Tinsae is a cheerful four-year-old girl from Ethiopia. She enjoys spending time with other children and playing with toys, especially toy cars. Her mother, a single parent, has faced numerous challenges since separating from Tinsae's father when she was just three months old. She works as a cleaner, washing clothes in her neighborhood and renting small rooms for short-term stays. Tinsae is old enough to start school, but financial difficulties have prevented her mother from enrolling her. Since birth, Tinsae has had an umbilical hernia, a condition caused by incomplete closure of the abdominal wall. This condition is most noticeable when she cries, causing her belly button to bulge. The emotional toll on Tinsae’s mother has been overwhelming, filling her with fear and uncertainty. Despite their struggles, Tinsae and her mother's bond remains strong, fueled by hope for a better tomorrow. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Tinsae receive treatment. On February 20th, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center, BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Once completed, the procedure will alleviate her symptoms, providing her the opportunity of a healthier life. Now, Tinsae and her mother need help to fund this $512 procedure. Tinsae's mother says, "I hope my daughter will receive this surgery and heal. I also hope to find a better job so that I can raise her well and provide for her decently."

Jovita is a farmer from Malawi. She enjoys farming with her husband to support their family of three children. She also enjoys eating chips and chicken. Two months ago, Jovita began to experience troubling symptoms, including a swelling on the right side of her neck. She visited the nearest clinic, but the swelling kept growing. A friend referred Jovita to our medical partner's care center, Partners in Hope Medical Center. Jovita was diagnosed with nodular goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth, and other bodily functions. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Jovita receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 28th. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $1,015 and she and her family need help raising money. “Thank you, donors. I hope the surgery will make me well again,” said Jovita.

Linhcheu, who is 17 years old, lives in Kandal Province in Cambodia with her parents and three siblings. Her parents and oldest brother are construction workers, while her two younger siblings attend a nearby school. Linhcheu would like to be a teacher someday. In November 2023, Linhcheu was in a motor vehicle accident that caused injuries to her head and right leg. She was taken to Vietnam for medical care, where she underwent surgery to address a head injury that left her unconscious for 13 days. Her family spent their entire savings and borrowed money to cover the costs of the treatment. But Linhcheu suffers from a skull defect as a result of the accident, and requires a cranioplasty to repair the defect, and to reduce swelling in her brain, caused by her injuries and the previous surgeries. When Linhcheu and her mother learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), they traveled for two and a half hours to seek treatment. On June 13th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a cranioplasty to repair the bone defect in Linhcheu's skull. Her family can contribute $100 towards the surgery, but they still need $573 to fully fund the procedure. Linhcheu shared that she wants to return home soon, and hopes to find a job to support her family.

Sylvia is a 14-year-old student and her favorite subjects in school are mathematics and chemistry. She shared that she would like to be a doctor in the future. Sylvia is the oldest child in a family of two. Her mother is a single mom and works hard as a laborer whenever she can get work. Sylvia has clubfoot of the left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes her difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Sylvia to receive treatment. She visited AMH's care center where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 6th. Now, AMH is requesting $1,286 to fund Sylvia's procedure. After treatment, Sylvia will be able to walk with ease and wear shoes. She will continue with her studies and hopefully achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. Sylvia shared, "my desire is to walk well like other girls and continue with school without any interruptions."

Samiri is a four-year-old boy and the only child of his single mother. His father is married to another woman and has two other children. Samiri's mother provides for their family through her work as a tailor. Samiri has not started school yet, but his mother would like to enroll him in kindergarten next year. Her hope is that Samiri's condition will be treated before he joins school. Samiri has been diagnosed with bilateral Genu Varus, which means that his legs are angled inwards at the knees. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Samiri has difficulty walking. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Samiri. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 14th. Treatment will hopefully restore Samiri's mobility, allowing him to participate in a variety of activities and greatly decreasing his risk of future complications. Samiri’s mother shared, "I can never find the money needed to cover my son’s treatment cost. I am struggling to even put food on the table for my son. Please help him."

Yorng is a 59-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has five children and two grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her free time. Three years ago, Yorng developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her irritation, blurring, and tearing. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Yorng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. Yorng needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $201. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for June 3. She says, "I hope that after my operation I will be able to see clearly again and can return to my work on the rice farm."

Meet Rim, a 75-year-old woman from Cambodia. “Rim is married with three sons, four daughters, and 15 grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda and listening to monks pray," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Two years ago, Rim developed mature cataracts in each eye. A cataract occurs when a thin, cloudy layer forms over the eye’s lens. "This causes her blurred vision, discharge, tearing, and fear of bright lights. It is hard for her to see clearly, do work, or go anywhere outside," CSC explains. After learning about CSC, Rim and her son travelled two hours to visit their clinic. They learned that a simple surgical procedure may restore Rim's sight. With $292, Rim will undergo cataract surgery, during which her old lenses will be removed and replaced with sheer artificial implants, allowing her to see again immediately after her operation.

Win Tin is a nine-year-old girl who lives in Burma with her parents and her three younger sisters. About two years ago, a benign tumor began growing on the right side of Win Tin’s jaw line. Her parents called upon a medical shaman and other local healers before seeking a prognosis at a local clinic. At the clinic, a doctor took an x-ray and suggested attempting removal of what appeared to be a mass by incision and suction. Her parents are fearful of the concept of surgery and they left the clinic without Win Tin receiving treatment. A year later Win Tin complained of puss coming from her teeth. Shortly thereafter two of her teeth fell out. Now two years have lapsed and the size of the tumor had not decreased or increased, but Win Tin’s symptoms persist. The tumor is firm, her jaw aches, puss continues to emerge, and she experiences itchiness. She can, however, eat comfortably. Since Win Tin stopped attending school two years ago, her mother often must stay home and she has been working less. Because symptoms have persisted for so long, the parents decided it was time to seek professional medical treatment. Win Tin's parents are agricultural workers, and their income fluctuates from month to month. They've accepted that their daughter needs surgery to remove her tumor, but cannot afford to pay for it. "I want to be secondary school teacher when I grow up," Win Tin shares. For $1,500, we can fund surgery to remove Win Tin's tumor, allowing her to continue her education.

Meet Ann, a 36-year-old wife and mother of six children from Kenya. To support her family, Ann “cleans houses and washes clothes for people,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Additionally, “Ann and her husband are both casual workers and do whatever manual job they can find.” However, recently Ann has been unable to work due to symptoms from an ovarian cyst. Over the past two years, Ann has experienced increasing pain in her abdomen. Upon traveling to an AMHF clinic, “Ann was informed that she had a pelvic mass and an ovarian cyst, and was advised on the need for surgery.” Ovarian masses are fluid-filled cysts attached to the ovary. Typically, these masses are benign and will disappear after a few months. In more severe cases, however, the cysts can grow and develop over several years—thus causing health complications whereby the masses can “turn cancerous” or even “break open,” explains AMHF. $620 will fund a laparotomy—a surgical procedure that involves cutting into the abdominal cavity to remove the cysts currently growing in Ann’s ovaries. This process will prevent the tissue from growing back in the future, giving Ann more peace of mind. Included in her treatment, Ann will receive three days of hospital care and all of the laboratory tests and medication required for a safe operation. AMHF expresses, “We expect that after surgery and recovery, Ann will be able to go back to work with her husband.” “I thank God that he guided us to AMHF where we have met you and will get assisted. All I want is to have my wife well again,” Ann’s husband states.

Meet Aydarus, a 26-year old man living in Somaliland. He sustained severe burns in an accident, and has had to travel 16 hours round-trip to receive constant treatment in the last year, including skin grafts. Aydarus needs further medical care, but is unable to afford it since he hasn't been able to work since his accident. For $1,500 he will receive the care his wounds need as well as have his bilateral axillary contractures released, which will allow him to "be able to move his arms more freely...and therefore obtain more autonomy in his daily living" shares our partner, Edna Adan Hospital (EAH). “Aydarus is looking forward to the end of his treatment so he can start 'fresh,'" adds EAH. Let's help him get there!

Meet Lyna, an adorable 3-year-old girl from Kenya. Lyna is currently living with a brain tumor, which causes her intense headaches, double vision, and problems with balance. Lyna is raised by a single mother and grandparents who cannot afford treatment, but love her dearly and pray for her return to health. "She is my only child, and I pray that she gets treatment as soon as possible," says her mother. In order to remove the tumor, doctors will need to perform a craniotomy on Lyna. The cost of the surgery is $1,260. Lyna's doctors are optimistic; our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, shares, “It is expected that Lyna’s vision will improve after the surgery, and she will live a happy and normal life.”

Juvensio is an energetic one-year-old who lives with his mother in Zambia. He was born with spina bifida, a dangerous condition which leaves the spine protruding in a fluid filled sack on his back, which makes Juvensio susceptible to infection and spinal cord damage. Bernadette, Juvensio's mom, is certain that her baby boy is going to be a great man some day. Even when family and friends suggested she abandon Juvensio, Bernadette stood up to them. The benefits of addressing Juvensio's condition are promising, he would be less susceptible to infection, spinal damage, and no longer be at risk of fatality. The cost of the procedure, called a meningocele repair, is out of reach for Juvensio and his mother. With $2000 we can help Juvensio move on with his life. We can give him the opportunity to make his loving mother's dreams for him come true: to become a great man.