Doreen is a 24-year-old lady who is expecting a baby. She finished primary six but could not secure funds for further studies, leading to her leave school. She was left with no option other than pursuing housemaid work in Kabale town. After about a year, she returned home and eventually got married. Her husband is a small businessman with a retail shop, though not earning much, while Doreen remains at home cultivating for food consumption. She is the third born in a family of eight children; two are married and self-employed, and the rest are in primary and secondary school. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. She delivered her first baby in 2022 via C-section, but unfortunately, the baby died three days after birth. She reports having had two miscarriages consecutively. During this pregnancy, she has been attending the antenatal clinics and hopes to deliver a healthy baby. Doreen likes to remain happy despite her financial crisis. She appeals for your support to ensure her pregnancy is delivered well and that she has a live and healthy baby, as this child is precious to her and will bring comfort to her life. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section so doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Doreen undergo a C-Section on December 5th. This procedure will cost $252, and Doreen needs your support. Doreen says, “I wish as well to be called a mother since my mind has been traumatized by my past experience. I hope to deliver a live and healthy baby this time and I will be very happy to get your support.”

Olivia is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She never finished her primary education due to lack of money for school fees. Olivia now practices small-scale farming to sustain her family and sells the surplus produce to earn a living. Her husband is a motorcycle taxi driver. Olivia and her husband live in a single-room house. Unfortunately, in 2022, Olivia lost her first baby due to severe fetal distress. She also has diabetes, which makes her new pregnancy higher risk. Her doctors recommended that she deliver via a cesarean section. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Olivia undergo a C-section on November 16th. This procedure will cost $252, and Olivia needs your support. Olivia says, "I seek your support to have my baby delivered safely. I look forward to holding my baby in my arms, alive and healthy."

Chhem is a 57-year-old father from Cambodia. Chhem, his wife, and their children live in Prey Veng province. They have four children who still live at home - one daughter and three sons. Chhem is a vegetable seller, his wife is a homemaker, and the children attend school and help their father at the local market. At home, he likes to grow a few extra vegetables to supplement their family's diet. Chhem has been suffering from throat pain and swallowing difficulties for several years. A local hospital noted that he had small tumors on his tonsils and uvula. The tonsils are on either side of the throat at the back of the mouth, and the uvula is the small, finger-shaped piece of tissue that hangs down from the back of the throat. The tumors were biopsied, but there was no clear diagnosis. He went back to the local clinic when the pain got worse but could not afford the care. For the past three months, Chhem's pain has been worse. He does not know if he has a disease but knows that he cannot swallow and is in pain. Chhem traveled to our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) to receive treatment. On August 11th, surgeons will remove the mass from his tonsils. Chhem is able to contribute towards the cost of the surgery and needs help to raise $273 to fully fund the procedure. Chhem said, "I hope I will receive the right diagnosis and know what the treatment plan is."

Neema is a 2-month-old baby girl from Tanzania. She is the firstborn child of her parents, who are still quite young themselves. Her mother is a homemaker, while her father is a farmer and livestock keeper. Whenever necessary, the young parents receive assistance from Neema’s grandfather, who steps in to help due to their relative youth and inexperience. Neema has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Neema and her parents traveled to visit our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH), and she is scheduled to begin clubfoot treatment on August 11th. AMH is requesting $935 to fund Neema's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to achieve independent and comfortable mobility when she grows older, allowing her to wear regular footwear. Furthermore, successfully implementing this treatment plan will alleviate the concerns and anxieties of her parents regarding her future. Neema’s mother says: “I wish my daughter to have normal legs. I am hoping this treatment will be fast and go on smoothly.”

Ratha lives in Phnom Penh with her parents and two siblings. Her mom stays at home to care for the kids, and her dad works in a printing shop. Her favorite things are eating pizza and riding her bike with her 10 year-old brother. Ratha has been diagnosed with bilateral genu varum, also known as bow legs. Ratha's condition is severe, with her legs turned inwards, which makes it difficult for her to walk and play. Fortunately, doctors at our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, can help improve her mobility. Small plates are used to correct a deformity affecting the angle of the bone. They are inserted into one side of the growth plate, guiding growth of the limbs until they are straight. On September 13th, she will undergo surgery at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre to help resolve her condition. Now she and her family need your help to fund the $521 cost of the surgery. Her mother hopes she is healthy soon and shared that she hopes surgery can help her daughter play with her friends and ride her bike more easily.

Fikir is a thirteen-month-old baby from Ethiopia. He is playful and loves spending time with his mother, playing with other children, and watching cartoons. He loves drinking milk and eating foods made from corn flour. Fikir has an older brother who is three years old. His father works as a shoe-shiner and sells plastic bags and socks. His mother used to sell coffee and tea and now stays at home taking care of the children. Fikir was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will eventually be at risk of cancer and infertility. Fortunately, Fikir is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on March 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,293 to cover the cost of his procedure and care. Fikir's mother said, “Once he gets well, I will educate him. I want him to help people in the future. I hope he will be a doctor.”

Levina is a charming 4-year-old girl and the youngest child of three in her family. Sadly, Levina had a twin brother who suffered from a high fever when they were about nine months old and tragically passed away. Levina, too, faced challenges during her early years, as her overall health showed many challenges. However, she managed to survive and gradually saw improvements in her general well-being as she grew older. Levina has been diagnosed with right valgus, meaning that her right leg bows inward. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she experiences difficulty in walking. In April 2022, Levina visited our partner's care center and began receiving treatment to correct her leg deformity, as her legs were severely bowed. However, given the severity of her condition, her initial surgery proved insufficient to fully heal her condition. Consequently, she has returned for another surgery in order to progress further with her treatment plan. Levina’s parents are once again seeking assistance to cover the costs of the treatment she began when she was three years old. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $880 to fund her treatment, which will hopefully restore Levina's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Levina’s mother says, "Thank you so much; the first treatment has helped my daughter so much. We have hope that when she completes her treatment, she is going to be able to walk freely."

Orishaba is a 30-year-old farmer from Uganda. She has three children, two of whom are currently in school, and is currently expecting her fourth child. Her youngest was born in 2021 and is still at home. Orishaba works as a farmer and primarily grows crops for home consumption. She sells any excess to earn a living. Orishaba's husband is a boda boda driver, and they live together in a two-room rental house. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. Due to the short period between her current pregnancy and her last pregnancy, Orishaba's Doctor's recommended she deliver via a caesarean section so that doctors can ensure the safety of both her and her child. However, Orishaba is currently unable to fund the procedure herself. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help Orishaba. On June 8th, Orishaba will undergo a C-Section at AMH's care center. This procedure will cost $252, and Orishaba needs your support. Orishaba says, "I expect to deliver well once I am given your support because the hospital bill is all I was worried about most."

Stravensky, who is 18 years old, and in his final year of high school, lives in Port-au-Prince in Haiti, with his parents and two sisters. He aspires to go on to university to study engineering. Stravensky was born with atrial septal defect, a cardiac condition, where a hole exists between the upper two chambers in his heart. Instead of circulating through his lungs and picking up oxygen, the blood leaks through the hole, leaving him weak and short of breath. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to fund the costs of the surgery that Stravensky needs to repair his heart. The procedure, during which the hole will be repaired, is scheduled for February 1st, at Clinica Corominas. After this life changing operation, Stravensky should be able to live a healthy and comfortable life, and to pursue his ambitions without experiencing his current symptoms. From Stravensky: "I have been hoping to have my heart fixed ever since I was a small child - I can't believe it is finally happening!"

Neng is a 70-year-old farmer from Kampong Cham province. She is married and lives with her husband and her twin sister, who is also a farmer. Together, they plant vegetables around their home to sell at the local market. Two years ago Neng developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision, tearing, and sensitivity to light. The cataract interferes with Neng's ability to go about her daily life, and if left untreated, her visual impairment will only increase, posing more difficulties for her. When Neng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for five hours to seek treatment. As a result, on January 4th, doctors at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre will perform cataract surgery, and implant an intraocular lens in her left eye. Neng needs your help to fund this procedure, which costs $253, and which will allow her to resume her life, able to see clearly. Neng said: "I hope I can see everything and recognize faces clearly after surgery. I would like to plant more crops for sale to support our family."

Seint, who is 34 years old, lives with her parents and her aunt in Ayeyarwaddy Division in Burma. Her parents and her aunt make and sell mats from their home. When Seint was 13-years old, she noticed she started to easily tire, experienced heart palpitations, and had barely enough energy to play with her friends. Her mother took her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor examined her and told them that she had congenital heart disease. The doctor gave Seint medication, which she used together with traditional medicine. Both helped her to feel better. In November 2022, Seint felt extremely tired and experienced heart palpitations while she was completing physical exercises with her students. She also had difficulty breathing, and her vision became blurred. Her mother took her to a clinic, where she received medications which helped her to feel better. A few days later, however, she started to experience pain in her back whenever she felt tired. She also started to have difficulty breathing again, and had heart palpitations. Her mother brought her to a hospital in Yangon, where she received an echocardiogram that allowed the doctor to diagnose her with atrial septal defect. After additional testing, the doctor scheduled her to undergo urgent heart surgery at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is seeking $1,500 to fund Seint's surgery, which will allow her to regain her health, and to live symptom free. Seint said: "I would like to recover as soon as possible. In the future, I will continue to work as a teacher. I love teaching students and wearing our school uniform proudly."

Michelle is a young child with a sweet smile. She is the firstborn of a two-child family. Her parents are modest farmers who grow potatoes and vegetables primarily for their own family's consumption. Additionally, they run a small kiosk out of their home, but its limited earnings are insufficient to cover their basic needs. Michelle is presently enrolled in nursery school at a nearby public school. Michelle had a normal cold when she visited our medical facility. She was gasping loudly while inhaling and coughing frequently. Since last year, Michelle has been ill. Her mother noticed that whenever she had a cold, she would frequently complain of a sore throat and cough a lot. She also have a hard time sleeping, has trouble breathing, and has difficulty feeding because she always breathes through her mouth. Michelle has to wear extra warm clothing to stay warm during the colder months because her nose always gets congested, which is hard for her. She has been an inactive child as she is always tired. Her sleep patterns are constantly off, and she easily nods asleep during the school day, which has a negative impact on how well she does academically. Due to recurring tonsil infections that are resistant to therapy, Michelle has been in and out of the hospital several times. During her last visit, the doctor examined her and realized that her tonsils and adenoids had hypertrophied. She has been diagnosed with grade three tonsils, and since she was not responding to any medication, the doctor advised them to have surgery, which would provide a lasting, long-term solution to her problem. Michelle's parents have medical insurance, but in the last three months, they did not manage to pay their monthly subscriptions as they were low on income. Their coverage is in arrears, and unfortunately, it will not cover her procedure. She requires $714 for her surgery to be done, and her parents are appealing to all well-wishers reading her story to assist her in getting her surgery. Michelle's mother says, “My daughter has really suffered over a long period of time. She has taken numerous drugs without any noticeable change in her, and this has me very concerned. I want her to be able to have a regular life and do well in school. Please assist her so that she can eventually realize her goals."