Sun is a 58-year-old farmer from Cambodia. He has been married for 37 years. Sun has three daughters, two sons, and 13 grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, taking care of his grandchildren, doing house work, and listening to the news on the radio. One year ago, Sun was in an accident and fell to the ground. As a result, he developed pain in his right hip. Sun is constantly in a lot of pain and takes pain medication to get through the day and be able to walk. He has been diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the right hip, which mean the bone tissue in the area is dead due to lack of blood supply. Fortunately, Sun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). At CSC, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Sun of his pain and allow him to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for December 17th, and Sun needs help raising $1,087 to pay for this procedure. Sun shared, "I hope I am able to walk again without pain after getting this treatment."

Sary is a 35-year-old waiter from Cambodia. He has one son and one daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, cooking, and taking care of his children. In 2018, Sary was in a motorcycle collision, suffering injuries to his left foot. He initially received treatment at a local hospital, where he underwent a series of four operations to treat his injuries. However, he still experiences pain in his ankle, has pain after walking only 10 meters, and his shoes are unable to fit his foot properly. When Sary learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled there seeking treatment. On January 8th, surgeons at CSC will perform a joint arthrodesis procedure to fuse his left ankle and to help his walk easily again. Now, Sary needs help to fund this $518 procedure. "I hope that I will get better after my operation, and I will be able to walk without pain and return to work," he said.

Thida is a 9-year-old student from Cambodia. Her parents are factory workers, and she has one younger sister. She is in the third grade at school and her favorite subject is Khmer literature. She likes to read, listen to rock music, and play outside. She also helps her sister with homework. In May 2020, Thida developed a mass on the left side of her jaw. The mass has grown bigger everyday. As it grows larger, it becomes more painful, and Thida has started having difficulty eating and speaking. Thida traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On August 5th, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. Now, Thida needs help to raise $231 to fund this procedure. Thida's mother said, "I am worried that this mass will be very dangerous if it is not removed. I hope that she can get healthy soon and go back to school."

Gladness is a two-month-old baby girl from Tanzania and the last born in a family of two children. Both parents depend on small-scale farming for a living and their income is very limited. Gladness 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, Gladness traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Gladness's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes. Gladness’ mother shared: “Please help us, our daughter needs this treatment but the cost is too high for us to afford.”

Roth has a two-year-old son, and enjoys reading books and taking care of his family and household in his free time. Since Roth was born, he had a curvature in his spine, making it difficult for him to walk and sleep comfortably. He was diagnosed with scoliosis and the curvature of his spine is nearly 80 degrees. Roth will undergo spinal surgery, where implants will be inserted along his spine to help correct the deformity and prevent the curve from developing in the future. He shared, "I hope that I will be able to recover from my surgery and ... I will be able to walk again without any difficulty."

Kasande is a farmer from Uganda. She is a married mother to five children, including one girl who is still in school. Two of her sons are teachers and the other two are still in school. She dropped out of school at sixth grade due to lack of school fees and began farming. She currently earns a living from her small banana and coffee plantation which she operates together with her husband. For some time now, Kasande has been experiencing bleeding, severe backaches, and lower abdominal pain. She has been diagnosed with cervical polyp and needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $219 to fund Kasande's surgery. On July 21st, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Kasande will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Kasande says: “I expect to get a new life after my surgery and hope to resume with farming after I have recovered.”

Mbarebaki is a teacher from Uganda. He is a married father to five children, all still studying. His wife is a private primary teacher and he is also a primary teacher. Mbarebaki says their income is salary-based, which they often do not receive in time to meet their monthly costs and by the time the payments come, they already have a huge sum of debts, especially for the school fees of their children. Mbarebaki arrived at our care center with a left sided breast fibroadenoma, which he has experienced for two months’ now. He has pain and if not treated, the mass will continue to grow. Mbarebaki traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 20th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Mbarebaki needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure. Mbarebaki says, “I was humbled upon hearing about your program. I hope that I will have my surgery successfully under your support.”

Aida is a mother of four from Malawi. As a self-made entrepreneur, she sorts through discarded clothing and washes it for resale. She enjoys singing Gospel music in her free time. Since August, Aida has been experiencing stomach pain radiating to her back and arms, along with full body numbness. She has been diagnosed with fibroids. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $650 to fund Aida's surgery. On November 8, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and seven nights of hospital stay. She is looking forward to being free of pain after surgery. She says, "I am very happy that you have considered to help me through this program. God should bless you!"

Saw Htee is 45-year-old husband and father from Burma. He is a semi-subsistence farmer, who sells his crop of beans once a year for income. On August 26, 2018, Saw Htee and two of his son-in-laws were cutting wood in the jungle. All of a sudden, a thigh-sized tree, which Saw Kleet was cutting, fell on him. Trying to dodge the tree, his right leg slid between two rocks, and he fractured his lower right leg. Currently, Saw Htee has pain in his lower right leg and back. He cannot sit down or move. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Saw Htee will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for August 27 and will cost $1,500. As the main breadwinner for his family, Saw Htee will return to work on their farm. "I feel very worried now," says Saw Htee's wife. "Now I don’t have anyone to look after our bean farm. However, I'm a bit relieved that your organization is providing support for his treatment."

Angely is a nine-month-old baby girl from Guatemala. She is a calm, quiet little baby who loves playing with her toy rattle. Angely's father works as a day laborer, and her mother works in a small restaurant. Angely is experiencing symptoms of malnutrition, a dangerous condition that results from consuming too few calories and nutrients. In the short term, this means that Angely has little energy to grow, and she also gets sick more often than other children. The long-term consequences of malnutrition include increased risk of chronic diseases and delayed development. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, is asking for $492 to fund treatment for Angely On June 26, Gustavo will begin routine growth monitoring and nutrient supplementation. Local health workers will also teach Angely’s mother about nutrition. These interventions will ensure Angely grows up strong and healthy. Angely’s mother says, “I am worried for my daughter’s health because I know that she isn’t growing well, and sometimes I think that it’s my fault and that I don’t know how to take care of my daughter. I want to collaborate and learn so that my daughter gets better.”

Dany is a 14-month-old baby boy from the rural highlands of Guatemala. Dany's mother takes care of household chores, and his father supports the family as a day laborer. Dany is experiencing symptoms of malnutrition, a dangerous condition that results from consuming too few calories and nutrients. In the short term, this means that Dany has little energy to grow, and he also gets sick more often than other children. The long-term consequences of malnutrition include increased risk of chronic diseases and delayed development. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, is asking for $492 to fund treatment for Dany. On June 22, Dany will begin routine growth monitoring and nutrient supplementation. Local health workers will also teach Dany’s mother about nutrition. These interventions will ensure Dany grows up strong and healthy. Dany’s mother says, “Thank you for entering me into the program, for it will be of great benefit, both with the supplements and with the nutrition classes, which will permit me to gain new knowledge and therefore feed my son better. In the future I hope that he can study and become a professional so that he can have a higher quality of life.”

"I am unhappy that I have left ear pain and it is difficult to communicate with other people. Sometimes I can not go to school," says Bairang, a 17-year-old boy from Cambodia who enjoys listening to music and using Facebook. Bairang has had daily discharge in his left ear since he was six years old, due to an untreated ear infection. Despite seeking treatment at other hospitals in Cambodia, he continues to experience discharge, pain, and hearing loss in his left ear. He and his family traveled three hours from their home in Kampot for surgery. When he arrived at Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) in Phnom Penh, doctors discovered his condition was due to a cholesteatoma, an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear behind the eardrum. Without treatment, a cholesteatoma can continue to grow and cause permanent hearing loss, dizziness, facial muscle paralysis, as well as create infections that can spread to the brain and cause death. "I am a little afraid to have surgery," says Bairang, "but I need it. I hope that with surgery my ear discharge stops and I can have good health. I want to be a doctor one day to help people, and with good hearing I can do that." For $809, Bairang will have surgery to remove the cholesteatoma. With surgery, he will no longer experience discharge, pain, and hearing loss or be at risk for facial paralysis, infections, and death.