Leang is 26 years old and works for a company. He has two sisters and two brothers. He likes to watch Thai movies dubbed in Khmer on TV, go on Facebook, and listen to the radio. In November, Leang was riding his motorbike to work when he crashed into a post. He sustained a femoral neck fracture on his right side. He went to a Khmer traditional healer for treatment, but his symptoms did not improve. It was difficult for Leang to walk, and he was in pain. When Leang learned abut our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for four hours to seek treatment. On December 16, surgeons at CSC performed a femur fracture fixation procedure with a dynamic hip screw to treat Leang's fracture and allow him to use his hip. CSC is requesting $411 to fund this procedure. "I hope that I can walk better and not have any pain," says Leang.

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.”

"We dream that she will have a normal weight and growth, and in the future that she will go to school, and be very active and healthy," shares the mother of two-month-old Amanda. Amanda lives with her twin sister, older brother, and parents in a one-room adobe house in a rural Guatemalan community. Her father works as a corn and black bean farmer. What the family does not eat gets sold to the market. Amanda's mother works at home, taking care of Amanda and her siblings. Amanda's mother is having trouble making enough breast milk to keep Amanda and her twin sister, Mariana, properly nourished. Amanda has not been able to grow taller, has been losing weight, and her immune system is growing weaker. Without treatment, Amanda could face permanent brain damage, dehydration, and even death. Although they work hard to give their daughter the best they can, Amanda's parents cannot afford the life-saving formula that their daughter needs. Treatment is simple, very effective, and costs $1,016. The nutritionist at Wuqu' Kawoq will design a treatment plan for Amanda so she will get all the protein, calories, and nutrients she needs to grow and thrive. Amanda will grow stronger, catch up in her growth, and be able to have a normal childhood. Additionally, Amanda's mother will receive motivational nutritional education, giving her the tools to prevent future cases of malnutrition, and give Amanda the diet she needs to live a healthy and full life!