Meet Fadumo, an 18-year-old girl from Somalia. She is the first-born of nine children. Eight years ago, Fadumo was milking her father's goat when she sustained a head injury. Since then, frequent seizures, headaches, and medical travel have caused her difficulty in school. She cannot bend over to perform household tasks. Fadumo has visited several hospitals in Addis Ababa and Hargesia without success. At one point, she was even told that there are no treatment plans for girls in Africa. Finally, a missionary referred Fadumo to our medical partner's hospital in Kenya, AIC Kijabe Hospital. Fadumo and her father journeyed to Kenya, where they stayed with a host family of the same religion. Fadumo learned that she had a mucocele, or a mucus-filled mass, in her sinus. Without treatment, the mucocele would increase in size, putting Fadumo at risk of vision loss. She would also continue to experience seizures and headaches. Fortunately, on October 25, 2016, doctors performed a craniotomy to remove the mucocele. Fadumo’s father teaches religion, and her mother is a housewife. The family lives in traditional Somali temporary houses. They are unable to pay for Fadumo's $1,495 treatment––which includes surgical costs, medications, and hospital stay––so they need our help. “I want to be well to provide for my parents and get a quality education to help needy people at home," says Fadumo.

Kim Seng is a 7-year-old second grader from Cambodia with two sisters. He likes to stay at home, watch movies on TV, and draw pictures. Kim Seng's mother heard about CSC from people in their village. He traveled with his mother for three hours to reach CSC for treatment. Kim Seng received a poorly administered injection in his left thigh about four years ago. This caused his thigh muscles to contract and the tissue to scar. Now Kim Seng cannot bend his leg. Surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure on his left leg to release the contracted muscle tissue and allow him to walk easily. Kim Seng says, "After the operation, I hope I can walk properly and without pain."

This little man is Manish, a three-month old boy from Nepal. Our medical partner, Possible, tells us, “baby Manish was born with clubfoot.” Clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity is which the tendons in the foot are shorter than usual. This changes the position of the foot making it difficult to walk. “Being only three months old he does not have negative impact, but in the future he is expected to have discomfort and deformities,” says Possible. Manish lives with his mother, his older brother, and his grandparents. His father works in India to provide for his family. Manish’s grandmother says, “the doctor tells us he needs weekly plaster and even a surgery later on.” For $579, Manish will receive this necessary treatment to prevent developing deformities and discomfort later on. Possible tells us, “a cast will be put on Manish's leg every week moving the foot closer to a normal position each time.”