Nyemo is a shy, twelve-month-old boy who lives in Tanzania with his mother and father. He is happiest when he is trying to walk around or playing with his wooden cars. Around nine months ago, Nyemo’s mother noticed swelling around her son's scrotum when she was giving him a bath. The swelling caused him such discomfort that he began crying. Since this incident, Nyemo has continued to experience swelling—accompanied by severe pain—periodically. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), doctors have diagnosed Nyemo with a hernia, a protrusion of organs through the abdominal cavity that usually contains them. If left untreated, the hernia will progress, leading to intestinal obstruction. Hernia repair surgery can rid Nyemo of his pain. During the operation, Nyemo’s organs will be returned to their appropriate locations, and his abdominal cavity will be repaired. $610 in funding will cover all of the surgical expenses, along with medication, a three-day hospital stay and a one-week stay in a surgical rehabilitation center. Since Nyemo's parents work as small scale farmers, "their income is minimal and unstable," explains AMHF. Therefore, they cannot afford his treatment. “All we hope is for our son to get the right treatment and for him to continue with normal growth,” shares Nyemo’s mother.

Tha Moe is a one-year-old baby boy in Burma who lives with his parents and six-year-old sister. He was born at home as a seemingly healthy baby, but his mother noticed a growing small mass near the base of his spine. A couple days after Tha Moe was born, his mother took him to the local clinic. Doctors diagnosed him with a meningocele, a birth defect where the spinal cord doesn’t develop properly. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP) shares, “Tha Moe feeds well but because of the mass he is unable to lie down on his back and he can only sleep on one side. He can sit and he knows the sensations of his upper body but his mother says he cannot feel his right leg.” Because of the time his mother has to spend caring for Tha Moe at the clinic, she finds it difficult to do household chores and relies on Tha Moe’s grandmother to take care of his sister when she is not in school. Tha Moe’s father finds sporadic work as a day laborer, and the family can’t afford to pay the medical expenses for his operation. $1,500 will fund the procedure to repair Tha Moe’s meningocele. “It is hoped that following the meningocele repair that Tha Moe will grow and thrive," BBP adds. "His parents will be able to stop worrying about his condition.”