Ko Zin is a 24-year-old man from Burma. He lives in Thailand with his mother, father, and two sisters. His family is from Karen State, Burma, but they moved to Thailand ten years ago for better job opportunities. When Ko Zin was nine years old, he started to experience yellow eyes, low appetite, vomiting, and pale skin. His mother took him to a hospital, where he was admitted for a week, had blood tests done, and received blood and IV transfusion. He was diagnosed with thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder that causes your body to make less hemoglobin than normal, leading to low red blood cell counts and anemia. Physicians at Mae Sot General Hospital determined that Ko Zin should undergo a splenectomy, a surgery to remove the spleen. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled for September 14th. Once completed, will hopefully improve Ko Zin's quality of life. Ko Zin’s mother said, “One of his older sisters passed away when she was 10 with the same diagnosis as him so for him, we tried our best for his treatment as we can and thank you so much for helping us with the treatment support.”

Shivam is a 16-year-old boy from India. He is in the 11th grade and has two siblings. His father has a shop selling electrical items, while his mother is a homemaker. When Shivam was four years old, he sustained injuries from a heater. This caused a burn contracture of his left hand, affecting the mobility of his hand. When Shivam and his family learned about our medical partner, G.S. Memorial Plastic Surgery Hospital and Trauma Center, they traveled over 100 kilometers seeking treatment. On July 15th, specialty surgeons will perform a burn contracture release surgery on his hand so he can move his fingers better. This should lead to improved grip strength and greater ease in performing everyday tasks like holding objects or writing. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,442 procedure. Shivam shared, "I feel happy about getting this surgery, and I hope one day I can become a businessman like my father."

Netsanet is a 28-year-old hardworking woman from Ethiopia who supports her seven brothers and sisters. This responsibility led her to work far from home as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia for two years, with a goal of opening up a business when she returned home. However, this did not go as planned, as she had to send her salary back home every month to care for the family, leaving very little in terms of savings. When she returned home seven months ago, Netsanet secured a new job as a salesperson in a cosmetics shop. Two months ago, she started experiencing uncomfortable symptoms like heavy bleeding, bloating, and increasing pain. The symptoms got worse with time, and she was unable to continue working. Netsanet went to the hospital and was diagnosed with fibroids, which are benign growths in the uterus. She needs to undergo a myomectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove the fibroids. Fortunately, our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, can help. Netsanet is scheduled to undergo surgery on April 9th, and she needs help raising $1,050 to fund her surgery and care. Netsanet says, "I hope to return to work and find my strength again. I wish to be the independent person I’ve always been, someone who can stand on my own two feet and provide for my family’s needs without any limits."

Aaron is a quiet and calm three-year-old boy from Kenya. He is the 6th born in a family of seven children who live in a village in Kilifi County. Aaron was born with both spina bifida and clubfoot conditions, which has made his early years very challenging. He has already undergone surgery to address the spina bifida condition, but he is still unable walk, stand, or crawl on his own. Both Aaron’s parents are small-scale farmers who work hard to provide for their large family, but life has not been easy. After his spine surgery, Aaron started serial casting clinics at a county hospital to correct his clubfoot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. However, his feet began to swell, and the family slowly lost hope in the treatment. They did not know what to do next. One day, Aaron's family heard about a mobile clinic in Mombasa, organized by our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure Hospital. Without hesitation, they traveled to attend the clinic, hoping for a new beginning for their son. After an assessment, Aaron was scheduled for bilateral serial casting in preparation for surgery. Aaron and his family traveled to AIC Cure Hospital where he is currently undergoing serial casting. Following this, surgeons have scheduled clubfoot repair surgery on March 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,286 to fund Aaron's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to stand, walk, and live a more independent life. His parents look forward to the day he will join school like other children and grow up with confidence. Aaron's father says: “My prayer and hope is for my son to walk and join school, just like other children."

Mar is a 64-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his sister, niece, five nephews, and a grandniece in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. Mar is retired. His niece and sister are teachers at the camp school, while his nephews work as construction and carpentry day laborers. Their combined income is just enough to cover their daily living expenses. They received free basic health care at the camp clinic. During his free time, Mar volunteers to clean at the church. In the middle of September 2025, Mar began to experience pain in his lower back and noticed blood in his urine. He visited the camp hospital, where a doctor examined him and suspected he may have a benign mass in his prostate, and referred him to a bigger hospital for further investigation. Mar sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. He is now scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the mass on February 13th. He is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “It is not comfortable to walk with this urine tube. Without it, I cannot pass urine. I hope I can have surgery soon,” said Mar. He also added, “Thank you, BCMF, for helping me with my treatment. I hope to live without this urine tube after the surgery.”

Mili is a five-month old baby girl from Bolivia. She lives with her mother, who is a homemaker; her father, who is a truck driver; and two older siblings in a neighborhood of La Paz. When Mili was born prematurely, doctors informed her family that she had Down syndrome and a heart condition. Since then, Mili has had difficulty breathing and gaining weight, and needs this surgery to become healthy. Mili has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two blood vessels next to the heart. This condition prevents Mili's blood from circulating properly, causing her weakness, and leaving her at risk of heart failure if the condition is not treated. On January 13th, Mili will undergo cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care center, Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría. During surgery, surgeons will sew the hole closed so that blood can no longer leak through it. Mili's family needs help to fund the costs of cardiac care and surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, requests $1,500 to cover the cost of cardiac exams and diagnostics, surgical costs, follow-up care, and medications. Her mother says: "I trust my child will have a successful surgery. I'm grateful for the kindness that people at the hospital have shown me; the doctors and nurses and everybody here are very nice to me and my daughter!"

Mushe is a 19-year-old from Kenya. He is the fifth of seven siblings. Orphaned at a young age, the children grew up supporting one another within their community. His current medical bill is already overwhelming, and his siblings are struggling to raise the funds he needs to get a mass removal surgery. Mushe has been battling severe abdominal pain since August 2025. Coming from the Maasai community, where traditional healing practices are strongly valued, he initially relied on traditional medicine. However, his pain persisted, and his condition continued to worsen. He experienced frequent vomiting, was unable to eat, and his overall health deteriorated significantly. By the time Mushe was brought to our medical partner's care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, in November, he was extremely weak and unable to sit, stand, or walk without assistance. He underwent two surgeries to reduce abdominal swelling, exhausting the coverage provided by his national insurance. Recent scans show a remaining mass in his abdomen. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, can help. On December 11th, Mushe will undergo surgery to remove the mass. He needs help to raise $1,500 to fund his procedure and care, find relief from his pain, and begin his journey to recovery. Mushe says, “I feel very weak. I can only manage small bites of food so that I don’t vomit. I would appreciate help to get this surgery and begin recovering.”

Liza is an eight-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives in Phnom Penh and is the youngest child in her family. Her father works as a cook in a restaurant, while her mother stays home to care for Liza and her two older siblings. Liza has an older brother in sixth grade and another brother in fourth grade, while she is in third grade. At school, she enjoys learning about Khmer history and aspires to become a teacher. At home, she likes to play with dolls and eat chicken wings. For the past three years, Liza has been experiencing nose bleeds, sore throats, and difficulty swallowing. At night, she has started to snore, and often feels lethargic when she wakes up. These frequent illnesses cause her to miss school, and she misses her friends. Liza 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 Liza, which is scheduled to take place on June 20th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Liza of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Liza's mother shared, "I am hopeful that Liza will soon be healthy. I hope our daughter stops snoring at night, it will be easy for her to breathe and to swallow."