Eng is a retired rice farmer living in Kandal province, Cambodia. He and his wife had four children and fifteen grandchildren together, but sadly, Eng's wife passed away three years ago. Eng now lives with his oldest daughter, who supports Eng and her children by working in a nearby clothing factory. At home, Eng loves listening to music and playing with his grandchildren. Around two years ago, Eng developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces. He is worried about falling when walking, so he is unable to go places on his own. When Eng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On November 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. The cost of the procedure is $253, and after recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Eng shared, "I want to be able to take care of myself and not have my family worry about me."

Roeun is a 57-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He lives in Kampong Thom with his wife. Last year, their only daughter got married and moved with her husband to a nearby village - they are happy for her but still missing having her at home. Roeun is an avid chess player and enjoys watching soccer. Four years ago, Roeun had a severe ear infection. This infection caused his ear drum, in his right ear to perforate. Now Roeun cannot communicate clearly anymore and has trouble meeting and talking with his friends and neighbors. Roeun traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 6th, he will undergo a procedure in his right ear to restore his ear drum. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Roeun shared, "I hope after surgery my hearing will be better again. Then I can stop having headaches and this ear discharge any more."

Racheal is a student from Uganda. She is pursuing a diploma in public administration at Kampala International University in her final year. Her parents are involved in business, with her father selling onions and her mother being a small-scale farmer. She is the second born in a family of seven children attending primary and secondary school. She appeals for your support for her surgery to maintain good health. She had gone to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala, where she was given drugs to relieve her from complications and high blood pressure. She was also counselled about surgery, but due to her parents' financial constraints, she left and resumed school. However, her condition continued to worsen until she heard about the potential to have her surgery support by donors at Nyakibale hospital, so she sought help. Six months ago, Racheal began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty breathing, and her speech has changed as she no longer speaks in a high tone. She reports easy fatiguability even with small activities. There is disfigurement over her neck, causing discomfort and making her worry about her progress. She also reports a high appetite and a high metabolic rate with decreased weight. As a student, concentrating is difficult for her, as her peers laugh at her. She was diagnosed with Thyroid goiter. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth and other bodily functions. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Racheal receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 23rd at Karoli Lwanga Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Rachael says, “I am unable to raise money for the surgery since my parents too are financially unstable, and I kindly appeal for your support to restore my health for a better life as I complete my course.”

McDonald is a 70-year-old married man from Malawi. He has 12 children who are all married in their respective homes, and he lives with his wife and grandchildren. Working on the farm has become more difficult as he has grown older, therefore, he depends on his children for support. Eight months ago, McDonald experienced painful and reduced urination. He visited the nearby hospital where he was given drugs to no avail. He found temporary relief when the medical staff placed a catheter in January, and they advised him to visit Nkhoma Hospital for further evaluation. McDonald was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and doctors recommended prostate removal surgery. If the condition is left untreated, he may have recurrent urinary tract infections and may have to live with the catheter. However, McDonald cannot afford the surgery and needs help raising the $530 to fund his prostate surgery scheduled for February 28th. McDonald says, “The catheter is so painful and is giving me sleepless nights. I hope to finally find peace after treatment.”

Than is a 30-year-old mother of two from Thailand. She stopped working at a factory five years ago to prioritize caring for her family, while her husband works as a carpenter and her sons attend school. During her free time, Than enjoys listening to music and spending quality time with her family. In early 2023, Than began experiencing occasional bleeding and discomfort. She was diagnosed with carcinoma, a type of skin cancer and underwent two surgeries followed by six months of chemotherapy. Her doctor wants to perform another CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images are taken from several angles to produce a cross-sectional image to assess the status of the cancer post-surgery and to check for any signs of cancer spreading. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Than's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 23rd. Than said, "I'm hopeful that the CT scan shows no remaining cancerous tumors. Thank you, Burma Children Medical Fund, for your invaluable assistance."

Lambert is a three-month-old baby boy who lives with his parents and five-year-old sibling in Uganda. His parents are both farmers. Shortly after his birth, Lambert was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, which needs to be surgically repaired to relieve him of the pain he is experiencing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $170 to fund Lambert's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled for February 27th, at Rushoroza Hospital. Once completed, Lambert should no longer be in pain and discomfort. Lambert’s father says: “I hope my son will have a successful surgery so that he can live a good quality life.”

Allen is a 60-year-old small-scale farmer from Uganda. She lost her husband fifteen years ago and raised their six children on her own since his passing. As she was unable to afford their school fees, her children's income is modest, and they are unable to support their mother while she cannot work on the farm due to her medical condition. Allen hopes to resume her work once she recovers. Thirty years ago, Allen began to experience troubling symptoms, including a growing anterior neck swelling that caused pain. She has also been experiencing respiratory issues affecting her productivity. She was diagnosed with multinodular thyroiditis. She visited our medical partner's hospital for review, and the doctors recommended she undergo a thyroidectomy to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Allen receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 3rd, during which the surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Allen says, “I hope for a quick recovery, and after my complete recovery, I will resume farming.”

Mao is a 60 year-old grandmother. She has two sons, two daughters, and fourteen grandchildren. Sadly, her husband passed away from lung cancer four years ago, and Mao has since moved in with her youngest daughter. She is mostly retired, but still takes care of cows in fields near her house. Her daughter and son-in-law help support her by working in construction, while Mao helps look after her grandchildren and does most of the cooking for their family. Around one year ago, Mao developed a cataract in her right eye-a clouding of the lens of the eye. This causes Mao to have blurry vision and difficulty keeping her balance. When Mao learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On September 6th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She shared: "I hope I can see my daughter and our family better after eye surgery. I want to be more useful around our house too."

Shiba is a humble and gentle-speaking lady from Uganda. She is a mother to one child delivered via cesarean section in April 2022. Her son is young and hasn't even started school. She has both parents, and they are farmers. She is the third-born in a family of six with three sisters and two brothers, all studying and working as farmers too. Shiba earns a living through small-scale farming, but due to limited land, they mostly grow food crops for home consumption and sell the surplus to generate income for the family. Her husband is a school teacher, and they live in a two-roomed rental house with her son and another dependent in-law to her husband. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. She is currently expecting her second child. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section because of her higher risk pregnancy. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Shiba undergo a caesarean section on December 12th. This procedure will cost $252, and Shiba's family needs your support. Shiba says, “I have faith that if I get your support, I will be able to deliver all successfully.”

Htein is a seven-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his mother, sister and two brothers in the village in Karen State Burma. Htein’s mother is a homemaker and the sole caregiver of her four children. His sister is the income earner for the family and works as an agricultural day laborer. The income she makes covers their monthly expenses. Htein had an ultrasound on August 24th at a clinic for abdominal pain and discomfort. The results showed that Htein might have stones or cysts in his kidney that were causing a chronic infection, but the results were unclear. The doctor suggested that Htein’s mother bring him to a hospital for further investigation. Doctors want Htein to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $469 to cover the cost of Htein's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 5th. Htein said, “It is so painful. I would like to get better as soon as possible.” Htein’s mother added, “When we heard that my son’s condition cannot be cured with medication, my daughter and I cried because we realized that we cannot afford the expensive treatment cost. We thought that we would lose him. The medic there told us that they would be able to help us with transportation, so that reduced our stress, but we were still worried. After we met with Burma Children Medical Fund and learned that there would be donors to support us accessing treatment for Htein, I was so relieved. I was so happy to hear that the donors would help us. Burma Children Medical Fund will make us stronger again with my son’s treatment. There are no words except thank you. We are grateful and never expected such help.”

Alfonso is a 69 year old farmer from Uganda. He is the father of seven children, comprising four daughters and three sons, all of whom are married and engaged in farming. In his generational era, education was not highly valued. Despite these challenges, Alfunsi's determination led him to complete the 6th grade. Unfortunately, he couldn't proceed further as he grew up as an orphan with limited resources. Married for nearly 46 years, Alfunsi spent over two decades working in Buganda, doing casual labor. As he aged, he realized he could no longer keep up with the demands of the job and decided to return home to be with his family due to his waning health. Currently, he engages in farming, though not as actively as before, and his wife is also a farmer. Alfunsi sought medical attention when he began experiencing abdominal pain, backache, episodes of constipation, and pain while walking—symptoms persisting for almost a year. Due to financial constraints, he had refrained from seeking medical intervention until the symptoms worsened. After examination, a scan revealed the presence of cyst in his abdomen. The doctor recommended a curative laparotomy for his condition. However, he is unable to raise the necessary funds for the surgery and, therefore, appeals for your support. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is asking for help to raise $242 to fund Alfunsi's surgery. After surgery, he will be more comfortable and return to farming. Alfunsi says, “All I wish for is good health. I am hopeful that with your support, I will be able to undergo surgery and will surely get better.”

Chhorn is a retired rice farmer. He and his wife live in Prey Veng province, and their three daughters, four sons, and 13 grandchildren live nearby and support their living. As a result of Chhorn's retirement from farming, he stays home to help his wife around the house, spends time with his younger grandchildren, and visits the local pagoda for meditation. Three years ago, Chhorn developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him blurry vision and photophobia. He has a hard time recognizing his grandchildren and is distressed that he cannot go out in the bright sunlight. When Chhorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On January 3rd, doctors will perform small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Chhorn said: "I hope after surgery I can easily go out. I want to visit the pagoda again on my own and not be afraid I will fall."