Meet Martine, a baby girl living with her parents and two older siblings in Haiti. Her mother is a stay-at-home mom and her father works in construction. Martine was born with a heart condition called patent ductus arteriosus, “in which a hole between two parts of the heart that normally closes by itself after a baby is born, instead remains open,” our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, tells us. “As a result, blood can flow through this hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen; leaving the child sickly and breathless. Without treatment, the condition can be fatal.” $1,500 covers Martine’s surgery that will repair her heart and allow her to live a long and happy life. “We are relieved to know that Martine can have this surgery – we don’t know what we would have done without this help!” share her parents.

This beautiful young lady is Leakhena, an 11-year-old student from Cambodia. Leakhena is in grade four, where her favorite subject is literature. “When Leakhena was two-months-old, she was sleeping when the mosquito net around her bed caught on fire. Leakhena has had three surgeries in the last three years to release scar tissue on her hands and arms,” write our partners at Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Recently, the scar tissue has been limiting function in Leakhena’s left arm, so she and her mother took a van for eight hours to meet with the team at CSC. For $300, we can fund a contracture release surgery with skin grafting for Leakhena, which will improve function in her left arm and make day-to-day life easier. Let’s help Leakhena continue in her studies free from pain and physical restriction!