Samnang is ten years old and in the fourth grade. He has three sisters and one brother. He likes to play games and watch animated movies on TV. Samnang had a laceration on his left heel, which made it difficult for him to flex his foot downward. Though his tendon was still intact, he felt pain when he walked on his left foot. When Samnang's parents learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), the family traveled for four hours to seek treatment. On December 13, surgeons at CSC performed an achilles tendon repair surgery to help Samnang walk easily again. CSC is requesting $450 to fund this procedure. "I hope that my son can walk better and without pain," says Samnang's mother.

Brian is a malnourished four-year-old boy from Uganda who lives with his grandmother and three siblings. Our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation, shares that ever since the death of their father, Brian and his siblings “have been staying with their paternal grandmother while their mother works in another village.” The Kellermann Foundation continues, “As a subsistence farmer, it has been difficult for the grandmother to take care of all four children.” Due to the lack of a healthy diet and subsequent low protein levels, Brian developed severe malnutrition and accompanying oedema--abnormal fluid accumulation in the body’s cells or tissues. Additional symptoms include both respiratory distress and diarrhea. With $375, we can cover the cost of intravenous drugs for Brian’s respiratory condition, cannulation and intubation for nutrients and/or vitamins, and a hospital stay for recuperation. With additional nutritional care, Brian will be able to play with the other children in the village and fetch water. Brian's mother, who plans to subsidize one dollar of her son’s treatment, shares, “Thank you to everyone supporting me and my child. It has been difficult to pay bills on my own."

Synthia is an outgoing and friendly five-year-old girl with a great sense of humor. She likes to make jokes, meet new friends, and draw. She lives with her parents and four siblings in Haiti. Synthia was born with a congenital heart disease that caused a hole in her heart to remain open, when it should have closed after birth. Her condition, called patent ductus arteriosus, allows blood to bypass her lungs and return to her body without receiving oxygen. As a result, Synthia is frequently out of breath and lethargic. Some days her condition even keeps her home from preschool. For $1,500, Synthia will receive the surgery she needs to correct her congenital defect. This surgery will allow Synthia's heart to pump blood normally so that she can hit all of her developmental milestones and finally have all of the energy she needs to be her bubbly self. Synthia says, "I am excited to have surgery so I don't have to keep visiting the doctors so much!"