Valentina is a 14-month-old girl from Bolivia. She has five older siblings and loves to laugh and play with her family. Her father works as a driver, and her mother sells food. When she was a young baby, Valentina's parents noticed she was always agitated and couldn't breathe normally, so they took her to the doctor who diagnosed a heart condition called ventricular septal defect. This means there is a hole between the two lower chambers of her heart and blood leaks through this hole instead of circulating normally, leaving her weak and short of breath. Valentina also has Down syndrome. On December 3rd, Valentina will undergo heart surgery at our medical partner's care center, Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría. During surgery, surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in her heart so that blood will no longer leak through it. Valentina's family needs help to fund the costs of cardiac care and surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, requests $1,500 to cover the cost of cardiac exams and diagnostics, surgical costs, follow-up care, and medications. Valentina's father said, "Valentina is a sweet little girl, we hope everything goes well, so she can have a healthy heart!"

Francis is a 3-month-old from Kenya who needs to undergo surgery to treat hydrocephalus. His father left following his birth, and his mother is working hard on her own to provide for herself and her two children through her job as a caterer for a high school. Francis was diagnosed at birth with a large frontal encephalocele, a neural tube defect, and was referred to BethanyKids, our medical partner's hospital. Upon arrival, the medical team assessed Francis and immediately scheduled him for plastic surgery to address the encephalocele. Francis recovered well following the surgery. However, follow-up scans revealed a buildup of fluid in his brain that was unable to drain naturally, leading to a diagnosis of hydrocephalus. He subsequently underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) insertion. Unfortunately, the shunt malfunctioned just a few days later. Francis is now scheduled for another VP shunt insertion, but his mother is unable to afford the surgery. She shared her disbelief and heartbreak that her son has had to go through these challenges at such an early age. Despite the hardships, the doctors have assured her that they will do everything possible to ensure the best outcome for Francis. Francis has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Francis has been experiencing an increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Francis will experience severe physical and developmental delays. On January 7th, he will undergo surgery to drain the excess fluid from his brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Francis will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $719 to cover the cost of surgery to treat the hydrocephalus. Francis's mother said, "I am doing everything I can as a mother, but this surgery is beyond my means. My only prayer is that God touches a kind heart to help my child survive."

47-year-old Allen is a mother to four boys and three girls. The family lives in Uganda, where Allen and her husband are small scale farmers. Allen developed a lump in the upper back region, which has been increasing in size over the past four years. Initially, Allen did not seek treatment, as she did not experience any symptoms. As the lump has increased in size, however, it has begun to cause pain in Allen's chest and neck, making it difficult for her to sleep. Allen sought medical treatment from our medical partner's care center, Rushoroza Hospital, where doctors advised her to undergo surgery to remove the mass. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Allen receive treatment. On January 6th, she will undergo mass removal surgery to relieve her discomfort. Now, Allen needs your help to fund this $145 procedure. Allen says: “I pray and hope to get well through surgery. I wish to live a normal life once again so that I can comfortably take good care of my family like I used to before.”

Loveness is a three-month-old baby girl from Tanzania. She is the only child in her family. They reside in Endale, the Karatu district, where her parents make a living as farmers. Their primary focus is subsistence farming, but they also sell any surplus to generate additional income for their expenses. Loveness has clubfoot on both her feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. The tissues connecting the muscle to the bones are shorter than usual and this causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Loveness's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Kafika House, where doctors will begin clubfoot treatment on November 7th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $341 to fund this procedure. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when she grows up. Loveness's mother says, "I hope my daughter's treatment will go well because I wish for her to grow up to be active and healthy."

Dirya is a five-year-old girl from Cambodia, and the middle child in her family. Her father works as a construction worker and her mother is a homemaker. She has an older brother, who is 12, and a younger brother, who is two. Dirya's mother shared that she dreams of becoming a doctor when she grows up. In her free time, Dirya enjoys drinking milk and eating rice with soup. She also loves playing with toys and riding her bicycle around the house. Dirya was born with scoliosis, an abnormal lateral curvature of her spine, along with left radial dysplasia, where the radius bone in her left forearm is underdeveloped. Over the past four years, Dirya's scoliosis has progressed, leading to abnormal posture. Her parents are concerned that she may face difficulties at school including back pain or difficulty breathing caused by the curvature. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Dirya receive treatment. On September 3rd, specialty surgeons at CSC will perform a spinal procedure during which growing rods will be implanted vertically along her spine to correct Dirya’s severe scoliosis. The procedure will help straighten her spine and improve her posture, and she will be able to stand and improve her health as she continues to grow. Dirya's parents can afford to contribute $25 of the cost of the procedure. Now, her family needs help raising the additional $1,475 for the surgery, hospitalization, implants, medications and physiotherapy. Dirya's parents shared, "we want Dirya to live a healthy life as she grows up and we are hopeful that this operation will straighten her back."

Catherine is a three year old toddler and is the second child in a family of two children. She lives in Tanzania. She is a quiet and laid-back child who doesn’t speak much. She enjoys spending time with her mother, who is employed as a pharmacist. This sometimes requires her mother to take her to work. Catherine’s father is a carpenter, crafting furniture in Mpanda. Both parents work diligently to meet their family’s needs, but their income is limited, preventing them from covering substantial medical expenses. Catherine has clubfoot of both legs. She began displaying signs of bowed legs when she started walking. Her legs gradually bowed outward, and while the defect was mild, it worsened as she grew older. This condition causes discomfort when she walks, making it challenging to ascend stairs or squat. During one of our partner's outreach visits, the medical team had the opportunity to meet Catherine and her parents. After a brief assessment, the team diagnosed her with fluorosis and bilateral bowleggedness. Following our visit, the family was advised to seek treatment at the medical centre. In August, after a two-day journey, Catherine arrived at the centre. She quickly felt at ease, as she was familiar with some of the medical team members. Following an initial meeting, she was scheduled to see an orthopaedic surgeon. Fortunately, Catherine's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, The Plaster House NGO. There, the team will begin clubfoot treatment on September 14th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Catherine's clubfoot repair. After treatment, her legs will be corrected and she can grow up active and healthy. Catherine’s mother says, “I wish my daughter to be better, this condition limits her so much and I feel sorry for her because she has a hard time keeping up with her friends.”

Kim Huoy is a 13-year-old girl who lives in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia, with her parents and two brothers. Her mom works long hours in a factory making medical gloves, and her father works at a nearby construction site. Kim Houy's favorite subject is Cambodian history, and her dream is to get good grades so she can study to become a writer. In her free time, she likes to read and play hide and seek with her friends in the village. For the last few years, Kim Houy has had bad posture, and occasional discomfort in her back. Then, in June, she fell off the top of the stairs at the front of her house, which caused her back pain to worsen. Her parents took her to a nearby clinic, where her x-ray showed curvature of the spine, and she was diagnosed with scoliosis. Kim Houy and her family traveled 3 hours by shared taxi hoping to receive treatment at our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). On July 31st, she will undergo a scoliosis correction procedure with implants to improve the position of her spine. Surgeons will realign and fuse together the curved vertebrae so that she feels comfortable and can stand straighter. Her mom shared, "I hope my daughter can feel better after surgery and go to school without any problems."

Sai is a six-year-old kindergarten student. He lives with his parents and siblings (a 12-year-old brother who is in grade four and a 11-month-old sister) at Mae Sot District, Tak Province in Thailand. His father is a daily worker and works as a blacksmith. Sai’s mother is a homemaker who looks after the children at home. Sai was born with a healthy delivery however just after his sixth birthday, his mother noticed that Sai’s left eye was red. He told her that it was not painful, so they did not worry about it. In June 2022 though, his mother saw that there was a white dot in the pupil of Sai’s eye. When his mother covered Sai’s right eye and asked if he could see, he answered that he did not see clearly. Sai had his eyes checked at Mae Tao Clinic and the medic suspected that he had a cataract. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. He was referred to the ophthalmology department which later the doctor diagnosed him with mature left eye cataract. Currently, Sai’s vision in his left eye is blurry and he has trouble seeing the board when he is in the classroom. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Sai. On December 9th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Sai's natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Sai’s mother said, “We cannot afford to take a loan (for the surgery) because we would have to pay the interest. There is less work during the pandemic and so it makes things very hard to have such a large loan. My words cannot express the thanks that I feel. It is so lucky for us to have the assistance from BCMF and donors.”

Sarah is a 5-year-old girl from Haiti. She is typically a healthy and active girl and is very loved by her family. Sarah has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Sarah has been experiencing severe headaches. Sarah had a shunt placed when she was an infant for treatment and it allowed her to develop normally. The recent headaches alerted the doctors that the shunt stopped working and needed to be replaced. Without treatment, Sarah will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Sarah at Hospital Bernard Mevs. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on December 7th. This critical treatment will replace the shunt and drain the excess fluid from Sarah's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Sarah will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Their family is grateful that Sarah will be able to continue to have a happy life after the shunt is replaced.

Khin is 38-year-old woman in Thailand. Originally from Mon State, Burma, Khin went to one of the refugee camps in Thailand to visit her cousins and search for job opportunities four years ago. However, Khin met her husband there and ended up moving in with her parents-in-law, four brothers-in-law and a nephew in the camp. Since 2016, Khin has been experiencing abnormal bleeding, pain in her back and suprapubic area which increases whenever she walks long distances. She has been diagnosed with uterine myoma. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Khin's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Khin is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, and is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer experience pain or discomfort and will be able to return to work full-time.

Chong is a nine-year-old boy from Thailand. He lives with his mother, who works as an agricultural day laborer, planting and harvesting corn and beans for a plantation owner. They live in a hut on the plantation owner’s land. Chong’s mother supports the family as a single parent. She cannot afford to send any of her children to school. Chong helps his mother with household chores, cooking meals or collecting water from a nearby pond. Some days, he accompanies his mother to work, where he helps her carry bags. A year after Chong was born, his mother noticed an abnormal condition in a sensitive area of his body. Chong complained of pain, so his mother brought him to the hospital. There, the family learned about our medical partner. Chong was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia and hydrocele. He is scheduled to undergo a repair surgery on January 4, 2017. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Chong loves to play games of marbles with his friends. He also loves to cook. His mother says that his best dishes are fish paste salad, stir fried dishes, and soup. Even when he is not feeling well, Chong always wants to help his mother. In the future, Chong hopes to stay in Thailand to support his mother. “I would like to find a job here,” he says, “so that I can help my mother.”