Meet Dinkmekar, a two-year-old girl and only child to her parents. Dinkmekar was born without an anal opening and cannot pass stool normally. As a result, she experiences pain and difficulty since she must pass stool through the vagina. Dinkmekar will continue to experience pain if this condition is left untreated. In order to treat Dinkmekar, our medical partner can perform an anoplasy, in which the anus will be moved to an appropriate place within the muscles. “We expect after surgery, Dinkmekar will be able to pass stool normally. She will grow up healthy and normally,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Dinkemar’s father works as a farmer with very little income, and, to support her daughter’s condition, Dinkmekar’s mother stays at home. They are unable to raise the funds for the surgery. Dinkmekar's mother dreams of “seeing my baby stay happy all day without being in pain.” For $1500, we can provide Dinkmekar with this life-saving surgery and help both her and her parents lead healthy and happy lives!

Meet Lembris, a seven-month-old baby boy. He and his family of eight other children live in Tanzania, where his parents are small-scale farmers. When Lembris was two months old, his head began to increase in size. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus -- an excessive fluid buildup in the ventricles of the brain that leads to intracranial pressure. Because of his condition, Lembris experiences a persistent fever and has difficulty sitting. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), “If not treated, Lembris will be at risk of losing his eyesight, develop other complications and become completely dependent.” As a family that relies heavily on agriculture for their income, a recent drought has left Lembris’ family without the funds to seek treatment for Lembris. However, for $690, AMHF can perform a surgery that will insert a shunt to relieve the fluid pressure in the brain. Lembris’ doctors tell us that with this surgery, it is expected that “there won’t be any more increased intracranial pressure on Lembris’ head causing headache and fever, he will be out of risk of losing his vision and most likely he will resume normal milestones.” “We hope that our son will get better, have the ability to sit on his own and later on walk and continue with normal growth,” says Lembris’ mother.

Ma San, a 45-year-old woman from Thailand, works in a restaurant every day from early in the morning until late at night to support her father, who lives alone across the border in Burma. In March, Ma San began experiencing numbness and pain in her hands and feet. This October, an ultrasound revealed that Ma San has a myoma, a non-cancerous mass inside her uterus that needs to be removed. The surgery necessary to remove the mass costs $540. With treatment, she will be able to continue working and supporting her father, but she cannot even come close to affording it on her wages. Ma San says she is thankful for her job and just wants to be healthy so that she can continue to save a little and send money home to her father. Let's help her out!

Stephanie is a smart 12-year-old from Kenya who loves to write and wants to be an author when she grows up. Several years ago, Stephanie's parents passed away, leaving her and her two siblings to live with their aunt and uncle in Kenya. Because of this, family has been very important to Stephanie and she would like to be able to have a family of her own someday. Stephanie was born with internal female reproductive organs and ambiguous genitalia. In order for Stephanie to be able to conceive when she is of childbearing age, she will require a genital operation so that she can give birth. Stephanie's family is very supportive of her health needs and has raised what money they can for her medical care but they cannot afford the cost of this surgery. For $1500, Stephanie will receive a vaginoplasty. This operation will allow Stephanie to feel comfortable with herself and pursue her dreams of becoming an author and, someday, a mother.

Reaksa is a 6-year-old girl from Cambodia who broke her elbow while climbing a tree to gather some fruit. She received initial treatment from a traditional healer in her village, but her fracture only got worse. Now, Reaksa has a painful non-union fracture (a serious complication of a broken bone) and is at high risk of developing an infection. Doctors at Children's Surgical Centre say that Reaksa needs surgery for her bone to heal permanently. Reaksa is looking forward to her upcoming first year of school. She wants nothing more than for her arm to heal in time for her to be able to write and play with her friends. For $300, we can fund her medical care and make sure those wishes come true!

Saroeun is active nine-year-old boy who loves to play in the forest with his friends, eat fresh fruit, and hang out by the river. Saroeun was born with a tumor on his lip. A few months ago, Saroeun became ill and his tumor became infected. Because Saroeun and his family live in a remote region of Laos, they had to travel 14 hours by bus to the nearest clinic. Saroeun is experiencing pain and is having trouble eating. His doctors say he needs a tumor excision to "improve mouth function, eliminate infection, and prevent subsequent problems associated with infection." Children's Surgical Centre is requesting $300 for the procedure. Let's help Saroeun remove this tumor so he can enjoy playing with his friends and eating fresh fruit again!

Kingsley was born healthy and strong. He lived a happy, active life until he was five years old, when he suffered a serious stroke. When Kingsley woke up, he wasn’t the same. Doctors diagnosed Kingsley with epilepsy. Soon after, he began to develop hemiparesis, a condition that causes partial paralysis on one side of the body. Kingsley is at the age where he just wants to be normal – to have friends and play sports – but due to his condition he has trouble walking or even standing for long periods of time. Kingsley’s family wants to see him live a healthy life. They live in Malawi, where 74% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day. The surgery and physical therapy he needs to restore function to his right side costs $1000, an insurmountable sum for them. We hope to cover the entire cost of Kingsley’s care at CURE, and enable him to live the life he deserves.