Youk is an 11-year-old student from Cambodia. He has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. He lives in a rural village in Kampong Chhnang province with his parents and siblings. Youk is in sixth grade and aspires to become a police officer in the future. He enjoys eating a variety of fruits grown in his village, including watermelons and oranges. When he was two years old, an incident caused a flexion contracture on his right knee, limiting his mobility. He has difficulty with everyday activities like riding a bike with friends. When Youk's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 11th, surgeons at CSC will perform a contracture release procedure on his right leg to help him improve his mobility and quality of life. Youk and his family can contribute $100 but need your help to raise $382 more to fund Youk's treatment. Youk's mother shared, "I hope Youk will be able to run and play with his friends more easily after surgery."

Hassan is a baby from Kenya. He is a quiet boy and is very attached to his mother. Hassan’s mother is a house helper. Hassan was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Hassan has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. “I feel for my son,” shares Hassan’s mother. Hassan will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on November 15. AMHF is requesting $535 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care.

Josue is a five-year-old boy who lives with his parents and brothers. His father works in a grocery store, and his mother works at home taking care of Josue and his siblings. Josue's mother is pregnant, so he loves to talk to his mother's belly, he says he gets kicks in return. Josue is suffering from severe strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), which requires surgery to repair. Since he cannot control the direction of both of his eyes, he has double vision and a hard time with depth perception. His mother is worried that he will not be able to attend school if he does not have his strabismus repaired, and is fearful that he will never be able to read or play sports with the other kids. Although his parents work hard to give Josue the best they can, they cannot afford an expensive surgery like Josue's. $1,500 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Josue needs to correct his strabismus. This will give Josue improved vision, allowing him to be more independent. His mother will no longer have to worry if he will be able to attend school, read, or play with the other children once his strabismus is corrected. Josue's parents said, "We feel a great satisfaction to be able to get our son into surgery. We are very appreciative for the support, since it will help our little one grow up with good self-esteem."

Milka is a four-year-old girl living in Tanzania with her parents and little brother. “A year ago, she put her hand into a small basin which was full of hot water without knowing that the water was very hot. Her left hand was severely burned, but luckily she was rushed to the hospital and started treatment immediately. It took a while for Milka’s wound to heal and in the end she developed contractures on two of her fingers” describes our medical partner, African Healthcare Foundation. Her parents do what they can to provide for their children, but they simply do not make enough to pay for Milka’s medical treatment. Contractures are small nodules formed in the fibrous tissue beneath the skin. The tightening caused by these nodules can result in curling of the fingers. Our medical partners expect that with the treatment to release these contractures, “Milka will be able to use her hand properly, allowing her to hold things and play with other children.” “Milka is not happy when other children pass comments about her hand and we have noticed that it drives her away from playing with other children. We hope that her fingers can be straightened to allow our daughter to live a happy and normal life,” Milka’s father tells us. For only $550, we can fund this corrective surgery for young Milka – let’s come together and make it happen!

Bahati is in preschool. He enjoys drawing and coloring pictures. His father works at a timber company and his mother sells produce from her small vegetable garden. Bahati likes to play with the other children in school, but experiences pain in his leg and sometimes cannot run. Our medical partner, the African Mission Healthcare Foundation, has diagnosed him with chronic osteomyelitis of the right tibia, which means that his right shin bone is infected. Bahati's doctors report, "he has pus discharging sinuses below his right knee. He sometimes walks with difficulty. Bahati is at risk of pathological fracture of the tibia, if not treated." His mother tells us, “I am very afraid that if Bahati doesn't receive treatment soon, my son will end up losing his leg. He is so full of life and has opportunities for a better future; we wouldn’t like to see Bahati held back in life because of his leg.” The surgery to remove the infected bone portions, plus antibiotics, costs $1000. Bahati’s doctors add, "the treatment will control infection of the tibia, allow healing of the bone and stop [the] pus drenching sinus. Bahati will be able to concentrate on his studies; play and have normal growth."