Edeau, who is 13 years old, lives in a farming community in southwest Haiti, with his godmother and his godmother's family. He is in the seventh grade. Earlier in his childhood, Edeau suffered from rheumatic fever, which severely damaged one of the four valves of his heart, making it difficult for his heart to pump blood through his body. Edeau requires surgery to correct his condition. On February 6th, surgeons at Welcare Hospital will replace Edeau's damaged valve with an artificial one, a $6,000 procedure, which is being subsidized by Gift of Life International. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover the costs associated with the pre-operative and post-operative care that Edeau will need, and the travel expenses for Edeau and his family. From Edeau: "I would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping me to get this surgery."

Maso, who is 57 years old, is a married man with ten children. Seven of his children are married, while Maso and his wife live with their three youngest in Malawi. Maso is a farmer, growing rice, maize, groundnuts, and cassava, which he sells to provide for his family. Last October, Maso began to notice intermittent swelling on the right side of his inguinal region. At first, he wasn't terribly concerned, as the swelling wasn't painful. Over time, however, the episodes of swelling increased, and Maso began to experience some discomfort, which interfered with his ability to work. Maso visited Nkhotakota Hospital in Malawi where he was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia. Maso was informed he would need surgery to correct his condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $575 to fund Maso's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled for May 3rd, at Partners in Hope Medical Center. Maso is hopeful that the surgery will help him to get back to normal, free of his current symptoms. Maso said: “I am looking forward to surgery to get better.”

Naw Aye is a 28-year-old woman who lives with her husband, son, sister-in-law, brother, two nephews, and two nieces in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. Originally from across the Burmese border in a conflict-area called Karen State, she fled to the refugee camp with her family in February 2023 due to airstrikes on her village. Her husband and her brother are unemployed, while her son, nieces, and nephews go to school. She and her sister-in-law are homemakers. During her free time, she loves to play with her son and enjoys planting vegetables in her small garden. She is currently expecting her second child. Her doctors recommended that she deliver via cesarean section because In January 2020, when Naw Aye was pregnant with her first child, her water broke prematurely which put her baby's life at risk. She was brought to a hospital in Burma, where she gave birth to her son through a caesarean section (C-section). In February, after they had fled to the refugee camp, Naw Aye became pregnant. She went to the hospital in the refugee camp regularly for antenatal care. She was told during one of her visits that although her pregnancy was going well, she would need to give birth through a C-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, will help ensure a safe C-section on November 3rd. This procedure costs $1500, and Naw Aye needs your support. “I want to sell sacks or Mohinga (Burmese soup) for extra income soon. But I don’t have enough cash to start doing that, and I am pregnant. I hope I can do that after I give birth,” Naw Aye said.

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."

Hok is a 27-year-old mother of two from Cambodia who lives in a rural province with her husband and sons. Her husband is a fisherman, and Hok stays home to care for their young children. She loves music, especially traditional Cambodian songs, and enjoys sewing clothing for herself and her children. Hok has had a recurring ear infection since she was five years old. The infection has caused a cholesteatoma- an abnormal skin growth- to develop in the middle ear behind her eardrum, leading to ear discharge, hearing loss, and tinnitus. Hok has difficulty hearing and is sometimes embarrassed to go out because of the pus from her ear. Hok traveled to our medical partners at the Children's Surgical Centre to receive treatment. On March 6th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear during which ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. CSC is requesting $926 to cover the procedure, medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Hok said, "I'm tired of having this my whole life. I want surgery to help my hearing and I want to be able to sleep without the ringing noise."

Elias is a 10-month-old baby boy from Kenya, and the first child born in his family. Elias and his parents live in their ancestral home and rely on his grandparents for support, as his mother is a homemaker and his father is still in college. Elias 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, Elias has been living with an increasing head circumference since the age of four months. Without treatment, he may experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery to treat Elias' hydrocephalus. The procedure, which will drain excess fluid from Elias' brain and reduce the intracranial pressure, is scheduled to take place on February 22nd at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. With proper treatment, Elias should be able to develop into a strong and healthy young boy. Elias’ mother says: “I am really feeling bad because I have no way of helping him.”

Nahashon is a shy three-year-old boy from Nyandarua County, Kenya. His father works as a casual laborer while his mother takes care of Nahashon and his siblings. Nahashon was born with a condition known as Genu Varum, also known as bow legs. His legs curve outward, causing discomfort and pain when walking. Nahashon has a hard time playing with his friends due to this pain. Doctors from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), met Nahashon and his family at a local clinic. After an examination, doctors recommended Nahashon undergo bilateral PTO to correct the bowing in his legs. Nahashon is scheduled for treatment on July 10th at AMH's care center. After the procedure, he will be able to walk without pain. AMH is requesting $1224 to cover the cost of treatment. Nahashon's mother said, “I hope that the surgery will correct his condition and my son continue to walk like other children.”

Peter is a 5th grade student from Kenya. He is an only child being raised by his single mother, who works as a hotel waitress earning about $70 per month. The family also has a small tea plantation in their ancestral home, but are unable to raise the funds needed for Peter's surgery. Peter 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, Peter has been experiencing difficulty in holding things and walking. The condition has affected his appearance, with a change in the color of his eyes. Over time, he has developed urine and stool incontinence. His worried mom decided to seek treatment from several hospitals. Doctors determined that Peter needs a special surgery that will relieve pressure from the skull. Without treatment, Peter will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Peter. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 11th, and will drain the excess fluid from Peter's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Peter will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Peter’s mother says, “Peter has been sickly and has been missing school for almost a year now. This condition is affecting his school life. He needs this treatment to recover and go back to school.”

Thorn is a 46-year-old mother who lives with her husband and her three children. Her oldest daughter is 22 and studies at a university, her second daughter is 18 and is in secondary school, and her youngest daughter is three and does not yet attend school. She and her husband are both rice farmers in Takeo province. Her free time is taken up by cooking for her family and cleaning the house. A month ago, on the way back from the market, she was in a motorbike collision and fractured her right tibial plateau. This is an injury in which she broke her bone and injured the cartilage that covers the top end of the bottom part of her knee. She went to a local hospital where they took and X-ray but did not treat her because she had no money to pay. She is in constant pain and cannot walk. She cannot care for her children, and cannot help her husband in the rice field Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On December 14th, Thorn will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. This procedure will help her walk again without pain. Thorn said: "I hope after the operation I can ride my motorbike again, have no more pain, and can take care of my family."