Lucy is a bright five-year-old girl from Tanzania. She enjoys playing with her friends at her orphanage. She was born with clubfoot, which means her foot is twisted. Though she underwent previous treatment, her condition has relapsed. As a result, Lucy is not able to wear shoes. Lucy's treatment includes surgery and physiotherapy and is scheduled to begin on January 17. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,160 to fund X-rays, medications, surgery fees, Lucy's cast, and her hospital stay. "We look forward to when Lucy has finished her treatment and is able to continue with her studies like her friends," says Lucy's caregiver.

“Seam developed a cataract in each eye three months ago,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) tells us. Seam a 75-year-old grandmother to 11 grandchildren. At home in Cambodia, Seam spends her spare time doing housework and watching social news. Cataracts begin to interfere with vision as proteins develop on the lens of the eye, causing cloudiness. “This causes Seam to be partially blind and experience irritation,” explains CSC. “She can’t see everything clearly, do work well, or go anywhere outside.” To seek treatment, Seam and her daughter travelled for three hours to get to CSC. For $225, doctors at CSC will perform a 45 minute procedure to replace the affected lenses with clear, artificial lenses. The funds we raise will provide for the surgical costs, medicines, and hospital stay for Seam. After 1-2 days of recovery, Seam will be able to see clearly again. With her sight restored, Seam will no longer be bothered by the irritation and will be able to be active and independent again. “I hope my mother can see everything clearly again so she can easily do any work and go anywhere by herself and I won’t worry about her becoming blind anymore,” shares her daughter.

"Praise was born prematurely on November 9th, 2015," says our medical partner in Tanzania, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "She is the first child to her parents who loves her dearly and they are trying their level best to take good care of her." Praise was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain) when she was three weeks old. It was after her mother noticed her daughter’s forehead was increasing in size and her head was becoming softer and heavy. "Praise will be at risk of losing her vision if not treated and her development will also not be good," AMHF says. "Despite her condition, Praise is a quiet baby. She mostly cries when she is feeling hungry, has a wet diaper or when she has a fever. Praise’s father is a motorcyclist. He uses his motorbike to transport people from place to another and that is how he earns some money to support his family. Praise’s mother is a homemaker. They have rented two rooms. The little that Praise’s father earns is not enough to cover their basic needs as well as the cost of surgery which Praise badly needs," AMHF continues. $775 will fund a shunt insertion procedure to drain the excess fluid in Praise's brain. After this surgery, "The size of Praise’s head will not continue to increase, she will be out of the risk of losing her vision," AMHF says. “We just pray that our baby will get well," her mother says. "I will be happy to see her healthy and grow up like other children, go to school and eventually live an independent life."

Meet Sok, a 56-year-old rice farmer who lives in Cambodia. He is married and has three sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren. “He enjoys listening to social news on the radio and cleaning the grass around his home,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). Two years ago, Sok developed a cataract in each of his eyes. A cataract is a condition that results in clouded eye lenses, causing blurred or limited vision. Cataracts are a large problem in Cambodia: tens of thousands of individuals are unable to support themselves due to their blindness. Sok’s cataracts are causing blurred vision, itchiness, and irritation. “He can’t see clearly, recognize faces, go anywhere by himself, or do any work,” shares CSC. For $225, Sok can undergo a phacoemulsificaiton surgery and receive intraocular lenses. Through this procedure, Sok’s blurred lenses are emulsified and removed, and intraocular lenses are used to replace the natural lenses. CSC expects that after the procedure, Sok will be able to see clearly again. “I hope I can see everything clearer than now so I can easily continue my work at the farm and can grow some crops like bananas and eggplants around my home,” share Sok. “I’d also like to go somewhere outside easily by myself,” Sok continues, “like going to visit my relatives in the provinces.”

"One year ago Sroy's eyelids began turning inward, in a direction that positioned her eyelashes and skin of her eyelid towards the surface of her eyes," says our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Sroy is a 58-year-old woman who lives in Cambodia and enjoys watching Thai dramas on TV. The condition that Sroy has is called entropion, and makes it difficult for her to see and carry on with her normal life and hobbies. Along with the increased difficulty in doing everyday things, her condition creates numerous uncomfortable symptoms. "The contact between the skin, eyelashes, and eye causes her tearing, irritation, itchiness, discharge, and droopy looking eyelids," explains CSC. $290 funds a brief surgery to reposition Sroy's eyelids, relieving her of these uncomfortable symptoms and allowing her to see clearly once again. After the procedure, CSC expects that Sroy will be able to open and close her eyes easily and return to her normal life. "I hope my eyelids can open easier and I won't have to worry about my eyes having a problem in the future," Sroy says. "I hope after treatment I can easily see things clearly."