Sokheng is a rice farmer with two sons, five daughters, and many grandchildren. Sokheng lives with her husband and their youngest daughter. Sokheng's family members are all rice farmers. She enjoys looking after her grandchildren and listening to the monks pray on the radio. Four years ago, Sokheng developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision and photophobia. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Sokheng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On September 1st, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and will place an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Sokheng said, "I hope after surgery I can see well and help my daughter with cooking and taking care of my grandchildren. I also want to visit the pagoda by myself."

Zera is a five-year-old girl and the firstborn child in her family of two. She is a curious girl and very helpful with her young sister at home. Zera has not started school yet, but her parents hope to enroll her in school when she is seven years old.  Zera was born with a right clubfoot; a condition whereby her foot is curved inward at the ankle making it hard and painful to walk. Her parents and relatives tried to get her treatment at nearby clinics and were referred to other hospitals. Unfortunately, they could not afford to go. Zera has been experiencing difficulty in walking and playing due to the way her leg is curved. A few months ago Zera's aunt had her child treated at Watsi's Medical Partner's Care Center ALMC Hospital where she shared about Zera's condition. Zera's aunt told their family about the hospital hoping she could be assisted. Zera's parents are subsistence farmers who do not earn enough to pay for Zera's medical care and they need help so that Zera can start her treatment. This will allow Zera to be able to walk without difficulty when she starts school. Fortunately, Zera's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on December 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Zera's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and free of pain. Zera shared with us, “I feel pain when walking, I cannot walk fast or run like my friends. I will be very happy if I receive treatment and be able to walk.”

Seven-year-old Khin is a first grade student at her school in Burma. She enjoys learning and wants to be a medic when she grows up. “Approximately five months ago, Khin’s father noticed that she was having vision problems and that her left eye was not focusing on the object of sight,” our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us. “Problems with her vision have affected her ability and attendance at school.” Diagnostic testing revealed that Khin has an optic glioma, a tumor in the nerve that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain. Khin’s vision loss is a result of the tumor growing and pressing on the nerve and nearby structures. Treatment for Khin is surgery to remove the tumor. Khin’s father farms rice and vegetables on the family’s two acres of land. He also works as a day laborer to supplement their income from vegetable sales, but the work is irregular. Medical care for Khin’s mother has left the family in debt, leaving no money to pay for Khin’s surgery. With $1,500 in funding, Khin can undergo surgery to remove the tumor. Funding also pays for outpatient visits before and after surgery and 15 days of hospital care. “With treatment,” shares BBP, “Khin will be able to return to school, which she enjoys very much.” “I hope that my daughter will be able to have surgery and then will go on to finish her schooling and eventually attend higher education,” says Khin’s mother. Let’s help make that happen!

Swinney is a five-month-old baby girl who lives with her young parents and grandparents in a mud-wall house in Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us that her “parents work hard in their little farm, and grow various crops to support their young family and their aged and ailing parents.” However, their “seasonal income is not sufficient to sustain the entire family,” so Swinney’s father also works on construction sites to supplement their earnings. Swinney was born with a condition called spina bifida, where there is incomplete closing of her backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. This has resulted in a cystic mass on her lower back, and if not properly treated may cause infection, malformation of the spinal cord, and loss of lower limb muscle function. According to AMHF, “due to lack of funds her parents have been unable to secure medical care for her,” and instead have turned to traditional herbalists for less expensive treatment. Unfortunately, these remedies have not been successful. “It has been tough battle but I believe we will get through,” says Swinney’s mother, “My prayer is that Swinney gets treated.” With $805, Swinney will undergo an operation to close the opening in her spine. This will significantly lower her risk of developing an infection, tethered cord, and paralysis of her lower limbs, and allow her to have a happy and healthy childhood.

Meet Muli! Muli is a 73-year-old married man with five children. He and his wife own a small piece of land in Kenya; their son helps them plant vegetables for their own needs and to sell in a local market. One of Muli's children is a security guard, and the rest are casual workers; they all have their own families to care for. For almost ten years, Muli has been unable to see through his left eye. Muli's right eye is also slowly developing cataract. Without surgery, he may not be able to see through his left eye again. "When I lost sight on my left eye, I was okay because I could still use the other eye," Muli explained. "But now that I am slowly losing sight in the right eye, I was afraid that I would have to fully depend on my family for everything." For $230, we can fund Muli's surgery so he can regain his eyesight!