Meet Tha Zin, a 23-year-old woman from Burma. When she was eight, Tha Zin and her mother were lighting a fire using cotton and petrol. In a terrifying accident, the fire grew out of control, and Tha Zin ended up with burns on her face, neck and chest.
The burns not only caused a functional impairment of her neck and face, but also led Tha Zin to leave school and begin working at age ten to avoid the public humiliation she felt.
Now, 15 years later, Tha Zin has found love and stability -- she lives with her longtime partner in her parents' house and works as a farmer -- but she wants nothing more than to look like a normal person. She even spent $50 (a staggering two months' salary for her) to travel to our medical partner's clinic to see what could be done.
"Tha Zin told us she wishes to look like a normal person," our medical partner writes. "This treatment means the world to her, and afterwards she and her partner would like to save money and get married. She wants to be able to feel comfortable in public and does not want to feel ashamed or embarrassed anymore."
$1,500 will cover the entire cost of Tha Zin's treatment. With this funding, she'll be able to travel to a hospital in Thailand and receive surgery, allowing her to move her neck more freely, and, equally important, feel like herself again.