Meet Sophanun, a 12-year-old student from Cambodia. His favorite subject in school is English, and he hopes to become an English teacher or translator when he grows up. In his free time, Sophanun likes playing soccer with his friends. Last week, Sophanun had a bad cold, and since then, he has been experiencing ear discharge, tinnitus, and hearing loss. He also keeps waking up throughout the night, causing him to feel tired at school. Medication has not improved his symptoms, and his family brought him to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), for help. On March 13th, surgeons at CSC will perform a myringotomy procedure to drain the fluid from his ears so he can hear well and no longer experience uncomfortable symptoms. CSC is requesting $184 to fund this procedure. Sophanun's family contributed $75 to his care. His mother shared: "I hope he feels better after surgery and can go back to school."

Sovireak Both is a studious first grader. He loves fried noodles and playing tag with his friends. He is a middle child and enjoys going to school, especially learning how to write Cambodian script. Sovireak Both has strabismus in both eyes. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye caused by injury or dysfunction in the associated nerves and muscles. He gets headaches, blurry vision, and if not treated, he could have long-term vision problems such as issues with depth perception and double vision. Sovireak Both's family traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 1st, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to align his eyes. Now, his family needs help to raise $331 to fund this procedure. His mother said, "I hope my son can be happy with his eyes and do well in school."

Chantha is a six-year-old student from Cambodia in the first grade. She lives with her parents, who are rice farmers, and her three-year-old brother. When she is not in school, Chantha enjoys playing with her little brother and neighbors. Since birth, Chantha has had left hip pain and difficulty crawling and walking. As she grew, her parents and doctors noticed her left leg was shorter than her right leg. To correct this, surgeons fixated plate screws to her left leg. Since the screws were placed, she has been able to walk well, and can even run. Now that her left leg has been corrected, the screws need to be removed to prevent future complications as she grows. Surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On November 17th, Chantha will undergo a hardware removal procedure. Now, she and her family need help raising $304 to fund her procedure and care. Chantha's mother shared, "I hope my daughter can continue to walk easily and without pain after this procedure."

Kim Hong is a 13-year-old seventh grader from a rural province in Cambodia near the Vietnamese border. He lives with his parents and two siblings. His father is a motorbike taxi driver and his mother works in a factory. In school, Kim Hong enjoys social studies and math, and he would like to be a doctor one day. After school, he likes playing with water guns with his friends. He shared that his favorite food is "anything fried", but unfortunately for the last three years, it has been difficult for him to eat. For three years, Kim Hong has been experiencing sore throats and difficulty swallowing. He is often uncomfortable and misses school. He was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly worsen over time. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On February 1st, Kim Hong will undergo a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, where surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids. This procedure will hopefully relieve Kim Hong of his symptoms and help him live much more comfortably. Now, he and his family need help raising $265 to fund his procedure and care. Kim Hong shared, "I hope after surgery I can eat a lot, and stop taking medication all the time because I don't like the taste."

Saviour is a 17 year old student, living in Uganda, with her sister and her grandmother. Both of Saviour's parents passed away a few years ago. Five years ago, Saviour began to experience troubling symptoms, including pains in the right upper part of her abdomen. Her mother, who was still alive at the time, managed to take her to the hospital, where she was able to get treatment for the pains. In June 2022, the pains became worse, and during another visit to the hospital, a scan was done. Saviour was diagnosed with cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, which is inflammation of the gall bladder with the presence of gall stones. Currently, she cannot sleep on the affected side of her body, and she can only bend down for brief periods of time. While it was recommended that she have surgery, Saviour's grandmother cannot afford the cost. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Saviour receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo surgery on January 11th at Rushoroza Hospital. This procedure will cost $284, and Saviour and her family need your support. Saviour says: “I hope and believe that I will be able to live a good and pain free life once again after surgery. I hope to start school soon after recovery for a better future.”

Rodjana is a creative three-year-old girl from Haiti who lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital city, with her parents and three older siblings. She currently attends preschool and enjoys drawings and making crafts. Rodjana has several cardiac conditions. She has a heart valve that does not adequately allow blood to be pumped through her body, as well as a hole between two blood vessels near her heart. Fortunately, Rodjana will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive cardiac treatment on September 7th. There, surgeons will repair the faulty valve and close the hole near her heart. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by Haiti Cardiac Alliance. Rodjana's family needs help raising the remaining $1,500, which covers labs, medication, and travel costs. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Rodjana's mother says, "I am hopeful that after this surgery, my daughter will be able to play normally and be more active."

Meet Loveness, a two year old girl, living with her parents in Tanzania. Loveness' father is a small scale farmer, while her mother relies on day to day jobs to supplement their income. Earlier this year, Loveness' mother went out to fetch water and Loveness stayed to play with one of her friends at the home of a neighbor. During lunch, Loveness' left hand was burned by hot oil. The neighbor helped with immediate first aid while waiting for Loveness' mother to return. Loveness and her mother went to the hospital, where Loveness was treated successfully and sent home. A few months later her mother realized that there was something wrong with her daughter’s finger on her left hand, when she noticed that Loveness couldn't straighten her finger. Loveness and her mother returned to the hospital, but the family couldn't afford to pay for the necessary treatment to heal her hand. Instead, the staff at the hospital referred the family to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Now Loveness is scheduled to undergo contracture release surgery on October 17th, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. African Mission Healthcare Foundation is seeking $639 to fund this procedure for Loveness so she can grow up active and with full use of her hand. Loveness' mother says: “Please help my daughter and our family put this trauma behind us.”

Eliana is a friendly and talkative young girl from Tanzania. She is the firstborn child in a family of three. Her parents both work as small-scale farmers, and they depend entirely on what they harvest for their daily living. When Eliana was two years old, her parents noticed that her left leg was swelling up and that she would limp when walking. They initially thought she had fallen and hurt herself, so they took her to a local dispensary, where she was prescribed pain relieving medication. Eliana was eventually diagnosed with genu valgus, which is a malalignment of the knees. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Eliana struggles to stand and cannot walk more than four steps without either experiencing pain or falling down. This has resulted in her having to crawl most of the time in order to move from one place to another. In 2020, Eliana had corrective osteotomy surgery, which fortunately helped correct her legs to a point where she can now enjoy walking and playing with other children. However, she requires a second-stage procedure in order to remove her implant so her condition can heal entirely. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Eliana. The procedure is scheduled to take place on August 11th. Treatment will allow Eliana's legs to completely heal, fully restoring her mobility, and greatly decreasing her risk of future complications. Eliana’s grandmother says, “The first surgery my granddaughter got helped ease her walking. I believe this next surgery will make her legs even better.’’

Brenda is a student from Tanzania who has had epileptic seizures since childhood. This has continued until now, though she is taking medication that is helping her manage the condition. She shared that she is not close to her parents as they are verbally abusive. She tries to keep her distance, but with her condition, it has been hard to depend on herself. After hearing about our health center and the work we do, she was hopeful that she is could get help. She had to take more than three buses to get to our center. “I am lucky. I did not have any seizure episodes during my journey," she says. She is at our center ready to receive treatment, but she cannot afford it. Earlier this year, Brenda had a seizure and fell on a hot stove. Her face was badly burned. Brenda received treatment, but after healing her face was left impacted. She has been living this way for four months now, hiding her face whenever she goes out. Her neighbor saw her one day and noticed that she was hiding her face. Thankfully, he told her about our health center and informed her that she could get help. It is hard for her to open her eyes fully, and due to the disfiguration, her self-esteem is affected. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Brenda receive treatment. On October 13th, surgeons there will perform a burn contracture release surgery, which will allow her to open her eyes fully, and will hopefully help improve her self-esteem. Now, she needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Brenda says, “I am a spiritual person. I know it was God’s will for me to get here and get help. Thank you.”

Srey Ly is a 12-year-old student from Cambodia who is in grade seven. She has an older sister, and her parents work as rice farmers. At home, Srey Ly likes to watch cartoons on the TV. Several weeks ago, Srey Ly developed a chalazion in her left eye, causing her to experience burning, itchiness, irritation, and redness in her eye. A chalazion is an inflamed cyst in the tear gland. As a result of these symptoms, it is difficult for Srey Ly to see clearly and study, and she is nervous about attending school with her peers. Srey Ly traveled for two and a half to seek treatment from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). On November 15th, surgeons will remove the cyst through a chalazion excision procedure. After recovery, Srey Ly's symptoms should improve. CSC is requesting $210 to fund this procedure. Srey Ly said, "I hope my eye will get well after surgery, and I can return to school."

Jayden is a baby from Tanzania. He is being raised by a single mother working hard to provide for her family. Jayden's father is not in their life, and his mother has no remaining family members. She has no stable job and she always seeks different jobs, like washing clothes. Jayden was born with his fingers on both of his hands being attached together. His mother tried to seek treatment, however she could not afford to pay for surgery to correct his fingers. Due to his condition, Jayden cannot use his fingers separately. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Jayden receive treatment. On October 13, surgeons at the care center will perform a surgery to help separate his fingers for easier use. Now, their family needs help to fund this $639 procedure. Jayden’s mother says, “I have struggled for a while with my son, I am glad that I have found people who are willing to help him.”

Srey Pin is an energetic 3-year-old toddler. She has two older brothers, who are 15 and 10 years old. They are students at a public school. Srey Pin is too young to attend school, so she stays at home with her parents, who are farmers. She enjoys being with her brothers, running around the house, eating fried chicken, and drinking fresh milk! Srey Pin was born with polydactyly of her right hand. This means that she has an extra thumb. Thumb duplication happens before a baby is born. When a baby's hands are first forming, they are shaped like mittens. Then the fingers split. An extra split can result in thumb duplication. Although in some cultures an extra thumb is considered lucky, Srey Pin's mother would like it removed so that Srey Pin will not have self-esteem issues about her extra thumb and it won't get in the way of her using her hand to everyday tasks. On October 20th, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra digit. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $299 to fund this procedure. After surgery, her right hand will look like her left hand and Srey Pin can look forward to a full, healthy life. Her mother said: "I hope Srey Pin can easily use her hand and children will not make fun of her when she goes to school."