Htay is a 45-year-old woman who lives in Burma with her 17-year-old son and her sister. Her husband passed away 14 years ago. Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Over time, her health deteriorated to the point that she could no longer work. Since then, she has had to depend on her sister and one of her nephews. Two months ago, Htay injured her left leg when a piece of zinc fell off her roof and hit her left foot. She went to Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital (MCLH), our medical partner's care center. At MCLH, the doctor drained the pus from her foot and leg. But because the infection had already spread up to her knee and she had developed septicemia, the doctor informed her that she would have to have her leg amputated above her knee to save her life. Currently the wound has become so infected that she has developed a fever and her leg has become very swollen and painful. Fortunately, she is scheduled to undergo surgery on April 12. Now, she needs help raising $1,500 to fund the procedure. She says, “I cannot work because of my health problem. Now I even have to depend on others to comb my hair and I worry about my debt. Once I recover I want to open a shop selling fruits and live happily with my son.”

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.”

Junior is a young student from Tanzania. He loves playing football and goign to school very much. Junior lives with his mother and four siblings in a rented house in eastern Tanzania. His mother does her best to support her family and does odd jobs including laundry, cleaning, and hair styling. Since he was about five months old, Junior has had an umbilical hernia. The hernia causes Junior pain and discomfort, which often prevents him from attending school. Fortunately, on February 21, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $539 to fund Junior's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. Junior’s mother says, “I will be very happy and thankful to see Junior get treated because he will be able to attend school as it should be and succeed in his life.”

Amosi is a farmer from Malawi. He lives with his wife, and they have six grown children. To supplement the family income, Amosi raises goats . In his free time, he likes to attend his local church with his family. Since October 2017, Amosi has been experiencing pain and urinary difficulty. These symptoms are caused by an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. He needs to undergo a prostate resection surgery, a procedure in which surgeons will remove part of the enlarged gland. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund Amosi's surgery. On January 9, he will undergo prostate surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and two weeks of hospital stay. Amosi and his wife were thrilled to learn his surgery would be funded. He is ready to have his procedure so he can get back to his farm and once again be active. He says, "Thank you for this welcome!"

Srey Touch is a farmer from Cambodia. She has 12 siblings. Most of her time is spent looking after the younger children. Twelve years ago, Srey Touch had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Srey Touch experiences hearing loss, ringing ears, and ear discharge. She cannot communicate well with her family, friends, and coworkers. Srey Touch traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On October 12, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Her sister says, "I hope my sister can feel better after surgery."

Joseph is a 14-month-old baby who lives with his parents in Kenya. His mother is a subsistence farmer, and his father is a motorbike taxi driver. At birth, Joseph was diagnosed with spina bifida, which has led to the development of hydrocephalus. Spina bifida refers to an incomplete closure of the spinal cord, which puts Joseph at risk of infection of exposed nervous tissue, a tethered spinal cord, loss of muscular function in his lower limbs, and intensification of his hydrocephalus, which is a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,097 to fund spina bifida closure surgery for Joseph, which is scheduled to take place on June 21. A local NGO, APDK, is subsidizing $206 of Joseph's treatment. Joseph's mother says, “I am devastated. I wake up every morning to the painful reminder that this isn’t a dream. I go to bed every night hopeless, exhausted from worry and despair. My one lingering thought is, 'Why my baby?'”

Meet Mekides, an adorable baby who lives with her parents in the Wolayta area of southern Ethiopia. Both her parents are students, and her father works as a driver in his free time to support the family. Mekides was born with a birth defect in a sensitive area, causing serious complications that will persist if untreated. After undergoing emergency surgery, she now requires further treatment. On August 15, surgeons will operate to address her condition. After full treatment, they expect she will be free from the medical complications she now faces. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, requests $1,500 for Mekides's medical treatment.

Yar is a 40-year-old woman from Burma. She is unemployed and lives with her 70-year-old father. After experiencing severe stomach pains, Yar recently underwent abdominal surgery at a local hospital. A few days into recovery, she noticed that her incision did not appear to be healing properly. She returned to the hospital, where they discovered that her intestine was protruding through the wound. On July 19, surgeons will operate on Yar's abdomen to address the improperly healing wound. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, requests $1,500 to cover her treatment. In the future, Yar looks forward to recovering and regaining independence. "I hope to raise pigs and chickens for a source of income once I am recovered," she says.

Alfred is a 30-year-old father of one from Kenya who loves discussing politics and watching the news when he is well. While his wife is a farm laborer, Alfred has been unable to work for the past year due to his condition. Since June 2015, Alfred has been suffering symptoms of a brain tumor. While he was first diagnosed with epilepsy, MRI test results received towards the end of 2016 indicated that Alfred has a brain tumor. In April 2017, Alfred became paralyzed on his left side. The wait for surgery at his provincial hospital was too long, so Alfred was referred to our medical partner's care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, for a craniotomy. Alfred complains of loss of balance and vision, painful head migraines, and altered speech. If not treated, the brain tumor might increase in size and result in brain damage or death. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,495 to fund Alfred’s brain surgery, which is scheduled to take place on June 23. Alfred says, "I wish to be treated and work hard for my family. I want my child to read and excel in future."

Sana is a 14-year-old girl who lives in Thailand with two of her sisters and her brother-in-law. Sana moved about one month ago in order to begin attending a local migrant school. Before that, Sana lived with her mother, father, and two other siblings in Burma. Her parents and siblings encouraged her to relocate for her education. When she was twelve, Sana began noticing that her left eye was blurry and that sometimes fluid would come out of her eye. This made it hard to read and would often cause headaches when she tried to concentrate. In March, a clinic ophthalmologist associated with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), visited a village near Sana. Sana explained that her eyesight had worsened in the past year, and she was told to come back for a return appointment. During that visit, it was decided that Sana needed a CT scan for formal diagnosis. Sana says, "I like studying every subject at school. I really don't want my eyesight to affect my education." Watsi is requesting $414 to fund Sana's CT scan, which is scheduled for April 24.

“My daughter has been struggling,” shares Felina’s mother. “She needs this surgery so she can return to school and keep learning.” Felina is a 13-year-old girl from Malawi who loves school—especially math and Chichewa (a native language of Malawi). When she isn’t in class, Felina likes to hang out with her friends and to help her mom cook. Since she was four years old, Felina has had an umbilical hernia—meaning tissue bulges through a hole in her abdominal wall and forms a bump in her naval area. Because the family did not have the money to pay to fix the hernia, her parents left the hernia untreated. However, Felina has gradually begun to feel discomfort at the site of the hernia. Recently, the pain has been so intense that she has had to miss school. In the long term, if she does not receive medical care, Felina risks falling prey to potentially fatal complications, such as gangrene. Fortunately, healing is just around the corner for Felina. For $334, we can sponsor the hernia repair surgery she will undergo on April 27, as well as her six-day hospital stay and follow-up visit. Felina’s mother was very relieved to hear that her daughter would be able to receive this much-needed surgery. And Felina, for her part, is happy that she will soon be free from pain and be able to return to school.

Yubraj lives with his uncle and aunt. He studies in grade one. While his uncle works in India to support the family back home, his aunt is responsible for grazing the cattle and looking after her children. When Yubraj was playing, he stumbled onto stones and fractured his right forearm. His family took him to their primary health center, where they were referred to our medical partner's care center, Bayalpata Hospital. They hired a jeep and traveled three hours to reach the hospital. On February 17, Yubraj will undergo treatment for his fracture. Our medical partner, Possible, is requesting $195 to fund his care. After recovery, he will no longer be in pain.