, but did not receive any treatment. A villager suggested her parents should visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for a diagnosis and treatment. Doctors have determined that she needs a bilateral condylectomy with the addition of a bone graft from her femur. Now, her family needs help to pay for the $469 procedure. Your donation will cover Sonita's surgery, medicines, and hospital stay. Sonita's mother said: "We are hopeful that the doctors can fix my daughter's jaw so she can open her mouth. We worry that she will not grow well because she cannot eat well."

Meet Emmanuel, a 9-year-old boy, living with his mother and four siblings in a small town in rural Kenya. Emmanuel's mother is a single parent, who works daily jobs like helping with laundry in an effort to support her children. Despite her hard work, the family's neighbors step in at times to make certain the children are fed, as Emmanuel's mother shared that she doesn't always have enough money for food. On Saturday evening, Emmanuel was brought to Kapsowar Hospital, after being hit by a speeding car. An X-ray confirmed that Emmanuel's left femur was fractured. He was admitted to the children's ward, and his leg was placed in traction until he can undergo surgery to repair the fracture. In the meantime, Emmanuel is in pain, and he cannot use his left leg. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On June 7th, Emmanuel will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation, at AIC Kapsowar Hospital. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is seeking $1,145 to fund Emmanuel's surgery, which will enable him to walk easily again, and to resume the life of enjoying being a 9 year old. Emmanuel's mother says: “I am going through so many struggles. I have a one-year-old baby at home. I am unable to take care of her as I am at the hospital. My hope is to see Emmanuel treated so that I can take care of him at home with his siblings.”