Nilika is a five-year-old preschooler from Cambodia. Her parents sell groceries from a small store in front of their house in Kampong Cham province. She has one younger brother who is two years old. The most popular fruits, including mango, papaya, durian, and bananas, are grown in the province where they live. Nilika likes eating all of these fruits and loves to draw pictures. She enjoys kindergarten and has already decided she would like to be a teacher. For the past two years, Nilika has been experiencing recurrent upper respiratory tract infections and difficulty swallowing food. At night, she snores and wakes up feeling tired. Frequent illnesses cause her to miss kindergarten, and she misses the friends she has made. Nilika was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $345 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Nilika, which is scheduled to take place on June 17th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Nilika of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Nilika's mother said: "I really hope this treatment will work, and my daughter will not be sick anymore, and she can grow healthy."

Pich is a 16-month-old baby girl from Cambodia. She lives with her 14-year-old older brother and her parents in Phnom Penh. Her mother works in a garment factory, and her father raises chickens and ducks around their house. Pich enjoys playing with toys at home, and her favorite meal is chicken soup. In May 2023, Pich was burned with hot porridge on her right hand. This affected all fingers except for her thumb. The burn scars on Pich's right hand have led to contractures, tightening the skin around the affected area and causing contractures in her fingers. This limits her ability to fully extend her fingers and grasp objects effectively. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On March 11th, surgeons at CSC will perform burn contracture release surgery to straighten her fingers, reduce the tightness in the webbed space, and restore function to her hand. Now, she needs help funding this $495 procedure. Pich's mother said: "I hope she can fully straighten her fingers so she can use her hands better."

Tumaini is a two-year-old boy from Tanzania. He is the youngest of nine children in his family. His parents rely on farming nuts and wheat for their livelihood. Tumaini has clubfoot on his left foot. Club foot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. The tissues connecting the muscle to the bones are shorter than usual and this causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. When he was younger, Tumaini's condition didn’t seem to affect him much, so his family did not seek treatment. However, as Tumaini started walking, they noticed that he preferred to sit most of the time, and, when he did walk, it was only for short distances. Fortunately, Tumaini's family traveled over 1,000 kilometers to visit our medical partner's care center, Kafika House. Surgeons will begin clubfoot treatment on October 18th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $341 to fund Tumaini's clubfoot repair. After treatment, Tumaini's mobility will improve, and it will help him become more active. Tumaini's mother says, "I'm hopeful and thankful for the help towards my son's treatment. I wish for him to grow up being active and social."

Kanha is a 23-year-old police officer from Cambodia. She lives with her parents and two siblings in Siem Reap province. Her parents are rice farmers, her oldest sister is also a police officer and her youngest sister is still in high school. In her free time, she helps her parents in the rice fields, goes to cafes with her sisters, and enjoys listening to music. Two months ago, Kanha was in a traffic accident, resulting in trauma to her right leg and a laceration on her right arm. She was rushed to an emergency hospital and treated for a fracture in her right leg. Since the accident, she has experienced limited function in her arm. Her doctors advised her to visit Phnom Penh for treatment. She has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on her right side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. Now, she cannot move her right arm and is unable to work, or carry out everyday activities like driving her motorbike. Kanha traveled to our medical partner's care center, Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre to receive treatment. On May 30th, she will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, she will be able to use her arm again. Kanha is able to contribute $100 but needs help in raising $609 more to fund this procedure. Kanha shared, "I hope to lift my arm again and go back to work to help support my family."

Jonathan and his mother are refugees from Southern Sudan. He is the 1st born in a family of three children. He is a special needs child after being diagnosed with autism when he was young. His mother says he developed jaundice as a neonate, which was not well controlled, which she believes led to brain damage. Hence, she cannot work because Jonathan requires constant support. It takes the help of relatives and friends to help her make ends meet. Since 2021, Jonathan has been experiencing frequent adenoid infections, accompanied by difficulty sleeping, breathing, as well as pain, making him cry a lot. He has been treated many times with not much change. They were introduced to our partner's care centre, Nazareth Hospital, by one of the doctors from South Sudan. After consultation, the surgeon advised to have an adenoidectomy, but the family is not able to raise the fee required. If not treated, Jonathan will have more problems. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting help raising the $565 to fund the surgery planned January 28th. Jonathon's mother shared: “It is not easy to bring up or care for a child with autism, but at least I try my best. It is worse when he has a painful or disturbing condition like this. I kindly seek help so that he may be treated and at least I can have one less problem to deal with. I would appreciate it.”

George is a 60-year-old bus conductor who manages coaches along the Rukungiri-Kampala highway in Southwestern Uganda. He is married with three children. George was a grade three teacher before joining the transport business in hopes of better pay; however, he shared that his income is still insufficient to meet his family’s needs. George has had swelling behind his left knee for the past four years. The swelling has been growing over time and is causing him piercing pain and paralysis. Due to limited finances, he has not sought treatment before, but when his symptoms became severe, he visited our medical partner’s care center for review. After examination, George was diagnosed with a bakers cyst on his left leg. He needs to undergo mass removal surgery on May 26th to finally heal. George is raising $137 to fund this procedure. George shared, “I hope my leg will get fine. If I get support to undergo surgery, I will continue with work in good health.”

Prossy is a hospital cleaner and a mother of three children, all of whom are currently studying. After completing high school, she joined a nursing school to pursue a certificate in midwifery. Unfortunately, her father, who was paying her school fees, passed away while she was in her second year. Due to financial constraints, she had to drop out of nursing school. However, her passion for caring for the sick never faded, and she decided to become a cleaner, a job she has held for over 25 years at a local health center. Prossy's husband is a farmer, and they live in a two-roomed house. Their income is not sufficient to cover the cost of her surgery, and she is, therefore, appealing for support. For the last five years, Prossy began to experience troubling symptoms, including shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, palpitation, and pain while swallowing. Concerned about her health, Prossy sought medical attention and went to a local health center. She needed specialized care and was referred to Nyakibale hospital where surgery was recommended. She was diagnosed with a bilateral goiter and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Prossy receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 7th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Prossy says: “I hope to get healed and have normal health like any other person once I am given your support to undergo surgery.”

Clemensia is a 76-year-old woman from Uganda who absolutely loves to smile. She practices small-scale farming alongside her husband, and their produce supplies their family's needs. Clemensia shared that she has been blessed with thirteen children but sadly lost four of her children. A year ago, Clemensia began to experience painful swelling on her right shoulder blade. As a result, she cannot use her right arm and has trouble sleeping. The swelling also impacts her ability to practice farming or help around the house. Fortunately, Clemensia was able to travel to our medical partner's care center for treatment. On November 8th, surgeons will remove the mass on her shoulder blade. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $137 to help fund this procedure. Clemensia said, "I kindly appeal for financial support so that I can receive treatment and live a better life again by farming."

Walendjina is an adorable two-year-old toddler from Haiti. She lives with her parents, who are both market vendors, and her two older siblings in a small village in the mountains of northwestern Haiti. Walendjina has Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare condition caused by a combination of four congenital heart conditions. These conditions include a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. On August 15th, Walendjina will fly overseas to the Cayman Islands to receive treatment. During this cardiac procedure, surgeons will close the hole in her heart with a patch and remove the muscular blockage from her valve. A portion of the cost of Walendjina's treatment is being supported by Have a Heart Cayman, and our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is raising the remaining $1,500 to cover the cost of Walendjina's labs, medication, followup appointments, and travel fees for her and her family. Walendjina's father shares, "Our family has been very scared for our daughter's health ever since she was born. We will all be very glad to be able to stop worrying so much about her heart!"

Sarai is a sweet and friendly three-year-old girl from Bolivia who has Down syndrome. She lives in a small indigenous community in the mountains of central Bolivia with her parents, who are both farmers, and her five siblings. She is a friendly little girl who loves making new friends and blowing kisses to everyone she meets! Sarai was born with an atrial septal defect, a cardiac condition in which a hole exists between the two upper chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole instead of flowing properly through her body, leaving her feeling weak and short of breath. Fortunately, Sarai is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 28th with the support of our long-standing medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance, which is now growing and expanding into Bolivia. Surgeons will close the hole with a patch, allowing blood to properly flow through her body and improving her quality of life. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $2,500 to pay for a portion of Sarai's procedure costs. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to cover the remaining costs, which cover surgical expenses, cardiac exams, medications, and travel fees so Sarai and her family can travel to receive her life-changing cardiac procedure in La Paz. Sarai's mother shares, "Our family is all praying that our daughter will become healthy and strong after this surgery!"

Chhem is a retired rice farmer who needs cataract surgery to help him see clearly again. Chem and his wife have three sons, two daughters, and fifteen grandchildren. All of their children work as farmers, as well. Chhem shared that he likes to go to the pagoda and listen to the monks pray. Three years ago, Chhem developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him photophobia, tearing, and blurry vision. As a result, he has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so he cannot go out on his own. When Chhem learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On June 14th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Chhem says, "After surgery, I hope I can see well enough to visit the pagoda by myself."