Bopha is a teenager from Cambodia. At just 21 days old, Bopha suffered from a severe soft tissue infection that left her back deformed and with thick scarring. Since 2017, she has undergone several skin grafts to expand the skin around the affected area. In March of 2019, she was fitted with a halo gravity traction for three months, which reduced the curvature in her spine. Spinal surgery will help correct the position of her spine, and prevent further worsening of the condition. Surgery is scheduled for June 7 and will cost $1,500. Bopha enjoys reading books, listening to music, and watching television in her free time. She looks forward to returning to school and her friends as soon as possible.

Soksomaly is a 19-year-old college student from Cambodia. She is a hotel and tourism student and hopes to become a translator in the future. Five years ago, Soksomaly had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Soksomaly experiences headaches, hearing loss, discharge, and itchiness. It is difficult for her to hear, and she often experiences difficulty communicating with others. Soksomaly traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On May 3, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She says, "I hope that this operation will allow me to hear properly and for the infection and discharge to stop."

Folani is a father to 7 and grandfather to 4 from Malawi. Folani is a farmer who enjoys chatting with his friends. Since 2016, Folani has been experiencing pain and urinary difficulty. These symptoms are caused by an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. He needs to undergo a prostate resection surgery, a procedure in which surgeons will remove part of the enlarged gland. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund Folani's surgery. On January 29, he will undergo prostate surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and two weeks of hospital stay. Folani was very happy to hear he would have surgery and thankful he will be able to start working normally again. He says, "I am very thankful for this project."

This is Ngae, a 58-year-old widow from Burma who has three daughters and two sons. Ngae sells a variety of vegetables to support her family, making about $2-4 a day. With a daughter married and living in Bangkok, Ngae works hard to put her young son through school and manage the rest of the family as well. Starting in November of 2015, Ngae’s health began to limit her ability to carry vegetables in a basket and sell her goods by the roadside. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP) shares that at one point while selling corn, she suffered an unexpected uterine prolapse. For quite some time, Ngae has been ignoring her prolapsed uterus due to an inability to pay for, or access, treatment. But now, she is experiencing back pain, lower abdominal pain, and frequent urination. With $1,500, Ngae will receive the surgical treatment she requires, which may include a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) or repairs to prevent her uterus from falling out. Surgery will better illuminate a solution to her health condition through examination of the pelvic or apical reattachment ligament points. Pelvic examinations, blood work, and post-surgery respite are all included. BBP expects that Ngae will be able to return to her normal routine. Ngae says, “I want to have the surgery as soon as possible and I hope that my surgery will be successful. I want to return to selling vegetables on the roadside.”

"When he is feeling good, Gift likes to play soccer for the village team and when he can, watch English premier league soccer on TV," our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, tells us. Gift is 18 years old and lives in Uganda. He works alongside his parents on their small farm. They grow ground nuts and other crops, and Gift also helps harvest rice for others to earn money. Recently, Gift's health has been preventing him from living his normal life. For the past few months, Gift has been experiencing pain due to a hernia. He was diagnosed with a few years ago, and he hasn't been able to work since. Gift's hernia causes him considerable pain, and if left untreated, puts him at heightened risk for intestinal strangulation and health complications. Gift is an otherwise healthy young man and the Kellerman Foundation shares that "after surgery, he is looking forward to getting back to work and playing soccer with his team again." For $227, Gift will have his hernia repaired so that it no longer causes debilitating pain, and he can avoid internal complications. Gift says, “I have had the pain for so long and I didn’t know there was help for me. I am so thankful for everyone helping me.”

Meet Benedict, a seven year-old boy from Kenya. Benedict is currently in first grade and his favorite subject is science. Benedict was born with a condition called distal hypospadias. His doctor explains, “Benedict was set to undergo circumcision when doctors realized he had a low lying urethral opening. Benedict was born with an abnormally placed urination hole. As a result, he cannot pass urine normally. If not treated, Benedict is at risk of urinary tract infections and infertility in future.” For $665, we can fund a treatment that will repair Benedict’s urinary tract. “We expect after treatment, Benedict will recover fully. He will be able to pass urine normally and he will be no longer at risk of urinary tract infections or infertility in the future,” shares his doctor. Benedict looks forward to growing up healthy after surgery. “I want to build and own houses when I am older," he says.

Meet Harka, a 35-year-old man from Nepal. Harka lives with his father, his wife, and his three children. He always tries his best to bring food to his family's dining table through farming and daily labor jobs. “Harka has a pain in his right leg,” our medical partner, Possible, tells us. “There is a swelling in his scrotum which makes it very uncomfortable to work." Harka has an inguinal hernia, and has soft tissues bulging through a weak point around his abdomen. He has difficulty with daily chores such as changing clothes, sleeping, walking, and sitting down to eat. “He has been suffering from this illness for the last six years, and because of financial difficulties, he has not been able to receive treatment,” Possible tells us. “The financial condition of his family is very delicate,” Harka’s nephew explains. “The family relies heavily on Harka’s labor job because they are not able to produce enough from their small piece of land." For $491, we can provide a hernia repair for Harka so he will be able to walk, sit, sleep, and perform other daily chores without any pain and discomfort. He will also be able to add extra work hours to help support his family.