Amira is a four-year-old preschooler from Cambodia wtih two younger sisters. Her father is a merchant and her mother works in their home. When she is not at school, Amira loves playing with her sisters! One year ago, Amira had a serious ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear to perforate. For this reason, Amira experiences pain, discharge, and hearing loss. She cannot communicate clearly with others already making it difficult for her to learn in school. Amira traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On November 18th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Her mother said, "I hope she will not be in pain anymore, and her ear discharge will stop and hearing will improve."

Emily is a small business woman from Kajiando County in Kenya. She is a widow with two children; one in primary school and the other in secondary school. Emily sells street food to be able to raise her children well and meet their family's daily needs. In 2012, Emily began to experience troubling symptoms, including loss of weight and she gets exhausted very quickly. She was diagnosed with a goitre, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Emily receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on September 7th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $657, and she and her family need help raising money. “It has been years of waiting and worry. The goitre is now big and I am worried it will extend. I hope for help and successful treatment so that I can live a normal life again taking care of my children. I am their only hope,” said Emily.

Kelvin is a child from Tanzania. He loves playing football with his friends. Kelvin has started his primary school education, and he is currently in grade one. His mother says that he loves going to school. Kelvin’s mother sells vegetables in the market, and his father is a businessman. Kelvin has clubfoot of his right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Kelvin traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 17. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Kelvin's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and without pain. Kelvin’s mother says, “I never expected my son to get this treatment, I am very happy. I cannot wait to see him walking and playing football without having difficulty to walk and run.”

Htet is a two-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her parents in the south of the country. Her father works as a driver, and her mother had to give up her job in order to care for Htet. When Htet was born, her head was abnormally shaped and larger than most. As she got older, her head continued to grow larger and larger. Currently, she is unable to hold her head up or turn it from side to side. She is developing slowly in other areas as a result of this condition and, at two years old, remains unable to walk, talk, or even crawl. Doctors have attempted to install a shunt for Htet three times since she was born, all without success. Her family is now in considerable debt from the cost of these procedures. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Htet's operation. She is scheduled for surgery on October 13 at our medical partner's care center, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. "Even throughout all of the hardships, we refuse to give up hope. We believe that our daughter will have a happy and healthy future where she can learn and go on to pursue whatever dreams she may have," Htet's father says.

“I am not scared to get surgery,” Nandar shares. “I believe that it will help me, and that my body will heal fast.” Nandar is a 16-year-old girl who lives in Thailand with her mother. Currently, Nandar works in a textile factory. But Nandar says that she likes to read books and even writes her own stories. She dreams of writing a book someday or becoming a teacher. Earlier this year, Nandar began to experience multiple nose bleeds and heart palpitations. Concerned, her mother took her to the hospital. There, an echocardiogram revealed that Nandar has a condition known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This means that her arteries are not properly moving blood from her lungs to the rest of her body. Because Nandar tires so easily now, she has not been able to work as much as she would like to, which has put financial strain on her and her mother. If left untreated, PDA could also cause Nandar lung damage. Nandar has no choice but to undergo surgery if she hopes to avoid this outcome. However, she and her mother cannot afford the $1,500 needed to pay for her operation on December 11, as well as the associated lab tests and hospital stay. With your help, Nandar can receive her surgery and once more have a functioning heart and lungs. With her health intact, Nandar will be able to pursue the writing and teaching career she dreams of.