"There are times that he is crying because of pain and it causes us to worry about him," Joel's parents say of their four-year-old son. Joel has an inguinal hernia, which has caused his scrotum to swell, and additionally causes him a great deal of pain and discomfort. Our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), tells us that when Joel was only one year old, his family sought treatment from a medical mission in their home country of the Philippines, but they could not afford the surgery the doctor recommended. ICM adds, "Joel is very active and playful, he also requires attention from his parents according to his mother." His father works as a sugar cane farmer and his older sister as a store clerk so that together they can support the family. There is no extra money to go towards Joel's treatment. His mother shares: "I am asking for your help for my son's operation; this operation will cure my son of this condition and we as his family will not worry anymore about him and for his future." For $465, Joel will undergo an operation to repair his hernia, eliminating his swelling and pain. This operation will also prevent Joel from developing any further complications related to his hernia. "I am so thankful for all your help and for making my son's operation possible," his mother adds.

Meet Sambath, an eight-year-old boy from Cambodia. “He attends school. He spends his free time at home playing games outside, watching TV, watching children's movies, and going to the field with his parents,” explains our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). “When Sambath was four, he received a poorly administered injection in his right thigh. This caused his quadriceps to contract and scar, and over time as he grew this dragged his patella out of place," CSC details about his condition. "Sambath's patella is now dislocated and it is hard for him to walk," they continue. "He is always falling down and is in pain because of his dislocated patella." $378 funds a treatment that will restore Sambath's patella to the proper place. “After surgery, he will be able to walk normally again and without any pain,” continues CSC. “I hope after surgery I can walk normally again," Sambath shared in his pre-operative interview with CSC. "When I am healed I will continue to go to school.”

"I am grateful for the help for Rosemary, and look forward to taking her home and seeing her feeling good again," Rosemary's mother says. Rosemary is just two years old and recently contracted malaria. Our medical partner in Uganda, The Kellermann Foundation, tells us that the virus has given her a fever, chills, diarrhea, sweats, and discomfort that could worsen if untreated. Rosemary is the youngest of four children. She loves to dance and play with plastic jugs as if they were drums. Rosemary's father harvests tea while her mother grows food for the family; however, they do not have the money to pay for Rosemary's treatment. For $130 Rosemary will receive the medicine she needs to alleviate her symptoms and prevent the malaria from worsening into a more serious condition, such as cerebral malaria, with long-lasting effects. After treatment, the Kellermann Foundation medical team expects Rosemary to make a full recovery.

Three-year-old Radin spends his time at home in Cambodia with his mother, and loves to play games with other children. "When Radin was one, he received a poorly administered injection in his right quadriceps muscle," reports our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). "This caused the muscle to contract and scar, and as he grew his patella was dragged out of place." Due to this muscle contraction in his knee, Radin is unable to bend his leg or walk easily. Individuals in rural Cambodia who have this condition often rely on local traditional healers or self-medicate, which can further complicate the problem, so Radin's mother travelled four hours with him to reach CSC for proper treatment. $378 will fund Radin's quadriceplasty procedure, where doctors will surgically release the scarred muscle contracture in his right leg. This will help him regain flexibility in his knee, as well as reduce pain from daily activities. After his quadriceplasty, Radin will also receive physiotherapy sessions. These post-operational sessions are important so that Radin's mother is trained to help Radin with exercises that will ensure that he regains full function of his leg. Radin's mother is excited for her son's operation: "I hope after surgery my son can walk properly again," she shares. "He will go back home once he is healed and one day he will start going to school."