Joshua is a 21-year-old man who works as a motorbike taxi driver. His parents are small-scale farmers. Joshua is the second of seven children and has just finished form four in school. Joshua had a traffic accident last month and severely injured his leg. He was taken to the hospital where he had popliteal bypass surgery—a surgical procedure used to treat damaged leg arteries above or below the knee and used to salvage limbs that are at risk of amputation. Fasciotomy—the cutting of tissue on his leg—was also necessary. Following that procedure, Joshua had surgery for external fixation to align his leg bones because his doctor identified that he had a drop foot. Joshua has been in the hospital for over a month and is doing well, but he has open wounds where fasciotomy was performed. He now needs skin grafting to close his open wounds, replace lost skin and improve the appearance of the damaged skin. He is appealing for help so that he may quickly heal and be able to go home. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Joshua with his medical needs. Joshua needs your help funding this $1,089 procedure. Joshua says, "To this point, I thank God and everyone who took part in making all this happen. I am looking forward to getting well so that I may walk again and be able to carry out some work. Please help me.”

Annizabelle is an 11-year-old fifth-grader who lives with her parents and three siblings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her father is a mechanic, and her mother is a vendor. Anizabelle has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the valves in her heart is severely damaged due to an infection she suffered earlier in her childhood. As a result, her heart is unable to adequately pump blood through her body, leaving her weak and short of breath. Fortunately, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), is helping Annizabelle receive treatment. Annizabelle and her family will fly to the Dominican Republic, where she will undergo cardiac surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT on August 8th. During the surgery, doctors will attempt to repair her existing valve. If they cannot repair the valve, they will remove it, and implant an artificial replacement. HCA is contributing $9,000 to pay for the surgery. Now Annizabelle and her family need help to cover the $1,500 for the pre-surgical prep, lab tests, medicines and post operative follow up visits. In addition, this sum will pay for the passports for the social workers who will accompany the family overseas. Annizabelle's mother said: "Our family is praying that this surgery will be a success so that our daughter can get back to focusing on school and the rest of her life."

Sephora, a 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome from Haiti, loves listening to music and drawing with crayons. She lives with her parents and three older siblings in a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. Sephora has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. Because of this condition, a hole exists between two blood vessels near her heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Sephora needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive cardiac treatment on May 29th. First, the doctors will perform tests to determine if the hole near her heart can be safely closed or whether it is better to manage the condition with medication. If the tests show a good result, the surgeons will close the hole using a device attached to the end of a catheter. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $6,000 to pay for Sephora's surgery. Sephora's family also needs help with her $1,500 surgery prep costs. This cost covers all her labs, medicines, check-ups, and follow-up appointments. It also covers the cost of passports and social workers accompanying Sephora's family overseas. Sephora's mother said, "I am very happy to know that my daughter finally has the chance to have her heart fixed!"

Four-year-old Brighton is a pre-primary pupil from Kenya. His father works as a casual laborer while his mother is a homemaker, who takes care of their three children. The family is currently living in a temporary, makeshift shelter after they were displaced from their permanent home by flooding of the nearby Lake Baringo. On November 19, 2022, Brighton tripped over a piece of wood and fell onto an open flame in the cooking area of the family's shelter. He sustained burns to his forehead and both of his hands. As a result of his injuries, Brighton is in pain and has been unable to attend school. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Brighton to access treatment. On April 26th, surgeons at AIC Kijabe Hospital will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to prevent his wounds from becoming infected. The procedure will also help Brighton in regaining the ability to use his hands again and return to school. Now, Brighton and his family need your help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Brighton's father said: “This kid is so silent. He did not even scream when he got burnt. He has not been able to go to school due to the wounds he sustained. He needs this treatment to stop infection in the wounds. ”

Daniel is a 10-year-old student from Ethiopia. He is in second grade and loves school. His favorite subject is English. He also loves playing football and games with friends, eating fruits and eggs with injera. He is the fifth child in the family with four older brothers. Both parents are daily laborers on a farm and get income by sharing the profit during harvest with the landowner. They use the income to feed the family and also sell some of the produce to buy other goods for the house. During the rainy season, they engage in other labor work such as chopping wood, gardening and delivery of different goods. Even though their family income is sufficient to support the basic needs of their family, it is a challenge to afford Daniel's surgery. Daniel was born with hypospadias, a congenital disease that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms. Earlier he had two surgeries with Bethany Kids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre (BKMCM). For the third surgery, he had to wait for four years. The wait made him drop out of school and has affected his mental wellbeing. Fortunately, Daniel is now scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 28th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Daniel's dad said “I will be happy if my son completely heals and becomes free from shame. I am eager to send him back to school.”

Peterson is a 24-year-old man from Haiti. He lives with his parents and younger sister in a city on the southern coast of the island. When he feels well enough, he helps his family with their market stand. Peterson has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. A hole exists between the two upper chambers of his heart; blood leaks through this hole without passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him weak and short of breath. Peterson urgently needs surgery, but this is not available within Haiti. So Peterson will fly to United States to receive treatment. On March 2nd, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $15000 to pay for surgery. Peterson's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Peterson overseas. "I would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping to fix my heart," said Peterson.

Liza is a happy eight-year-old girl, living in Kandal province, Cambodia. She has two older siblings - an older sister who works in a factory, and an older brother who is in grade seven. Her father recycles cans and plastic bottles, while her mother stays home to care for her. Liza was born with Down syndrome and she does not attend school, but spends her day enjoying cartoons on TV and helping her mother around the house. For the past five years, Liza has been experiencing frequent throat infections, and difficulty swallowing. She has a harder time breathing at night and does not sleep well, so she is often tired during the day. Her mother says she often cries because her throat hurts so much. Liza was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and to intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Liza, which is scheduled to take place on January 23rd at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During this procedure, surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Liza of her symptoms, and helping her to live a healthier and more comfortable life. Liza's mother shared: "We hope after surgery Liza will stop having sore throats, and it will be easy for her to swallow."

Cornelius is a 15-year-old student and a social and friendly boy. He's the last born in a family of four children. Cornelius's mother is a widow and does farming on her small piece of land to earn a living and provide for the family. Cornelius has a condition on his right foot that inhibits his movements, makes wearing shoes hard, and causes pain while walking. Fortunately, Cornelius traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform surgery on December 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Cornelius's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk well, wear shoes and play with his friends and continue with his studies uninterrupted. However, his family is not financially able to fund the surgery and is appealing for financial assistance. Cornelius said, "I feel pain when I'm walking. I hope the surgery makes it less painful for me to be able to put on shoes and to walk well without straining anymore."

Hser is a 38-year-old woman who lives with her parents in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. She and her family fled there many years ago from Karen State in Burma because of civil war. Hser is now a high school teacher in the refugee camp, and she earns 1,000 baht (approx. 33 USD) per month. Hser used to teach groups of students at their home due to Covid restrictions that closed schools in July 2021, but all home teaching was also stopped in September 2021 when Covid cases increased in the refugee camp. Since then, Hser teaches students online, but many of her students cannot afford to pay for mobile data to study from their family’s mobile phones. Since late 2019, Hser has been experiencing pain in the right side of her abdomen every day, especially at night. She says that she has lost her appetite and has lost some weight because of this. She feels like the mass is gradually increasing in size and feels more comfortable lying down then sitting. She also feels tired when she walks. She has been diagnosed with an ovarian tumour, and has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, which involves surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Hser's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Hser is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on November 9th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, this treatment will help Hser to live free from pain and she has hope that she'll be able to live her life happily with her parents in the future. Hser said, “I love being a teacher and when I have recovered, I will continue to teach. My parents worry about me a lot and they want me to receive surgery as soon as possible. They are stressed about my condition, but I do not want to feel stressed because stress cannot help me feel better. So even though I cannot eat a lot, I try to eat as much as I can to stay strong.”

Sa lives with her husband, daughter, and two granddaughters in Burma. She is a homemaker, and her daughter and husband are day laborers. However, due to constantly changing regulations regarding the number of people who can gather, they have difficulty finding work. Sa's granddaughters are students, though their schools are currently closed. Their family shared that they were only able to earn 100,000 kyat (approx. $100 USD) last month, which is not enough to cover their daily needs. A few years ago, Sa was diagnosed with diabetes. This September, she had an injury on her right toe. Her toe became itchy and infected, so she visited a local clinic twice. After her symptoms did not subside, she visited a private clinic, where the doctor diagnosed her with an ulcer and told her she would need to undergo surgery to clean and remove the necrotic tissue. On September 24th, she underwent this procedure. A few days later, the toe continued to worsen, and a second surgery is now required to amputate Sa's right toe and keep her infection from worsening. To help with the cost, Sa was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), for assistance. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to help fund the costs of this surgery. Sa is currently experiencing swelling and pain in her foot, especially when the weather is cool during the night and morning. As a result, Sa cannot do her daily household chores. She shared, "Even though I cannot meet my donors, I want to thank them. If you [BCMF and donors] had not helped me during this difficult time, I do not know who else I could have turned to for help."

Ar is a 28-year-old man who lives with his wife, three sons, and two daughters in a refugee camp. Originally from Burma, his family fled to Thailand 20 years ago due to civil war. His children attend school, except for his youngest daughter, who is not yet old enough. His wife is a homemaker and Ar works as a day laborer when work is available. Ar's family shared that, in addition to his day laborer pay, they receive a monthly cash card from The Border Consortium to purchase food in the refugee camp. Overall, the family's total monthly income is just enough to cover their basic needs. On September 2nd, Ar climbed a tamarind tree to pick tamarinds fruit. When the branch he was standing on suddenly broke, he fell and landed on his right arm and experienced pain in his back. He visited the camp hospital that day, and the medic initially determined that his arm was not broken. Due to recent positive COVID-19 cases in the refugee camp, Ar could not be immediately referred to the local hospital for further testing and was kept for observation at the camp hospital. When the pain in Ar's back and arm did not subside the next day, the medic referred Ar to the local hospital. After receiving a negative COVID-19 test, Ar was finally able to visit the hospital on September 6th, where he received an X-ray for his arm and a blood test for a second COVID-19 test. The X-ray revealed that his upper right arm is broken. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ar will undergo surgery on September 8th to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure will enable Ar to continue working in the future. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Ar shared, "I am scared to receive surgery. But I was told that I will not be able to work using my right arm if I do not receive surgery, so I gave my consent to the doctor. I hope that I will be able to work again after I receive treatment."

Samson is a 26-year-old minibus conductor. He shared with us that he was orphaned in 2008 and currently lives with a relative in a rented two room house. He has relied on his older sister to help with his medical bills, but unfortunately, his sister lost her job due to the pandemic. Two months ago, Samson was struck by a motorcycle on his way home. He fractured his left tibia and was seen at a hospital in Nairobi where his leg was casted. However, after removing the cast, re-examining his leg and doing an x-ray, surgery was recommended as he had not healed. Samson currently moves around with crutches due to difficulty walking and he continues to experience leg pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On August 10th, Samson will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. The surgery will help his fractures fully heal and allow him to walk comfortably again. Now, AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Samson shared, "I am struggling to walk and my leg is so painful. I cannot work in this condition and unless I get the treatment I'm worried I might end up crippled.”