Tway is a 20-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his cousin, his cousin’s wife and two nephews in a village in Tak Province, Thailand. Since his parents passed away, he has lived with various relatives in Burma and in Thailand. Tway has lived with his cousin for the past year. His cousin’s family grows paddy and vegetables for them to eat, while his nephews go to school. He helps his cousin with farming, but he does not get paid. In his free time, Tway likes to hunt birds and fish. When he recovers, he wants to find work so he can be independent. Currently, Tway has a colostomy. Since he has been receiving colostomy bags from the mobile health team, he feels more confident to go out in public and be around other people. Doctors want Tway to undergo an MRI. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $814 to cover the cost of Tway's MRI and care, scheduled for February 6th. Tway said, “People in Burma treated me different than the people from Thailand because of my condition. I want to get treatment and be treated the same as other people.”

Thu Ra is a 13-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his family in Karen State. Thu Ra is the youngest of his three siblings. His father is a day labourer and his mother is a homemaker. Around seven years ago, Thu Ra started experiencing a loss of appetite and feelings of dizziness along with muscle tightness and pain throughout his body. He was diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Physicians at Mae Sot General Hospital determined Thu Ra should undergo a splenectomy, surgery to remove the spleen, which will help manage his condition. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Mae Sot General Hospital on April 1st. Once completed, Thu Ra's quality of life is expected to improve. Thu Ra's mother said, “If Thu Ra gets better, I wish for him to finish school and become an educator. Thank you so much to the donors. If it were just up to me, I couldn’t afford the surgery on my own. It means a lot to me and my family. Thank you.”

Ireen is a 24-year-old single mother from Malawi. To support her family, Ireen grows maize. While fetching firewood, Ireen fell and fractured her elbow. Because of the pain, she is unable to perform daily tasks and work on the farm. If left untreated, it may result in the non-union of the fractured bone. She is scheduled for surgery on March 12th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $525 for her surgery and care. Treatment will relieve Ireen of the pain and help her resume working on her farm again. Ireen says, “I hope to receive treatment so that I can take care of my child.”