Alisse is a three-month-old baby girl from Bolivia. She lives in southwestern Bolivia with her mom and dad, who both work in a small convenience store. Her parents noticed she was not growing properly and frequently became sick, and took her to the local doctor, who discovered a heart murmur; she was then referred to La Paz to see the cardiologists there. Alisse has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two blood vessels next to her heart. This condition prevents Alisse's blood from circulating properly, causing her weakness and leaving her at risk of heart failure if the condition goes untreated. On July 22nd, Alisse will undergo cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care center, Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría. During surgery, surgeons will sew the hole closed so that blood can no longer leak through it. Alisse's family needs help to fund the costs of cardiac care and surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, requests $1,500 to cover the cost of cardiac exams and diagnostics, surgical costs, follow-up care, and medications. Alisse's father shared, "We just pray our little girl can have a successful surgery; we came from far away seeking help."

Hadassa is a seven-year-old girl from Haiti. She is the middle child in her family, with an older sister and a younger brother. She does not currently attend school but enjoys helping her parents around the house and watching cartoons. Hadassa has a cardiac condition called a partial atrioventricular canal defect. A hole exists between the chambers of her heart, causing blood to leak between them instead of properly circulating through the lungs to receive oxygen. This leaves her weak and short of breath. Hadassa also has Down syndrome. Hadassa needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On June 24th, she will undergo heart surgery, during which doctors will repair the hole in her heart. Another organization is paying for the surgery, but her family also needs help with travel and surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Hadassa's family overseas. Hadessa’s mother shares, “Our family is so happy to know that there is a way to fix our daughter’s heart, and we hope everything will go well!”

Susan is a six-year-old girl from Kenya. From an early age, Susan experienced delayed developmental milestones. She was only able to sit at eight months and did not begin walking until she was two years old. As she grew, her parents noticed that she had difficulty speaking and pronouncing words. They hoped that, with time, she would improve, but the challenges persisted. Her parents enrolled her in school, believing that interacting with other children would help her learn to communicate better. Unfortunately, Susan continued to struggle both academically and socially. While her peers progressed to the next grade, she had to repeat a class because she was unable to keep up with communication and learning activities. Seeking help, her family first took her to a nearby hospital, and later, through a friend’s recommendation, she was referred to our medical partner's care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital. After undergoing audiology assessments, Susan was diagnosed with severe hearing loss. The major reason she cannot speak clearly is that she is unable to hear properly. When her parents learned the cost of hearing aids, they were worried. Susan’s father depends on casual construction and farming jobs to provide for his wife and their three children, while her mother works as a waitress at a local food joint. Despite working tirelessly, the family cannot afford the support Susan urgently needs. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Susan receive treatment. On 21st May, she will be fitted with hearing aids that will improve her hearing. With consistent speech therapy, her communication skills will also improve, so she catch up with her peers. Now, Susan's parents are seeking support to raise $1,171, to aid in treatment for their daughter's hearing, help her find her voice, and continue her education with confidence alongside other children her age. Susan’s mother says, “Susan is a very active and bright child, but because she cannot hear properly, she struggles to keep up with other children her age. Being able to hear would help her speak more clearly, interact confidently, and progress well in her education.”

Dagem is a curious two-year-old boy from Ethiopia who loves to explore. He enjoys playing football and riding bicycles. He lives with his mother, who works as a daily laborer, selling vegetables and washing clothes for neighbors to support him. His brother lives with their grandparents. Dagem's mother first learned of his condition when Dagem was just four days old. He was born with hypospadias, a condition affecting the urinary tract that causes discomfort and dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and risk further complications as he grows. Fortunately, on April 23rd, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, will assist Dagem in undergoing corrective surgery. This procedure will cost $1,293, and Dagem needs your support to fund the surgery. Dagem’s mom said, “I’m so happy, and thank you so much for the support. I pray that my child will be healthy like other children.”

Ketmada is a 17-year-old student from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three older siblings in a mountainous village in central Haiti. Her father is a school custodian, and her mother is a homemaker. She likes cosmetics and beauty care and would like to be a professional cosmetician one day. Ketmada has been diagnosed with a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the valves in her heart does not open and close properly due to an infection she suffered earlier in childhood, and as a result, her heart cannot adequately circulate blood through her body. Ketmada needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On March 24th, Ketmada will undergo surgery, during which surgeons will attempt to repair the valve so that it functions more normally. If her valve cannot be repaired, the surgeons will instead remove it and implant an artificial replacement. While another organization, Mitral Foundation, is funding Ketmada's surgery, her family will also need help to fund the costs of her surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. That amount will also support securing travel documents for her family and paying travel costs for the social workers who will accompany Ketmada's family overseas. Ketmada says joyfully, "I am very excited to have this surgery so that I can stop worrying so much about my heart!"

Dylan is a 19-month-old toddler from Bolivia. Dylan lives with his grandmother because his parents are working in Argentina in construction. When he was very young, Dylan's grandmother noticed he was not gaining weight, and he was smaller than other children of his age. She brought him to a pediatrician, where he was diagnosed with two heart conditions. He has a ventricular septal defect, where there is a hole between the lower chambers of the heart, and a patent ductus arteriosus, where there is a hole between two blood vessels near his heart. Doctors recommend a single surgery for both conditions, where they will sew a patch over the first hole and sew the second hole shut. Dylan will undergo cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care center, Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría, on February 25th. Dylan's family needs help to fund the costs of cardiac care and surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, requests $1,500 to cover the cost of cardiac exams and diagnostics, surgical costs, follow-up care, and medications. Dylan's grandmother shares, "I'm looking forward to my grandson having this surgery so he can have a healthy life."

Srey Nith is a 35-year-old woman from Cambodia. She lives with her husband, who works as a laborer. They have one son who is a kindergarten student and is cared for by her parents. She is the fourth of six siblings, and all of her siblings are married and live in nearby villages. In her free time, she cleans the yard and reads literature. Thirteen years ago, Srey Nith fell from a tree while picking fruit and injured her hip. She developed avascular necrosis of her right hip, a condition where the blood supply to the ball-shaped part of the thigh bone is disrupted, leading to bone death. She has undergone several surgeries, including a right hip replacement, but she continues to suffer from chronic infections in the hip prosthesis. She experiences pain and is unable to walk without support, and cannot sit comfortably for long periods. She now seeks further treatment to regain mobility and reduce pain. Srey Nith was referred to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), by another hospital and traveled four hours to seek care. She will undergo surgery on January 23rd. She is able to contribute $12.50 toward the cost of treatment and needs help to raise $1,488 more. The costs include a special prosthesis, surgery, medications, post-operative care, and rehabilitation. Srey Nith said, “After the surgery, I want to be able to move and sit comfortably again so I can go back to my job and earn an income for my family.”

Nan Lae is a 15-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her parents, her two younger siblings in Karen State, Burma. Her father is a rice farmer, and her mother is a homemaker. She had to stop studying after the fourth grade due to her family’s financial difficulties. The family earns money from harvesting and selling rice, and their income is just enough to cover their daily expenses. In 2023, Lae noticed swelling in her gums. She visited the local clinic with her mother, where the medic removed a mass in her gums. The swelling disappeared, but after a year, the mass returned. Lae continues to experience swelling around her gums and difficulty opening her mouth. She can only chew on her left side because her right side is swollen. Nan Lae sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on November 12th, and needs help to raise $1,500 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. Lae shared, “I cannot eat; sometimes I have to avoid chewing hard food.” Her mother added, “I want her to recover from this as soon as possible. She has already suffered for two years.”

Ashenafi is a 12-year-old boy from Ethiopia. His parents are farmers, and they have eight children. Ashenafi has chronic osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection, which has caused him a great degree of physical disability, resulting in educational delays such that he is several grades behind in shcool. Ashenafi has been experiencing persistent infected discharge and sharp pain in his leg for over a year. Following his review at our medical partner's care center Saglan Wajee General Hospital, doctors have recommended that Ashenafi undergo a sequestrectomy, a surgical procedure involving the removal of fragments of infected dead bone or tissue. If not treated, it can lead to recurrent infections that may result in life-threatening complications. Fortunately, on October 11th, he will undergo the repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $900 to fund Ashenafi's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will alleviate his symptoms and prevent serious long-term complications. Ashenafi's parents said, "We dream of one thing: a future where our son can walk freely, return to a normal class schedule, and simply have the childhood he deserves."

Four-year-old Agustín lives with his family in Vereda La San José, Colombia. Although he has not yet started formal schooling, Agustín is a curious, active child, with a vivid imagination. He dreams of becoming a doctor, which reflects his sensitivity and dedication to helping others. For about a year, Agustín has had severe tooth decay that causes him constant pain, fear when eating, and a high risk of infection. This condition has significantly affected his quality of life, impacting his nutrition, rest, and emotional well-being. The community where Agustin and his family live has limited resources, with only a basic health center, which has made it difficult to access specialized dental care. Due to the complexity of Agustin's case, he was evaluated by a pediatric dentist, who determined that the treatment should be performed under general anesthesia to ensure his safety and well-being. The procedure will include extensive dental restorations and will be performed in a hospital setting, under full anesthetic monitoring, by a specialized medical team. This intervention represents a crucial opportunity to improve Agustín's oral health and to restore the peace of mind that every child deserves. Our medical partner, Clinica Noel, is seeking $868 to fund Agustin's surgery, which is scheduled for August 22nd. Agustin's mother said: "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the person who makes it possible for Agustin's smile to live on, not only in the hearts of my family, but also in his life. Smiling is a way of telling the world that happiness is possible. Good oral health not only allows us to show joy, but also to express the tenderness and innocence that are so lacking in these times. Because a genuine smile has the power to transform someone's day, to brighten dark moments, and to sow hope where there seems to be none. Thank you for giving my little boy back the ability to smile freely."