Talia is a sweet and soft-spoken 11-year-old student from Kenya. Her father is a construction worker, and her mother is a homemaker. Despite health challenges, Talia is a determined girl who works hard in school and dreams of becoming a pilot one day. When Talia was very young, her parents noticed delays in her development. She needed therapy to learn how to walk and did not begin speaking until she was three years old. Around that time, she was diagnosed with hearing loss, but her parents could not afford hearing aids. Without them, school has been difficult for Talia, and she has begun to fall behind her classmates. This has made her dream of becoming a pilot feel increasingly out of reach. Her hearing loss also affects her speech, making her hesitant to express herself for fear that others might laugh at her. About three months ago, Talia and her family visited our partner’s medical care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, where doctors recommend hearing aids for Talia. Our partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,171 to fund Talia’s hearing aids, which will be fitted on April 28th. This amount will cover the purchase, programming, and fitting of the hearing aids. With these hearing aids, Talia will finally be able to hear, to learn, and to thrive. Now, Talia's family needs your support to have a fair chance at a brighter future. Talia shared, “When I try to speak, and the words don’t come out right, other children laugh at me. It makes me feel very sad.”

Fatin is a nine-year-old student from Cambodia. She is a hardworking Grade 4 student from Kompong Cham Province who enjoys studying mathematics. She lives with her mother, who is a rice farmer, and her two siblings. Her father passed away five years ago. Her oldest sister is a university student, and her older brother is in the 9th grade. In her free time, she helps her mother with daily work and completes her homework. She dreams of becoming a nurse in the future and enjoys eating chicken soup. Fatin was born with polydactyly of both feet. This means that she has extra toes on both feet. This condition makes it difficult for her to wear shoes comfortably and has caused her to be teased by other children, affecting her confidence. Fortunately, on April 21st, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra toe. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $379 to fund this procedure. After surgery, she will be able to wear shoes comfortably, walk more easily, and feel more confident in her daily life. Fatin's sister said, “After the surgery, I hope that my sister will no longer have difficulty wearing shoes and will feel more confident.”

Christie is a four-year-old girl from Haiti, who lives with her parents and two older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She is in preschool, and is learning to read. She loves dressing up and playing with her friends. Christie has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels next to her heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Christie will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 13th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a device on the end of a catheter to plug the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4,000 to pay for surgery. Christie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Christie's family overseas. Christie's mother says: "Our family is so thankful that our daughter has this chance to travel and to get her heart healed!"