Theara is a playful 5-year-old from Cambodia. She comes from Kampong Speu province where she lives with her parents and two older siblings. Theara's parents work as rice farmers, and her siblings are students in elementary school. She loves ice cream and playing with her friends in the village. In 2020, when Theara was three years old, she arrived at Children's Surgical Centre with cataracts in both eyes, speech delay, and lower limb irregularities. After receiving surgery, she is able to see from both eyes and her speech difficulties have since been resolved. The surgeons did not want to perform an operation on her legs at that time, but now that Theara is older, her parents returned to Children's Surgical Centre for further consultation to help her walk more easily. She has difficulty walking, cannot run, and has not yet started school. On April 6th, surgeons at CSC will place eight plates in her lateral proximal tibia to gradually straighten her legs and improve her mobility. Now, Theara and her family need help to fund this $600 procedure. Her mom shared, "I hope her leg can straighten so she can walk and start school."

Phyu is a 17-year-old who lives with her parents, husband, and two brothers on the Thai-Burma border. Her father and husband work as day labourers, while her mother looks after her two younger brothers. Phyu used to help on small jobs too, but stopped six months ago when she first felt unwell. Beginning last October, Phyu felt tired, experienced chest tightness, and oedema in both her legs. A few days later, she went to a clinic and was told that she has a problem with her heart. She received medication and a follow-up appointment for the following week. Although she took the medication regularly, she did not feel any better. When she went back to the clinic, it was closed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in their area. While she waited for the clinic to reopen, the swelling in her legs worsened and she also had difficulty breathing. Eventually, her employer drove her to Phop Phra Hospital, where she was admitted and given oxygen. The doctor at the hospital referred her to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) the next day where she received a number of diagnostic tests. The doctor told her that she has a heart condition and diagnosed her with aortic valve regurgitation. The medical team shared that she needed to undergo surgery and told her to travel to Chiang Mai where they can provide the care she needs. Worried about how her family would afford the surgery, once Phyu arrived at the clinic, a medic referred her to our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing the treatment she needs. Currently, Phyu feels tired if she walks far or when she has to do anything strenuous such as carrying water or cleaning her house. If she sleeps on her back, she has difficulty breathing. Although she still has oedema in her legs, the swelling has gone down since she started taking medication from MSH. “When I recover from surgery, I want to work to help increase my family’s income so that we can pay back our debt. I also want to support my brother who is attending a teacher training college in Burma. He is a second-year student now," said Phyu with new hope for her future.

Lim is a brave, seven-year-old girl. She has three older sisters, and her parents make and sell palm sugar. In school, Lim is currently in second grade and enjoys to read books. At home, she likes to play with her dolls and draw pictures with her sisters. Two months ago, Lim developed a chalazion, or inflamed cyst, in her right eye, causing her itchiness, irritation, and tearing. This makes it difficult for her to see clearly and study at school. Lim traveled for one hour and a half with her father to seek treatment from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). On June 17th, surgeons will remove the cyst through a chalazion excision procedure. After recovery, Lim's symptoms should improve. She needs help raising $187 to fund this procedure. Lim is optimistic, "I hope my eye is better and comfortable as soon as possible so I can do well in school and not worry about my eye."

Ay is a 17-year-old equipment seller from Cambodia. She is the only daughter among a family of three brothers, and she enjoys listening to Khmer classical music in her free time. Ay has ptosis in her right eye. Ptosis occurs when the eyelid droops over the eye. She has blurred vision, making it difficult to recognize people and participate in normal activities. Ay traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 13, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform an eyelid correction procedure to improve her vision. Now, Ay needs help to raise $292 to fund this procedure.

James is a farmer from Kenya. He is married and has four children. His wife works at Nazareth Hospital, our medical partner's care center. In late January, James slipped and fell. He sustained a closed fracture of the patella of his left leg. He cannot walk and is in pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 12, James will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. The treatment will help him heal and walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $998 to fund this procedure. James says, “I like working in my shamba (farm) and walking around to see friends, I therefore hope for support to undergo this treatment so that I can continue serving my family.”

“Peninah is a 19-year-old business woman from Kenya. She sells bananas at a local market and is married to a motorbike mechanic who also farms to earn a living,” our medical partner, Lwala Community Alliance, tells us. “Peninah is a class 8 dropout due to lack of birth certificate and could not achieve her dream of becoming a teacher. She is also an active member of a women’s netball club, and she likes eating local vegetables and singing in a church choir to build her spiritually.” Peninah is currently having a difficult pregnancy. Lwala says, “Peninah feels nauseous and has headaches in the morning. She usually vomits after every meal and this does not allow her to get enough energy to carry out her daily chores. The fear she has is that if this persists, it could lead to lack of enough nutrients for her baby.” Peninah would like to receive prenatal care to make sure her baby is healthy, and wants to deliver her baby in a health facility. For just $290, we can help her give birth and obtain the advanced care that she needs. "I hope that my baby is born alive and healthy in the hands of skilled people as this will prevent my baby from getting any disease caused by germs," she says. Let’s help her out!