Naw Bay is a 36-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband and five children in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. Originally from Karenni State, Burma, she and her family fled to the refugee camp in 2011 due to armed conflict in their area. Naw Bay is a homemaker, while her husband is a laboratory staff at the hospital in the refugee camp. All of her children go to school in the refugee camp. During her free time, Naw Bay enjoys foraging for bamboo shoots near the refugee camp. In 2018, Naw Bay gave birth to twin boys. She gave birth to her first son at the hospital in the refugee camp but had difficulty delivering her second son and had to undergo an emergency C-section at Mae Sariang Hospital. Afterwards, she had postpartum hemorrhage and anemia. In January 2023, Naw Bay became pregnant again and has been receiving regular antenatal care at the hospital in the refugee camp. Doctor told her she would need to have a C-section again so that doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Bay undergo a C-Section on October 4th. This procedure will cost $1500, and Naw Bay and her family need your support. Naw Bay hopes for a better life for her and her family in the future. She said, “I would love to relocate to another country so that my children can have a better future."

Provia is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She did not attend school when she was young as her parents did not believe in education for girls. She later got married, but unfortunately, her husband died some twenty years ago. She was blessed with seven children (four boys and three girls) and raised each with love until they were mature enough to move out and now start their own families. She practices farming but this has become a challenge due to her illness. About thirty years ago, Provia began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling with on-and-off pain. She has applied some local herbs, which minimized the swelling, but her pain persisted, making swallowing difficult. She visited Rushoroza Hospital and a thyroidectomy was recommended to heal her condition, but she could not afford the treatment. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare is helping her to access the care she needs. Provia is scheduled to undergo thyroid removal surgery on November 25th at our medical partner's care center. This procedure cost $333; she and her family need help raising money. Provia says, "I am praying for a successful surgery. After I am well, I'll continue with my farming."

Mao is a 52-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She is married with one son and three daughters. Her two oldest daughters work in a nearby garment factory to help support the family. Her other children are in middle and high school. In her free time, Mao likes to listen to the news on the radio and cook for her family. In July, after a big rainstorm, Mao slipped and fell in the rice paddy and broke her arm. It is difficult for her to move her hand, and she is experiencing pain and discomfort. Mao has only been able to work a few days since the accident. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On August 15th, Mao will undergo a fracture repair procedure to alleviate her pain and help restore function in her hand and arm. CSC is requesting $483 to fund this procedure. Mao contributed $100 to her care. She shared, "I hope I can have surgery so I can return to work and do my job properly."

Victoria is a 3-month-old baby from Bolivia. She lives with her mother in a neighborhood in La Paz. Her mother makes and sells handcrafted hats for a living. Victoria was born with a cardiac condition called Total anomalous pulmonary vein return. With this condition, the major blood vessels connect to Victoria's heart at abnormal locations, making it difficult for blood to flow through her lungs and leaving her weak and short of breath. Fortunately, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, can help Victoria receive the treatment she needs. On July 12th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which the doctors will disconnect the blood vessels and reattach them at the anatomically correct locations. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund VIctoria's surgery costs. Victoria's mother said, "I am very hopeful that my daughter will be able to breathe normally and gain weight after this surgery!"

10 year old Dennis is the third child in a family of four children, all of whom study at a local primary school. Dennis' father - who is from Uganda - and his mother - who is from Kenya - separated several years ago. Now Dennis and his siblings live with their mother in Marakwet West, Kenya, where Dennis' mother is a casual laborer, working on local farms. On weekends and holidays, Dennis and his siblings assist their mother in her work, so as to earn additional money for the family. While helping a neighbor cut animal feed into small pieces, Dennis' hand was injured by a chaff cutter. When Dennis was brought to the hospital, it was determined that several of the fingers on his right hand had been damaged. Two of the fingers had to be amputated right away, while the third finger subsequently developed gangrene, and also needed to be amputated. While Dennis has recovered from his injuries, the wound on his hand has never healed completely. The surgeon advised the family that Dennis requires skin grafting, in order to replace the skin that he lost when his hand was injured, and to ensure the total healing of the wound. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is here to help. They are requesting $1,089 to fund Dennis' skin grafting procedure, which is scheduled for May 19th, at AIC Kapsowar Hospital. This procedure will enable Dennis to fully recover, so that he can return to school, and resume the life of a 10 year old boy. Dennis's mother said: "It is so sad that my son has lost his fingers, but I am grateful to God that he is still alive. I am looking forward to seeing him get well so that he may continue with his education and become successful in life. Kindly help him so that he may recover well."

Meet Stedia, a young woman from Uganda. She and her husband have two kids (one in nursery school and one in primary class two) and are expecting their third child soon. Stedia's father passed away when she was young. Her mother could not afford her school fees alone, so Stedia left school after primary class seven. She works as a small-scale farmer and owns a small salon where she does hairdressing to supplement her income. Her husband is in the motorcycle business. During her free time, Stedia enjoys spending time with her family. Stedia is expecting her third child soon. Her doctors recommended that she deliver via a cesarean section because of two previous scars. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Stedia undergo a C-Section on September 5th. AMH is requesting $252 to fund this procedure. Stedia said, "Our income as a family has always been inconsistent, which created difficulties in paying for my previous deliveries, but we have hope that with your support, we will be able to have a successful delivery this time."

Rathana, who is 15 years old, lives with his mother, two brothers, and one sister in Cambodia. At school, Rathana enjoys math and science, although his dream is to be a professional soccer player for the Cambodian national team. Rathana has nasal polyps in each nostril that cause bad odor, post-nasal drip, loss of smell, discharge, and pain. He doesn't sleep well because he has difficulty breathing and has missed several days of school because of his condition. He has been using medications to manage these symptoms, but they have been unsuccessful in improving his condition. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, can help Rathana. On April 26th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a bilateral polypectomy to alleviate Rathana's symptoms permanently. He needs your help to raise $388 to fund the surgery. Rathana said, “I hope I can feel better after surgery and play soccer with my friends.”

Ma Tin is a 41-year-old mother from Burma. She lives with her husband and three sons in Karen State - an area with conflict and lots of uncertainty and insecurity for the people who live there. Her husband is a day laborer and her three sons are students. Ma Tin is a homemaker but she also sells vegetables sometimes to earn extra money. Her husband's income is usually enough to cover their basic needs, but they sometimes rely on financial support of their adult children. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her children. She is currently expecting a baby and her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section because she started to leak amniotic fluid at 32 weeks. On April 3rd, she experienced pain and the doctor scheduled her to undergo an emergency c-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Ma Tin undergo a C-Section on April 4th at Taw Win Thu Kha Hospital. This procedure will cost $1328, and Ma Tin needs your support. Ma Tin said, "When I learned that I would need a c-section, I lost hope. I thought about giving birth at home and if I were lucky, I would be able to give birth like before [without complications]. If not, I would die. Now that I was told that there would be donors to help pay for my c-section, I felt so happy. You are a miracle that appeared in my life to help me when I needed it with the cost of my surgery. Thank you so much to all the staff and donors who are willing to help me."

Jesca is a social and cheerful lady from Bugangari, located in the Rukungiri district of southwestern Uganda. At 68, she has been married to her husband for 50 years, and together they have nine children. Alongside her husband, Jesca is a small-scale farmer, selling off whatever the family doesn't use to generate a little income. Since 2020, Jesca has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, backaches, and intermittent fevers. However, her most persistent and troubling symptom is heavy vaginal bleeding. She has been diagnosed with abnormal uterine bleeding and needs to undergo a hysterectomy, where her uterus will be removed. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Jesca's surgery, which is scheduled for March 9th, at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. Once she has recovered, Jesca will be able to resume her daily activities, free of pain. Jesca says: “I was afraid this may turn out to become cancerous, but once I am operated on, I will surely be free from all the pain and worries that I’ve been through.”

Wideline is a 27 year old woman from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her sister and her sister's family. She has not been working because of her illness, but would like to return to school to study business once she is able. Wideline has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect. Wideline was born with two holes in her heart, one between the upper chambers and another between the lower chambers. Blood leaks through these holes without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. It is extremely rare for someone to live to Wideline's age with this untreated condition. Because the care that she needs is not available in Haiti, Wideline will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On March 1st, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use patches to close the holes so that blood can no longer leak through them. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $15,000 to help pay for surgery. Wideline's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Wideline overseas. Wideline shared: "I am so excited to finally be able to live a more normal life!"

Ruth is an 11-year-old girl from the Eastern region of Kenya. She is in Grade 5 and is the youngest of three children. Her father is a local farmer and her mother mother is a homemaker. They live in a traditional mud house. She is a jovial and social young girl who aspires to become a doctor in the future so that she can help children in need of different treatments. When Ruth was 7 years old, her mother began to notice an unusual knee deformity which greatly affected her mobility. Her walking style is characterized by limping, and she cannot walk long distances. This has greatly affected her studies, as she is unable to attend school which is quite a distance away. Ruth is scheduled for a knee repair surgery with our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) on July 17th. Ruth and her family are requesting $1,224 to fully fund the procedure. This surgery will enable her to walk without pain and to attend school. It will also greatly boost her self-esteem and enable her to interact with her friends at school. Ruth’s mother said, “I am pleading for support for my daughter to undergo surgery and continue with her normal life like other children.”

Justine is a 26-year-old businesswoman from Uganda. She owns a small food-selling outlet in her shopping center. With low sales, it is a challenge for her to raise enough money for rent and expand her business. Her husband operates a motorcycle taxi (bodaboda) with little income as well. Justine and her husband are currently expecting a second child. Unfortunately, Justine lost her firstborn child during delivery and she hopes to deliver a healthy baby with this pregnancy. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband. For this pregnancy, her doctors recommend that she deliver via a Caesarean section because of the short time between pregnancies and the scar from the last pregnancy. She needs to deliver via a Caesarean section to ensure the safety of both mother and child but is unable to raise the funds needed on her own. She appeals for help. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Justine undergo a Caesarean section on February 7th. This procedure will cost $252, and Justine needs your support. Justine says, “I hope to deliver a live and healthier baby and I will be glad thus able to resume my business of selling foodstuff.”