Phak is a loving grandmother and retired farmer from Cambodia. She has one son, three daughters, and seven grandchildren. Her husband has unfortunately passed away, so she now lives with her daughter, who is a garment worker. In her free time, Phak enjoys listening to monks pray on the radio. One year ago, Phak developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her to experience blindness. She cannot see things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking. Because of this, she is not able to go places on her own. When Phak learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On July 19th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help funding this $253 procedure. Phak shares, "I hope I can see well enough to take care of my myself and go places on my own."

Lauben is a Ugandan father of 4 children (2 daughters and 2 sons) who are all in school. He has a diploma in public administration, but has never been able to find employment in this. He is a subsistence farmer growing cabbages, tomatoes and eggplants with his wife, to eke out a living for his family. Six months ago, Lauben noted a small swelling on his back. The swelling is becoming painful and makes it difficult for him to work on the farm. He requires surgery but is not able to raise the funds needed for the surgery. Lauben traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On November 2nd, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Lauben needs help to raise $137 to fund this procedure. Lauben says “I hope to get well and resume my work on the farm and supporting my family."

Jovia is a small-scale farmer. She hails from a village in Southwestern Uganda. She is a mother to six children with four sons, all small scale farmers. All her daughters are married and are farmers as well. She never attended any school being that her father died when she was still young and her mother couldn’t afford paying her school fees. Now she does farming together with her husband. They normally grow food crops for their family to eat but are able to sell off the surplus to generate an income for their family's upkeep. However, this income is not sufficient to raise money needed for her surgery and therefore they appeal for support. Since April, Jovia has been experiencing severe symptoms. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Jovia's surgery. On September 8th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Jovia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Jovia says “I feel bad every day. My health is getting worse now, had I had money, I could have received my treatment already but I can’t due to limited finances. I kindly request for your support to save my life.”

Phal is a 64-year-old loving grandmother. She is married with two sons, three daughters, and 14 grandchildren. She lives with her husband who is a rice farmer and with her elderly mother. When not caring for her mother and husband, she likes to listen to monks pray on the radio and to join ceremonies at the village pagoda. One year ago, Phal developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her light sensitivity, tearing, and blurry vision. She is sad because she cannot help her family like she used to and feels useless. When Phal learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On October 17th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery which will break up the cataract with ultrasound, irrigate the eye, and remove the cataract through suction. Then they will implant a new lens in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Phal said: "I hope after surgery I can see better. Then I'll be able to go outside more and can help to plant again."

Dong is 66-year-old factory worker--he and his wife work at a plastic bag factory. Together they have three sons, three daughters, and many grandchildren. While he has always been a hard worker, lately, Dong's vision has become so poor that he cannot work. Instead, he stays home and looks after his grandchildren. He enjoys listening to the news on the radio. Three years ago, Dong developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him to experience photophobia, blurry vision, and tearing. As a result, he has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Dong learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for one hour with his wife seeking treatment. On March 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in his right eye. After recovering, Dong will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Dong shared with us, "I hope after my surgery I can see well and help my wife earn money to support our family."

Tibenderana is a 23-year-old labourer from Uganda. He is the seventh born of eight children. Tibendarana shared that he and his siblings did not attend school when they were growing up, and both his parents are illiterate and earn a living from small scale farming. Tibenderana also farms and sometimes does casual jobs in sand mining around their village. Tibenderana shared with us that in February he was attacked on his way home. Tibendarana was first brought to Rushoroza Hospital after the incident, where he presented with a traumatic infected left-hand cut injury. There, they stopped the bleeding and referred him to Mbarara Hospital for hand surgery review. However, due to lack of finances, his family decided to take him home instead. Later on, he returned to Rushoroza Hospital with an infected hand, and is currently in severe pain and discomfort. Doctors recommend he undergo an amputation of the left hand to prevent the hand infection from progressing to the rest of his arm, which could result in amputation of the entire limb. He could also develop other complications and will continue to be in severe pain. Tibenderana appeals for financial assistance for the cost of his care. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $255 to fund Tibenderana's hand surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. After recovering, Tibenderana is most looking forward to regaining his independence. Tibenderana shared, “I pray that I may get well through surgery. I am in severe pain and helpless; I have lost hope. I believe I will be better without the hand and will proceed with any duties I may be able to do with one hand.”

Anny Sanic is a very enthusiastic and fun four-year-old girl from Guatemala. She lives with her mom and dad and loves to play with her dolls. She also loves to eat lots of bread and sing songs. Anny Sanic needs pterygium correction surgery. 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. Common symptoms of a pterygium include redness, blurred vision, and eye irritation. Depending on how large the growth is, it can cause vision loss. Anny Sanic needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. She will receive further evaluation from an eye specialist, surgery to remove the pterygium, post-op follow-up treatment, as well as accompaniment and transportation throughout the treatment process. Pterygium surgery is safe, effective, and will positively impact Anny Sanic's life for years to come. The total cost of her procedure, scheduled for October 18, is $1,487.

Panha is a rice and vegetable farmer from Cambodia. He has two sisters and one brother. He likes listening to romantic Khmer songs, watching sports on TV, and going out with friends. He has had a tumor on his right upper lip for the past four years. He has difficulty eating and is self conscious about how the tumor looks. Panha traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On August 6, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. Now, Panha needs help to raise $220 to fund this procedure. He says, "After the operation, I will be good looking and will not have difficulty eating anymore."

David is a baby from Kenya. He is very active. His father is a street vendor, while his mother is housewife. David has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, David traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on April 26. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,224 to fund David's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily. David's father says, “I will be happy to receive help. God Bless you.”

Anna is a 56-year-old widow from Kenya. She has one son who is in high school. They live together in a relative's home. Anna supports her family by washing clothes and fetching water. About one year ago, Anna noticed that her hearing was worsening. Referred to our medical partner's care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, Anna sought treatment. At AIC Kijabe Hospital, she was tested by an audiologist, who recommended she get hearing aids. Due to financial hardship, Anna cannot afford treatment. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is asking for $712 to cover the cost of the hearing aids. She will receive them on March 29. Anna is looking forward to being able to hear again!