Meet Bhubendra, a five year-old boy from Nepal. “Bhubendra enjoys learning the English alphabet and playing with his sisters,” says our medical partner, Possible. Recently, “Bhubendra fell down from the porch of his house and fractured both the bones in his right hand," his doctor says. As expected, his hand is swollen and tender, and causes him a lot of pain. In the region of Nepal where Bhubendra lives, getting proper care is difficult for many people due to a lack of accessible first aid equipment and personnel. Bhubendra's parents brought him to Possible's clinic to ensure his injury receives necessary treatment. Still, Bhubendra's family is unable to afford the proper treatment for his broken hand. "It's difficult to finance Bhubendra's treatment for me," his father shares. "Me and my wife have five children to look after and we have only a farm to keep us going.” For $224, we can fund surgery and post-operative care that will heal Bhubendra's fracture. The treatment will ensure that Bhubendra's bones are aligned correctly, and a plaster cast will allow the fracture to heal properly. Bhubendra's doctors are very optimistic about this treatment, and believe that his hand will get back to normal and allow him to return to his active childhood.

Meet Tara, an eight-year-old boy from Nepal. Tara lives at home with his parents, two sisters, and both of his grandmothers. According to our medical partner, Possible, the family supports itself by keeping a small farm. Recently, Tara endured a fracture in his right hand after falling down while playing with his friends. Possible explains, “The family tried to fix the bones by using herbal medicines at home and tightly wrapping a cloth around his hand.” However, Tara’s condition did not improve. “After a week or so when they saw that his condition was deteriorating, Tara's mother got him to the hospital,” Possible says. “He has wounds all over his hand, it feels tender and has considerable swelling.” For $224, Tara will receive surgery to correct his broken hand. “Tara will be put under anesthesia to align his bones correctly," shares his doctor. "The area of injury will be plastered to prevent the movement bones and to allow the fracture to heal well.” After recovering, Tara is expected to regain full use of his hand. “I could not sit and watch my son writhe in pain," his mother shares. "It is difficult to take out money for treatments when we have so many mouths to feed and such little income.”

Three-year-old Neymarah lives in Haiti with her mother, who works as a tailor, and her grandmother. She likes to help her mother prepare the fabric for the school uniforms that she makes. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), tells us, “Neymarah was born with a condition called complete atrioventricular canal defect, in which blood mixes between all four chambers of the heart without fully obtaining oxygen. This leaves her weak and out of breath and would eventually be fatal.” Neymarah needs surgery to create two functioning valves between the upper and lower chambers on both sides of the heart and to place patches over the existing defects (holes). “Following surgery,” says HCA, “Neymarah should have normal circulation restored to her heart. She should not need further surgery in the future.” For $1500, HCA will provide the overseas preparation and transportation required for Neymarah’s surgery. MECENAT is donating $5000 to cover the remaining treatment costs. Neymarah is excited to start preschool after surgery. Her mother shares, "I want Neymarah to be able to walk to and from school like the other children."

Meet Oeun, a 63-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), shares, “Oeun is married with two sons, five daughters, and ten grandchildren. She spends her free time planting bananas around her home and caring for her yard.” Two years ago, Oeun developed mature cataracts in both eyes. A cataract occurs when a thin, cloudy layer forms over the eye’s lens. This condition can cause extreme discomfort, vision loss, or even functional blindness. According to CSC, because of her cataracts, Oeun’s eyes burn, tear up, and are irritated by bright lights. “It is hard to see anything clearly, and I cannot go outside on my own,” shares Oeun, “I can't even recognize the faces of my relatives." After learning about CSC from a neighbor, Oeun and her niece traveled five hours to visit their clinic; they learned that, after a simple and highly-effective surgical procedure, Oeun may regain her sight. With $225, Oeun will undergo cataract surgery, during which her old lenses will be removed and replaced with sheer artificial implants--allowing Oeun to regain sight immediately after her operation. Oeun’s niece shares, "I hope my aunt will be able to see everything clearer so she can easily do her work and go anywhere by herself."

Meet Thorn, a 58-year-old mother and grandmother who lives in Cambodia. Thorn enjoys watching Thai dramas on television and doing housework. "Two years ago Thorn developed a cataract in each eye," explains our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). "This causes her blurred vision and pain." A cataract is a thickened, cloudy lens. Over time, the altered lens loses its ability to focus light properly, resulting in blurry or dull vision and difficulty seeing faraway objects. Cataracts account for 50 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide, and formation typically occurs in both eyes, as Thorn is experiencing. $225 will cover the cost of surgery to remove the cloudy lenses from both of Thorn’s eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. This amount also includes post-operative follow-up care. After surgery, "Thorn's vision will improve and she will have regained independence," CSC tells us. Thorn shares her hopes after surgery: "I hope my eyes can see everything clearly again and I don't have to worry about my eyes becoming blind. I hope I will be able to do my work and can go anywhere outside by myself very well." Thorn's son adds: "I hope my mother can see everything clearly again after treatment. I hope I won't have to worry about her eyes having problems in the future."

Sopheap is a 43-year-old woman living in Cambodia with her husband, four sons, and two grandchildren. She is a rice and crop farmer. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, "In her free time, Sopheap does housework and watches Thai dramas." Sopheap has a pterygium, a non-cancerous growth of mucus membrane covering the cornea, in both of her eyes. For six years she has been experiencing blurred vision, burning, irritation, redness, itchiness and tearing. Sopheap says "It is hard for me to do any work or go outside. My eyes are bad looking." For $150, Sopheap will receive a surgery in which the mucus membrane that has grown over her cornea will be removed to prevent recurrence. "After a pterygium removal, Sopheap's burning, irritation, and tearing will stop," explains CSC. Sopheap hopes that after surgery she will no longer experience the painful symptoms of her pterygium. "I hope I will be able to easily do my farm work and can help my family sell some vegetables near our home for money," she says. "I hope I can feel comfortable enough to go outside anywhere by myself."

Meet Sokkoeun, a 56-year-old woman from Cambodia. “Sokkoeun is married with one son and three daughters,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “She sells sweet fruits to support her family, and enjoys watching the news on TV.” Sokkoeun recently fell down from a tree and dislocated her left elbow. "I can't bend my elbow or carry anything without feeling pain and numbness in my left arm,” shares Sokkoeun. “Sokkoeun travelled three hours with her son to reach CSC for treatment,” says CSC. “She received Khmer traditional medicine treatment for two months but her arm did not improve.” With $405 in funding, Sokkoeun will undergo open reduction and internal fixation surgery to realign her bone correctly and allow her elbow to heal. After the procedure, CSC expects her arm will regain mobility. "After treatment, I will go back to work to support my family,” shares Sokkoeun. “I hope my hand will function well and I can do anything for myself."

Meet Duesi! This three-year-old boy from Uganda loves to run around with his hand-made soccer ball. Duesi's doctor at our partner The Kellermann Foundation tells us, "He lives in a mud house near a farm where his family harvests the local crops, which is a four hour walk away from the hospital. His mother and father hope to enroll him into nursery in two years, so he can learn English and get a better education than they received.” Duesi recently lost his appetite and become malnourished as a result. He no longer has the stamina to play outside with his sister. His doctor says, "Along with an unhealthy amount of weight loss he is also very irritable, fatigued, and has a high temperature; also, he has poor dentition due to a micro-nutrient deficiency. Without immediate treatment Deusi will become underdeveloped and possibly die.” For just $375, Duesi will receive treatment for malnutrition designed to get him back in good health. His doctor says, “Treatment will save Duesi’s life and get him back on developmental track. His sister and he can finally go home and once again play and chase each other around with a soccer ball and dig holes. Duesi will be able to go to school in two years and hopefully fulfill his parents' dream of learning English.”

This is Chenda, an adorable seven-year-old from Cambodia! She is in the third grade and loves going to school. During her free time, she likes to play with her little sister and is very good at sharing her toys. Three months ago Chenda began experiencing hypertrophy, or enlarging, of the tonsils, causing her to become sick frequently. Her doctors at our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, tell us, “Chenda would be sick for a couple of days, fight it off and be ok for a week, and then be sick again.” They continue, “She also started having difficulty swallowing. These were problems that made it difficult for her to eat and drink properly, and at night she had trouble breathing.” This condition has prevented Chenda from being able to attend school regularly and from eating her favorite foods: french fries, meat and soup! While her parents work hard to support Chenda, they are unable to cover the cost of her medical care. CSC shares, “Her mother is very worried about her, especially when she has trouble breathing, and she hopes her daughter can get the right treatment.” $210 will cover Chenda’s treatment, including a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy, surgeries which will remove her tonsils and adenoids, respectively. Once treated, Chenda will be able to sleep, swallow, breath, and eat normally and without pain. Let’s help Chenda get access to the medical care she needs so she can go back to doing the things she loves!