Nhuob is a 43-year-old rice farmer. He lives alone and is supported by his older brother. Nhuob has two sons and one daughter but his children live with his ex-wife. Nhuod no longer works in the rice fields due to limited vision and spends much of his time listening to the radio at home now. Two years ago, Nhuob developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him to slowly lose his vision. He feels like there is a film covering his eye. When Nhuob learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 8th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery, and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $229 procedure. He shared, "I hope I can see anything clearly again after surgery. I want to farm in the rice fields or find a job to support my living, so my brother doesn't have to support me."

Erlando is a playful three-year-old boy from the Philippines who loves to giggle and watch Tik Tok videos. Erlando was born with a congenital abnormality that leads to intestinal complications. This condition requires Erlando to go through a series of corrective procedures to eliminate the abnormality and reduce the risk of life-threatening complications. Erlando's parents sew uniforms for a living and work hard to earn enough to sustain their daily needs. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is helping Erlando's parents raise $1,279 to cover the total cost of Erlando's procedure and care. He is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 16th and after his recovery, Erlando will be able to live a happier and healthier life. Erlando's mother shared," This surgery will be the biggest blessing our child will ever receive given our economic situation. It will be a such a relief to see him grow up healthy."

Choranai is a 14-year-old student in tenth grade. She has two siblings, a nine-year-old brother, and a seventeen-year-old sister who is at the university. Her mother works at a local NGO. Her parents have been divorced for seven years and Choranai lives with her mother. When not doing homework, she plays with her brother, watches TV, and listens to music. She also enjoys swimming and helping with housework. She shared that her favorite meal is fried vegetables and milk. Two weeks ago, she developed a problem in her arm so her mother took her to Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, where her skin was debrided twice to help her heal. Doctors at the local hospital suggested she visit our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) for further diagnosis and treatment. Surgeons at CSC diagnosed her with radial nerve palsy and need to do a radial nerve repair and rotational flap and skin graft to repair the paralysis in her arm and hand. On February 24th, she'll undergo surgery and after recovery, she will be able to feel and use her hand again. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $696 to fund this procedure. Choranai and her mom are hopeful that the numbness and paresthesia will disappear and she can use her hand again.

Milka is a 29-year-old house helper. She is a single mother to two children—a son and a daughter who both are in primary school. She is the second born child in a family of six children, and has five brothers. Her children now live with her parents, who work as farmers. She has a certificate in nursery school teaching, but unfortunately lost her job due to the pandemic. However, she recently found a new job tutoring children in her town. Recently, Milka has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, swelling in her abdomen, and pain after eating. She has been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Milka receive treatment. On March 23rd, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at AMH's care center. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Now, she needs help raising $230 to fund her procedure and care. Milka shared, "my health is my only asset to earning a living and bringing up my children. With poor health, it will be hard for me to perform well at work and I may lose my job. Once my surgery is made possible by your support, I hope to recover and continue working."

Gebreegziabher is a brave, young, and fun boy who loves to hangout with his friends. He loves to play chase and other games with his friends and brothers. He has five siblings and shared with us that he loves goats! Gebreegziabher never went to school because of his condition. He is a shepherd and helps to keep the sheep and goats of his parents. Because of his condition, he has endured bullying, but he continues to be brave and his dad shared: “He is so strong despite his sickness. When others pick on him and speak bad things about him and things related to his disease he even gets in to fights.” Gebreegziabher's mom and dad counsel him and comfort him and help him to bring out self-confidence and strength. His dad and his mom are farmers and his mom takes care of all the household chores. Dad said: “Our area is dry. We work hard and farm but the harvest is poor with lack of rain. We purchase food because our harvest is not enough to support the family.” They also raise animals to support themselves. The community survives with the dry land and the scarcity of food by donations from the government and NGOs. But the past two years they couldn’t get the donation since they are in the war zone. For these reasons they can’t afford the medical bill for their son. Gebreegziabher was born with congenital anomaly called bladder extrophy. That is an abnormally where the bladder is open to air. Given the pain and risk of infection, he just ties clothes around the wound. His mom is very much worried and concerned because of his condition. She shared that she has excluded herself from the community for years in taking care of him and raises him and recalls that when growing up, he would sit faraway from others and boys in his age. They keep up hope for better days ahead and are a loving family who support each other the best they can. His Dad said: “He learned to exclude himself from others growing up. We are sad as a family because of his condition. The neighbor insults us, discriminate us and we feel so sad about this. We couldn’t tell what will happen to him. And we bring him to God always.”

Dalton is a three-year-old boy who loves going outside to play and run around with his friends. He is the second born in his family. His father is a soldier, while his mother is a small-scale farmer. Together, they live in a two-room mud-built house. For the past year, Dalton has had hydrocele in a sensitive area. The hydrocele is swollen from fluid build-up and causes Dalton a great deal of discomfort. His parents are worried that without the right treatment their son might not be able to lead a full life. Due to financial instability, they are not able to raise the funds needed for Dalton's treatment, and appeal for help. Fortunately, on February 22nd, Dalton will undergo hydrocele repair surgery at our medical partner's care center, Rushoroza Hospital. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $170 to fund Dalton's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Dalton father says, “My son is no longer able to play with his friends like he used to before. My wife and I currently are not in position to fund his surgery and we seek financial support. We hope that he will be able to start school comfortably after treatment.”

Jolly is 53-year-old farmer and a married mother of five children. She has three sons and two daughters. Jolly's daughters are teachers while two of her sons are drivers and the youngest son still in school. Jolly earns a living from small-scale farming while her husband is a fisherman. Their shared income helps meet their family's daily needs. For the last two years, Jolly has suffered swelling in her left foot from an injury she sustained. The swelling continues to grow in size and becomes increasingly painful when Jolly is walking. Doctors at Nyakibale Hospital diagnosed Jolly with a lipoma that requires removal to help her heal. On March 3rd, surgeons will remove the mass and our medical partners at African Mission Healthcare are helping Jolly raise $137 to fund this procedure. Jolly shared, "I believe that I'll get better and be able to resume my farm activities to support my family once I've fully recovered."