Linn is a 29-year-old day laborer from Thailand. He works at a construction site and during his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball with his friends. Two months ago, Linn accidentally poked his left eye with a needle while he was sewing a bag. Since the accident, the vision in his left eye has been blurry. He visited our medical partner's care center where he was diagnosed with a cataract in his left eye. Eyedrops and medications have not improved his vision. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is helping Linn receive treatment. On May 18th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Linn's natural lenses and replace them with intraocular lens implants in each eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help raising $1,500 to fund his procedure and care. Linn shared, "I was worried about my vision becoming blurrier. I want to thank you [BCMF and donors]. After I get treated, I will work hard and try to donate some money back to BCMF."

Meet Glory, a three year old girl living with her parents and one sibling in Tanzania. Her parents work hard at jobs that limit the time that they can spend with their children, but which enable them to provide for the family's basic needs. In 2021, Glory was enjoying tea with her sister, when the hot liquid spilled onto her arm, burning her. Glory's parents brought her to the nearest hospital, where she was treated and sent home. The burns healed, but contractures formed, making it impossible for Glory to straighten her arm. After a second evaluation, Glory's parents were told that she would need surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is here to help. On October 13th, surgeons at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre will perform burn contracture release surgery, which will enable Glory to straighten her arm. Now, the family needs help to fund this $639 procedure. Glory’s mother says: “I am hopeful now that my daughter is going to get better.”

Maly is a 54-year-old mother of three. Maly works as a rice farmer. She has one daughter, two sons, and seven beautiful grandchildren. Maly's husband passed away several years ago, so she lives alone. Maly's children work as farmers and help to support her living. Maly likes to spend her time watching movies, listening to the news, and playing with her grandchildren. One year ago, Maly developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her photophobia, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Maly learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On September 6th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery, and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, CSC is helping Maly raise $253 to fund this procedure. Maly shared, "I hope after surgery my vision can improve so I can help my children more and take care of my grandchildren."

Mary is an eight-year-old girl. She is a talkative and playful young girl. She is the last born in a family of seven children and the family is not well off financially. Both of her parents do casual jobs like ploughing people's farms for a living and such jobs are not easy to find where they live. Sometimes the church members chip in to help them where they can. When Mary was one year old, she was involved in an accident where she sustained burns to her head, some parts of her face and neck. She was rushed to the hospital and was admitted for better care. While in the hospital, a surgery was done on her head where she had sustained more burns. She was then discharged and booked for wound dressing clinics. The wounds were healing well as per the doctors’ plan. Her parents managed to take her for the clinics for a few months but later stopped because of finances. While at home, the wound got infected but due to lack of funds, she was not taken to hospital at that time. Time went by and the infection spread to most parts of the head. When she was three years old, the family met up with a local pastor who started helping them. He started financing Mary’s hospital visits with the help of some church members where he ministered. The wound was dressed again but the recovery process was very slow. In mid this year, the pastor brought them to Kijabe Hospital, she was examined, and the wound was dressed properly. Since then, the wound has been healing as expected. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Mary receive treatment. On December 9th, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to help the remaining wound to heal properly. Now, Mary's family needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Mary’s father says, "Since the accident, we have been struggling a lot to make her get the required treatment but have failed to some extent. Coming to Kijabe, our hopes have been boosted greatly with the improvement she has experienced, and we hope that she will go through with the surgery and be well again.”

Su is 10-year-old girl who lives in Thailand. Both of her parents work for a community based organization helping others in their area. In her free time, Su likes to draw pictures and play with her friends. Su was born with clubfeet and a dislocated hip. She received corrective surgery in Chiang Mai with the help of our medical partner BCMF after she was born. During her last visit to the hospital when she was young, the doctor told her mother that they only had to return to the hospital when she outgrew her clubfeet correction shoes. However, her parents could never bring her back. In additional to financial constraints, their legal documents expired, and later when they had legal documents, they could not go to Chiang Mai due to covid-19 travel restrictions. In June 2022, Su started to experience pain in her right foot whenever she walked more than 10 minutes. She also experienced pain in her right hip for the first time when she walked. The doctor at Mae Sot Hospital diagnosed her with a dislocated hip and referred her to the larger hospital Chiang Mai for further treatment. In October an MRI was performed for Su and it was determined that she may need two surgeries: one for hrt hip and another for her clubfeet condition. The first surgery is for a hip replacement and the doctor scheduled her for surgery on November 25th so she can be out of pain as quickly as possible. Her family needs $1500 for her hip replacement surgery. Su's father said, "I am hopeful for my daughter to receive surgery soon. After surgery, I hope that she will be able to walk like other children and she will not be shy when she grows up. Now, when she goes to school, some of her friends tease her that she cannot walk properly like other children."

Josias is a three-year-old boy from Haiti. He lives with his parents and older brother. He is a happy and playful toddler who loves to smile and play! Josias 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, Josias has been experiencing developmental delays. He cannot walk or talk yet. Without treatment, Josias will continue experiencing severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Josias at Hospital Bernard Mevs to treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 20th. This critical treatment will place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from Josias's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Josias will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Josias's family has shared that they hope this surgery will allow him to be more independent.

Gloria is a farmer and mother of nine children with four pairs of twins and a youngest child. Gloria's children are still in school. Gloria had hoped to become a banker, but could not afford the school fees. Gloria and her husband work together as farmers. Her husband also trades charcoal to help make ends meet for their family. Most of their income is dedicated to the family's basic needs and school fees so the family is unable to afford healthcare at this time. Fifteen years ago, Gloria began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling, persistent headaches, and shortness of breath. Gloria was diagnosed with a bilateral goiter. She could not find relief with traditional treatment and now requires surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), is helping Gloria receive treatment. Gloria is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on September 6th where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMHF is helping Gloria raise $252 to cover the cost of this procedure. Gloria shared, “I come to you asking for your support, without it I won’t be able to raise the money needed for my surgery. I need to save my health, but have no way out.”

Thu Zar is a 21-year-old woman who lives with her parents, three sisters, and three nieces in Mae Sot near the Thailand-Burma border. Her family moved from Shan State in Burma to Thailand in 2008 in search of better opportunities. She used to work at a logistics company until two weeks ago when she quit due to her condition. Her parents run a small shop from their home, and her oldest sister is a cleaner at a restaurant. One of her other sister’s is unemployed and her third sister as well as her three nieces all go to school. In 2015, Thu Zar felt a small mobile mass in her chest. She did not feel any pain at the time and forgot about the mass. In 2019, she attended a workshop about reproductive health at her school, run by Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). During the workshop she remembered the mass and later when she was alone, she checked to see if it was still there. She felt the mass and thought that it had increased in size, but she did not experience any pain. The next day, she told the workshop trainer about the mass. The trainer told her to go to MTC for treatment. However, Thu Zar decided she did not want to take time off from school to go to the clinic, since she thought the mass was not causing her any pain or discomfort. Now, Thu Zar's condition has worsened and causes her great pain. She can only sleep on her back, because if she sleeps in any other position she experiences immense pain. Thu Zar sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on June 9th to heal her condition. She is raising $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Thu Zar is very worried about her health and told us, "I feel very sad and depressed with this condition."

Korng is a 77-year-old retired tailor from Cambodia. She has two sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren. She shares that her husband passed away many years ago, so she lives with her youngest son, who is a garment worker. When Korng is not cooking or helping her daughter care for the grandchildren, she enjoys listening to monks chant on the radio. Two years ago, Korng developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her to experience light sensitivity, blurry vision, and eye tearing. As a result, she has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she she cannot go out on her own. When Korng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled to their care center for treatment. On August 12th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund her procedure. Korng shares, "I hope I can see better so I can take care of myself. I want to go to the pagoda by myself and visit with my neighbors without being afraid I will fall."