Sophea is an 18-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives at home with her parents and two siblings. Her dad is a rice farmer and her mom cares for the children at home. Sophea spends most of her free time reading and studying. She enjoys spending time with her family and going to school. Sophea was born with club feet, a condition in which the feet are turned in and under, making it difficult to walk and balance. Currently, Sophea uses a wheelchair to help her get around. Sophea's family traveled an hour and a half to visit our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), so she could undergo clubfoot treatment. On February 15th, surgeons will perform bilateral tendon Achilles lengthening (TAL) and casting. Surgery and physiotherapy will improve her mobility. The procedure will cost $572. Sophea said, “I hope I will look better after surgery and walk someday.”

Elias is a 10-month-old baby boy from Kenya, and the first child born in his family. Elias and his parents live in their ancestral home and rely on his grandparents for support, as his mother is a homemaker and his father is still in college. Elias has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Elias has been living with an increasing head circumference since the age of four months. Without treatment, he may experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery to treat Elias' hydrocephalus. The procedure, which will drain excess fluid from Elias' brain and reduce the intracranial pressure, is scheduled to take place on February 22nd at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. With proper treatment, Elias should be able to develop into a strong and healthy young boy. Elias’ mother says: “I am really feeling bad because I have no way of helping him.”

Lydia is a mother of seven and a small-scale farmer from Uganda. Her husband is a supermarket attendant at Mega Supermarket, a big supermarket in Kampala, but has recently returned home to take care of his ailing wife. For nine years, Lydia has been experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge associated with lower abdominal pains. She has sought treatment several times without any improvement. She recently developed severe backaches and the abdominal pains have worsened, forcing her to stop farming completely. She has been diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain due to chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 6th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lydia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lydia needs help raising $319 to fund her procedure. Lydia says, “I finally have hope of living a normal life once again through surgery. I believe that I will continue with farming comfortably after complete recovery.”