Ravy lives at home with his five siblings and his parents, who are rice farmers. In his free time, he helps his mother with the housework and enjoys playing football or watching TV. When he was only two years old, Ravy's left hand was burned with hot rice. His parents did not seek treatment due to a lack of money and distance from medical clinics but sought help from local healers. His burns healed but left contracture scars that over time have thickened and tightened, preventing movement of his fingers. He had a procedure when he was five, but the contractures remain. Ravy traveled two and a half hours to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, where surgeons plan to release the contractures, repair his burned fingers, and replace the skin with a skin graft. The treatment will include surgery, medications, and several days in the hospital. Ravy needs help to pay for this $454 treatment. Ravy shared, "I hope after the surgery, my left hand gets better, with no pain. I want my hand to work as normal so I can find a better job to help my family."

Grace is a 42-year-old woman living in rural Kenya with her husband and 24-year-old son. Grace’s husband is disabled following an accident, and depends fully on Grace, who works doing laundry for neighbors. Grace has multiple fibroids, which are common benign growths that develop in the muscular lining of the uterus. In some people, the presence of fibroids doesn’t cause any symptoms. In other cases, such as Grace’s, the size and location of these fibroids can cause pain and heavy bleeding. “Grace has been suffering from this condition for around two years. The excessive bleeding has led her to stay indoors as it is difficult to move around and even to maintain a social life. She has visited many hospitals without help. Grace came to our clinic and was diagnosed but could not raise the money to have the surgery,” our medical partners at African Mission Healthcare Foundation tell us. “If not treated, the fibroids will continue to grow, affecting surrounding body organs. Grace will continue to feel pain and the excessive bleeding could lead to anemia. Grace will not have the strength to care for her sick husband.” “My husband looks up to me for all his and our needs. Without this surgery, we have no hope in this life. If I am treated, I hope to work hard and start a salon business to support my family” says Grace about her own hopes for treatment. To treat Grace’s condition, her doctors will perform a total abdominal hysterectomy, removing her uterus where the fibroids are located. It will cost $790 to fund this crucial treatment for Grace – let’s come together and do this!

At 30 years old, San should be enjoying life with her husband and two children. Instead, she's facing the frightening potential consequences of untreated congenital heart disease. San first started experiencing symptoms of heart disease when she was 13. But as a low-income person in Thailand, seeking medical attention is difficult. And as a result, she wasn't diagnosed by a doctor until last year. San's life has been rocked by her diagnosis. She's been forced to stop working, relying on her husband for support. Yet she maintains a sense of optimism and hope for the future, telling her doctors that once she is healthy again, she wants to donate money to struggling communities so that children have access to the education and healthcare she didn't have. Only $1,500 stands in the way of San receiving life-changing heart surgery. Let's close the gap and help San move forward with her life!