Nita is a second-grade student from Cambodia. She likes to read Khmer books and play with her dolls. Nita was born with ptosis, meaning her eyelids droop over her eyes and block her vision. When Nita's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 12, doctors will perform ptosis repair in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, her family needs help to fund this $398 procedure. Her mother says, "I hope that my daughter's eyes return to normal so she is able to see clearly."

Lar is a 22-year-old woman. She was born in Burma, but her family moved when she was young, and she has lived in Thailand for almost 20 years. She and her husband farm corn on a neighbor’s land. They also work as agricultural day laborers, planting rice to earn extra money. For two years, Lar worked in Bangkok as a domestic worker. During this time, she began to experience troubling symptoms. She felt tired and dizzy, had difficulty breathing, and could not continue her work. When she did work, she experienced heart palpitations. She visited a doctor in Bangkok and underwent an echocardiogram. She was diagnosed with a cardiac condition, an atrial septal defect (ASD). This means there is a hole between the upper chambers of her heart. Recently, Lar was referred to our medical partner. She is experiencing back pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. She cannot work, eat, or sleep well. Fortunately, on January 8, she will undergo an ASD closure surgery. Lar has been unable to work, and her husband has taken time off from work to care for her. They cannot afford this surgery, so our medical partner is requesting $1,500 in funding.

Said is a seven-year-old boy from Tanzania, and the third oldest in a family of six children. He was in class one, and enjoyed learning how to read and write as well as playing with other children. However, a condition of his lower limbs made it difficult for him to walk to school everyday, so he stopped going. Said was born without any problems, but at age two, his bones started getting weak and his legs slowly started bowing outwards. He now wiggles when walking, he cannot run and he quickly gets tired. He was diagnosed with a condition called fluorosis. Said's parents are small scale farmers. They have a small piece of land given to them by Said’s grandparents. The little that they earn from farming is not enough to support their family as well as cover the cost of operation which Said needs. With $940, Said will receive corrective surgery which will allow him to walk properly, and reduce the risk of him developing osteoarthritis at an early age. With this operation, Said will no longer tire as quickly when walking or playing with friends. “I would like to go back to school when I get better,” said Said.

Musiimenta, a 34-year-old woman from Uganda, is expecting her first child. After an ultrasound scan in December 2015, the doctor discovered that her fetus is in breech, in other words, positioned with its feet to be delivered first. “This makes a vaginal delivery dangerous for both Musiimenta and her baby,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). As a result of her doctor’s findings, Musiimenta was advised to have an elective c-section to ensure a safe delivery. However, “Musiimenta and her husband do not have the money to afford the surgery,” explains AMHF. “Musiimenta works on her small kitchen garden to earn a living and her husband does casual jobs like assisting on construction sites.” $160 will cover the cost of Musiimenta’s c-section, as well as a four-day hospital stay at Karoli Nwanga Hospital. With this procedure, Musiimenta and her baby will avoid potential harm from an attempted vaginal delivery. “I am afraid because it’s my first time to be operated on, but I hope it will be a success and I have my baby,” says Musiimenta.