Sorim is a 12-year-old student in grade five. He has two younger siblings - a one-month-old brother, and an eight-year-old sister. His parents are rice farmers in Kampong Chhnang province. In school, he enjoys Khmer literature and would like to be a doctor when he grows up. Sorim's favorite meal is fried eggs and chicken soup. At home, he enjoys playing with toys with friends, reading books, and swimming in the lake near his house. When he was six months old, the middle and ring fingers of his right hand were burned in a cooking fire. He did not receive any care, as his parents had no money for treatment. Burn scar contractures have developed, tightening the skin around his burn. Now he cannot extend his fingers and it is difficult for him to carry things or hold a pencil to write in school. When Sorim's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 21st, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to to help him to use his hand again. Now, their family needs help to fund this $495 procedure. Sorim said: "My friends make fun of my hand, and it makes me feel bad. I hope I can use my fingers after surgery and I won't have any pain."

Thet is a 35 year old husband and father, who lives with his wife, son and in-laws in Mon State in Burma. Both Thet and his wife work in his uncle's grocery store, while his in laws are farmers. When he isn't working, Thet enjoys spending time with his son and reading. In November 2018, Thet started to experience tiredness when working, and frequent headaches. He also had a rapid heartbeat, and he couldn't sleep well. He went to a hospital in Mawlamyine, where he was referred to a different hospital in Yangon for further treatment. At the hospital in Yangon, Thet was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation and stenosis, which would require surgery to correct. Thet was sent home with medications to manage his condition. In March 2022, Thet went back to the hospital in Yangon, because of continuing fatigue, headaches, coughing and fever. The doctor told him they would contact him to schedule his surgery in May, but Thet never heard back from the hospital. When Thet told his neighbor about this, his neighbor gave him the phone number of a heart patient who had been helped by our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Thet followed up, and thanks to the assistance of Burma Children Medical Fund, he is finally scheduled for surgery to replace the valve in his heart on October 13th, at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Now Thet needs your help to fund the $1,500 to cover the cost of this surgery. "I have sold all my jewelry to pay for the cost of traveling to the hospital. I feel less stressed since I met the BCMF staff,” said Thet.

Joseph is a 3-year-old who hails from Kiambu County in Kenya. He is the fourth born in a family of five children. Joseph loves to play with his siblings. At the age of one year, Joseph's mother took him to the hospital. His health was not well enough at that time to safely undergo surgery. In September of this year, they brought him to Nazareth Hospital and doctors diagnosed him with cryptorchdisim. Cryptorchidism is a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Joseph has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. The surgeon recommends an orchidopexy procedure but the family’s health insurance could not be used since it has paid for previous surgeries and also treatment for his other brothers. Joseph's family's income is very limited and they are seeking help. Joseph will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on November 4th. AMHF is requesting $483 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. "We really appreciate the kind sponsorship of our other son. We pray that you may extend the same gesture to Joseph so that he can also grow up like other normal boys,” says Joseph’s father.

Nehemia is a nine-year-old child from Tanzania and the fourth born in a family of five children. She is currently in kindergarten and she loves singing the vowels. Nehemia's parents keep livestock for a living and sell the milk. Once in a while, they also sell a goat to make additional money. Nehemia has clubfoot of her left foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Nehemia traveled to visit our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), to receive treatment. On September 14th, surgeons at AMH's care center will perform clubfoot repair surgery. Now, AMH is requesting $935 to fund Nehemia's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily. Nehemia’s father shared, "every day when she gets home from school she complains of pain and you can easily see she is trying not to put pressure on the foot due to fear of pain. Please help my daughter."

Ivan is a three-year-old boy and the only child of his single mother, though his father has three other children with his wife. Ivan and his mother live at his grandparent’s home. Ivan’s grandparents are small scale farmers growing mainly maize, vegetables, and green bananas. Ivan’s mother helps her parents in farming to be able to also provide and care for her son. Ivan was born with a congenital deformity of his toes where they are webbed together. This year, it has been hard for Ivan to play and do all the things his friends like to do. Fortunately, our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation is helping Ivan receive treatment. On September 2nd, surgeons at their care center will perform a surgery so he will no longer be in pain. Now, his family needs help to fund this $639 procedure. Ivan’s mother says,"I am not able to afford my son’s treatment cost please help him have his toes corrected. He is complaining of pain more as days go by.”

Eh is a 16-year-old boy who lives with his parents and cousin in the refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province in Thailand. His family receives 1,180 baht (approx. 39 USD) every month on a food card from the organization The Border Consortium. This amount is not enough to cover their daily needs despite receiving free basic health care and education in the camp. To help make ends meet, Eh’s father works as a security guard in the camp too, earning 800 baht (approx. 27 USD) in a month. In addition to this, Eh’s mother and cousin work as day labourers whenever they find work. Eh also works with them during his summer vacations. In May, Eh climbed up a ladder to lay down and rest in a bamboo hut on stilts. While trying to sit down, one of the bamboo sticks rolled out from under him and Eh fell through the floor of the hut. Putting out his left arm subconsciously to break his fall, Eh ended up landing on that arm. Currently, Eh's arm is in a sling and he is taking pain medication to control the pain. If he moves his left arm or tries to lift his arm, he feels a lot of pain. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Eh will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for May 28th and will cost $1,500. This procedure will help Eh be able to use his arm again and he will no longer be in pain after surgery. Eh shared, “I want to become a literature teacher as it is my favorite subject. After surgery, I hope that I can go back to school with my arm healed."

Adere is a 14-year-old boy from Ethiopia. He is a grade seven student who loves to go to school and study. Adere also loves music and spends his free time listening to country music and dancing with his friends. Adere's parents are farmers of teff and maize, but they have a limited harvest each year due to the hot and dry landscape. The local community is mostly supported by government and NGOs for food and other basic need. His parents have 12 children, most of whom they are still supporting financially. As a result, Adere's parents need assistance with the upcoming medical bill for their son's surgery. Adere was born with a congenital anomaly called bladder exstrophy, and last year he received surgery to treat this condition in BethanyKids Hospital funded through Watsi donor support. Now, he is scheduled to undergo another surgery for his epispadias condition. Epispadias is an abnormal defect in a sensitive area that prevents him from using the bathroom comfortably. His condition may also cause future infertility problems. Adere will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo an epispadias repair procedure on February 11th. African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,040 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. This procedure will enable him to use the bathroom comfortably and prevent risk of future complications. Adere's brother shared, “I hope he can be relieved of this condition soon. That would be a great blessing for him and for our family. I hope he will be a doctor and treat children in need.”

Marline is a 7-year-old boy from Kenya. He is a cheerful boy and a Grade 2 student at Jayden Academy. Marline wants to be an engineer when he grows up. Marline's mother says that he loves to dismantle and assemble electronics in the house, and is well on his way to his career dreams. Additionally, Marline has a condition called spina bifida. Earlier in April 2020, Marline was playing with his friends when his mother noticed a small pimple-like wound on his right foot. It was small at first, but slowly started to grow bigger in size. His mother rushed him to a nearby health centre in their hometown, where he has been undergoing dressing in the facility but they have not seen much improvement. Since Marline has been coming to Kijabe Hospital for his spina bifida clinic, he opted to seek review in the hospital and get this wound checked. He was reviewed a week ago by the plastic and pediatric surgical teams, who recommended that he undergoes debridement, excision of calcaneal ulcer, and flap cover surgery to clean and heal his infected wound. Currently, Marline is in pain and at risk for further infection. If left unattended, the wound may result in severe infection and possible amputation. Unfortunately, these procedures are costly for Marline's family. His mother is a single mother raising two kids on her own. Their family lives in a bedsitter house in Ruai, at the outskirts of Nairobi. Marline's father left the family and his responsibility. Marline's mother is the sole breadwinner of the family and she has a small grocery kiosk. The total profit from the venture is very small, and her close relatives are not able to assist with financial support. Their family appeals for help. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Marline receive treatment. On January 6th, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to help heal the wound and prevent possible complications. Now, Marline's family needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Marline's mother says, “This wound is worsening by the day. If left unattended, doctors say that he might lose his leg. This would be hurting all of us. Kindly help us as we really don’t have a way out."

San is a 13-year-old student from Cambodia with one younger sister. He is a seventh grader at the public primary school where Khmer and English are his favorite subjects. He likes drinking soft drinks and shared that he wants to become an engineer when he grows up. When he was born, San developed congenital entropion of his eyelids. This means that his eyelids turn inward, causing his eyelashes to scrape the surface of his eyes. It is difficult for him to open his eyes, and he feels uncomfortable with his appearance when he goes outside his home or anywhere with other people San traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 30th, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to repair his eyelids. Now, San needs help to raise $225 to fund this procedure. "I hope that my son's surgery will be successful and he can go to school and travel anywhere happily," San's mother said.

Saveth is a nine-year-old from Cambodia. He is the eldest of three siblings. He enjoys studying the Khmer language at school and wants to be a teacher when he grows up. He likes to watch TV, play football, and play games with his friends. Two months ago, he got a nose and ear infection, which is making it difficult for him to hear now. He will undergo a myringotomy surgery to help improve his hearing and make his pain go away. Surgery is scheduled for March 14. Now, Saveth's family needs help raising $127 to fund the procedure. He says, "I look forward to going home and eating fried vegetables with noodles."

Born in Kenya, 10-month-old Brason began exhibiting rapid head growth when he was only a few months old. Brason has come with his mother to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), to be treated for hydrocephalus. In babies with hydrocephalus, fluid accumulates in the brain as a result of infection, trauma, genetic defect, or abnormal development of the brain or spinal cord. The effects of hydrocephalus are serious. “The increased intracranial pressure inside the skull may cause progressive enlargement of the head and potentially cause mental disability and tunnel vision,” explains AMHF. “If not treated, there will be continued obstruction of the cerebral spinal fluid flow, leading to brain damage.” Treatment for hydrocephalus involves insertion of a shunt to drain the excess fluid from the brain and transport it to the abdomen, where it can be resorbed by the body. “A shunt was inserted [into Brason's head] at a local clinic some miles from his place of residence,” AMHF tells us. “Even then, his head circumference continued increasing, and therefore, a shunt revision is required to help ease the pain the little champ is going through.” Brason’s mother earns money as a casual laborer doing farm work and laundry, but she cannot afford the additional procedure that her son needs. “I worry about how I can raise funds to enhance his treatment,” she shares. For $600, Brason will undergo shunt revision surgery. Funding also covers the costs of five days of hospital care, imaging, blood tests, and medicine. Brason’s mother is contributing $20 to help cover additional costs associated with his care. “Brason’s treatment will reduce the increased intra-cranial pressure on the brain, which could lead to death,” says AMHF. Brason’s mother looks forward to a successful operation for her son. “I am glad to have found a place where Brason can get treated,” she says.

Meet Jonas, a 21-month-old baby from Guatemala. According to our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, “Jonas is the second child born into his family. He loves to play with toy cars and a little ball given to him by his brother.” Jonas currently lives with acute malnutrition. He suffers from regular diarrhea and is not growing as well as the other children in his neighborhood. Wuqu’ Kawoq explains, “Jonas is far below both the average weight and height for his age. If intervention does not occur, his immune system will crash and he will be unable to ward off infections and illnesses. His mother is already stretched for money, and so if Jonas’s health continues to decline there is no doubt that she will have to make some extremely hard sacrifices to try and afford advanced healthcare or hospitalizations.” For $512, Jonas can receive treatment for his malnourishment. Children enrolled in Wuqu’ Kawoq’s recuperative nutrition program receive about 1-4 months of intensive intervention, which includes an evaluation for thyroid disease, anemia, and intestinal infections, treatment of acute infections with antibiotics and weekly monitoring visits to the home by a nutritionist and case manager. An assessment of food insecurity, food to help bolster acute recovery and micronutrient supplementation are also provided. According to Wuqu’ Kawoq, “Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Jonas the chance to live a healthy productive life…His mother will receive intensive nutrition education thus building her confidence and ability to care for Jonas and his brother throughout their childhood.” Jonas’s mother says, “I want my son, Jonas, to grow well and eventually go to school with his brother, Antony, and that they will love each other and care for each other.”