Choury is a shy, 18 year old girl living with her widowed mother in Kandal province in Cambodia. Her brothers are all married and live away from home, while her mother works as a rainy day rice farmer. In her free time, Choury enjoys playing tennis, swimming, cooking, listening to music, and meeting with her friends. Since Choury was about three months old, she has had problems with her mouth. For the past ten years, she has had frequent infections, accompanied by fevers, near her left ear, and stiffness near her temporomandibular joint - which connects the jaw to the skull. Because her father has passed away, her mother has not been able to afford any medical care for Choury. Choury is unable to open her mouth, which makes it difficult for her to eat and drink, and she always wears a mask due to her low self-esteem resulting from her face and frequent infections. Choury has been diagnosed with recurrent ankylosis and chronic osteitis. The ankylosis - and the constant inflammation in her jawbone - cause severely limited jaw function, as well as oral hygiene and nutritional problems. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. They plan to do surgery on December 6th at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre. Her family needs help with the $469 cost of her surgery and hospitalization. After surgery, Choury hopes she will be able to open her mouth, to speak better, and to no longer feel ashamed of her appearance. Choury said: "I hope the doctors can help me open my mouth better, and look like other people my age. I am embarrassed at work and feel poorly. I have not been able to eat real food. This would make me very happy."

Meet Agnes, a hardworking 39-year-old farmer and strong single mother. Two of her children live with her brother in a rural area of the country, while her other children live with Agnes in a house in a small shopping center. Agnes works hard to sustain her family. She does laundry in her neighborhood during the day, while selling vegetables in the evening. During the planting, weeding and harvesting seasons, Agnes goes to the village and works on people's farms. Sometimes she is paid with money, and sometimes she is given food in return for her work. Nine months ago, she was pricked by a maize stalk on her lower left limb. She was walking with difficulty because of the pain that resulted from the wound, and she ended up falling. Agnes traveled to a local facility because of pain and swelling in her leg, and was provided with pain medication and bandages. However, Agnes was referred on to another hospital, where her leg could be X-rayed. The X-ray revealed that Agnes had sustained a fracture in her lower leg. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, can help. On September 1st, Agnes will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation, at AIC Kapsowar Hospital. After this procedure, Agnes will be able to walk without pain and swelling, enabling her to return to her daily activities, and the work that she needs to do in order to earn an income. African Mission Healthcare Foundation is seeking $941 to fund her procedure and medical care. Agnes says: "My family depends on me in everything. With my condition, I cannot work and am afraid that my children will suffer. Kindly help me get through my treatment and be able to provide for them.”

Simeo is a 67-year-old married father of six children from Southwestern Uganda. He works as a small-scale farmer, along with his wife to support their family. The couple has four daughters and two sons. Their oldest daughter is a nun and the rest of their children are married. For the past six years, Simeo has had a right inguinal hernia. The hernia causes him paresthesia, backaches, and pain when walking long distances and lifting heavy items. He was examined at a local hospital and surgery was recommended, but the treatment was too expensive. Recently, his condition has worsened. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Simeo receive treatment. On November 8th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at AMH's care center. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Now, Simeo is requesting $230 to fund his procedure and care. Simeo shared, "I appeal for financial support to undergo this treatment. I believe I will get better after the surgery and be able to do my activities well."

Eang is a 73-year-old vegetable seller from Cambodia. She has one daughter and two grandchildren. Her husband has unfortunately passed away, so Eang lives with her daughter, who is a hairdresser. When not working in her vegetable garden, she enjoys listening to monks pray on the radio. Three years ago, Eang developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her to experience blurry vision and eye floaters. Her symptoms make it difficult to take care of her house. She also has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Eang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On August 5th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help funding this $253 procedure. Eang says, "I hope after surgery I will see better so I can return to selling vegetables without so much difficulty."

Yoeng is a 72-year-old retired rice farmer. She has four younger siblings including one brother and three sisters. She lives with her disabled sister, and is supported by her niece and the kindness of her neighbors. She likes to visit her local pagoda to wash dishes and chop vegetables for the monks. At home, she and her sister listen to the monks pray on the radio. Five years ago, Yoeng developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her tearing, sensitivity to light, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Yoeng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Yoeng shared, "I hope after surgery my eye can see clearly. I can recognize faces and go outside more. I want to take care of myself and my sister well."

Ashley is a 14-month-old girl from Haiti. She is the only child in her family and she loves to smile. Ashley has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Ashley has been experiencing a growing head. She had a shunt placed when she was younger but there was a problem and it had to be removed. She needs a new shunt to treat the hydrocephaly. Without treatment, Ashley will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Ashley at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on February 1st. This critical treatment will place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from Ashley's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Ashley will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Ashley's family is looking forward to having a child that can run and play with the other children as she grows older and not be any different from her friends.

Tabitha is a mother of four children and shared that her husband passed away few years ago. She works hard to find jobs, mostly doing laundry for people, to provide for her family. Over the years, she has managed to take care of her four children with the limited income she gets from her work. Last November, Tabitha noticed a worrisome bump and consulted with her daughters who advised her to visit a hospital. She gathered some funds and visited a hospital nearby, but was not able to receive any help. She went to another facility that referred her to our Medical Partner's care center Kijabe Hospital. There doctors have told Tabitha that she needs an urgent surgery. Tabitha has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been advised to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,110 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Tabitha. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 14th. After treatment, Tabitha will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Tabitha says, "I was very shocked when I learned about my condition and up to now, I do not know what to do as I cannot afford the surgery.”

Dara is a 55-year-old engineer. He's married and lives with his wife who works in the home. Dara used to work from morning until night, but now his deteriorating vision prevents him from working as much. Currently, he works half days and spends his free time listening to the news on the radio and spending time at his neighbor's house. Five years ago, Dara developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him sensitivity to light, blurry vision, and itchiness. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Dara learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled there with a friend seeking treatment. On April 28th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Dara shared, "I hope after surgery I can regain my independence and return to working full time as an engineer."

He has four siblings and loves to play soccer with friends and watch television. He wants to be a mechanic when he grows up. For the past year, he has had a recurrent infection that makes it difficult to breathe and sleep. Surgery can get rid of the infection and improve his quality of life. He will be able to sleep again and focus better at school.

Abraham is a toddler from Tanzania. Since he was born, Abraham has been experiencing difficulty breathing. He was recently diagnosed with enlarged adenoids, which are the soft tissue behind the nasal cavity. Without treatment, this condition will cause Abraham's symptoms to persist and possibly even intensify. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $609 to fund an adenoidectomy for Abraham, which is scheduled to take place on August 9. Surgeons will remove his adenoids, hopefully relieving Abraham of his symptoms and helping him live more comfortably. Sabrina’s mother says, “The type of treatment we could afford has not helped treat his condition. We have been informed surgery is going to make him better agin but we are unable to afford the cost please help fund my son’s treatment cost.”

Ithungu is a farmer from Uganda. He is a widower and a father of four children. For ten years, Ithungu has had an inguinal hernia. This hernia causes him pain and discomfort and if not treated, the hernia may result in intestinal tissue death or damage. Fortunately, on April 10, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 to fund Ithungu's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. He says, "After surgery I will do simple work at home."