"I am unhappy that I have ear pain, and it is hard for me to talk with other people,” shares Hin, a 52-year-old farmer who lives with her husband and six children in Cambodia. “For two months, Hin's right ear has had discharge, pain, and hearing loss caused by trauma with a cotton Q-tip,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. “Her tympanic membrane was perforated.” The tympanic membrane—commonly known as the eardrum—is a thin membrane that separates the external ear structures from the middle and inner ear. It plays a major role in hearing by transmitting sound waves from the air to the middle ear, where the waves are converted to nerve impulses that travel to the brain. The eardrum also protects the middle ear from foreign objects, water, and bacteria. A tear in the eardrum can lead to hearing loss—as Hin as experiencing—and poses an increased risk for infection. For $399, Hin will undergo a myringoplasty to repair the tear in her eardrum. Funding also pays for up to two days of hospital care and three follow-up appointments in the first month after the surgery. “After a myringoplasty on the right side,” says CSC, “Hin's ear drainage will stop, and her hearing will improve. She will not feel pain from her ear anymore.” Hin’s husband looks forward to a successful surgery for his wife. “I hope after the operation is done, my wife's ear discharge will stop, and she can have good hearing and health,” he says.