Rathanak is a two-year-old toddler who lives in Cambodia with his parents and twin brother. His mother works long hours at a garment factory, and his father is a hairdresser who earns a small daily income. When his parents are at work, he and his twin are looked after by their grandmother. Rathanak enjoys eating fried egg and caramelized pork, and he loves playing with toys alongside his brother. Rathanak was born with polydactyly of his right hand, meaning that he has an extra thumb. This makes it difficult for him to grasp objects and interferes with his play. As he grows older, he has also started to feel shy and self-conscious because his hand looks different from those of other children. Fortunately, on February 25th, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra digit. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $379 to fund this procedure. After surgery, Rathanak is expected to have improved hand function and better coordination. The procedure will help him use his right hand more comfortably and confidently, allowing him to play, learn, and perform daily activities more easily. Rathanak's mother shares, “I hope that after the surgery my son can use his hand normally, and feel confident like other children. I don’t want him to feel shy or different anymore. I just want him to grow up happy and proud of himself.”

Htee is a 10-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her family in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son province, Thailand. Htee and her two siblings were born and raised in the camp. Her parents met and married there after relocating in 2006 due to conflicts between armed groups in their village. Htee’s mother is a homemaker, while her father works as a day laborer. She is currently enrolled in the camp school and is in Grade 5. Additionally, Htee's four cousins live with the family and also attend school. In her free time, Htee enjoys playing with her brother and friends. For two days, Htee has been experiencing troubling symptoms, including severe pain at right lower part of abdominal, high fever, vomiting and lethargy. She is currently admitted at Mae Sariang Hospital, where she was diagnosed with appendicitis. She needs urgent surgery to prevent her condition from getting worse. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Htee receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo an appendectomy, a surgery to remove the appendix when it becomes infected, on April 20th, at Mae Sariang Hospital. This procedure will cost $1500, and Htee and her family need your support. Htee’s father said, “My daughter is an active child. She loves to go to school and never missed attendance. Now she is in severe pain, and I hope that she gets better after treatment.”

Chhem is a 61-year-old woman from Cambodia. She lives in Prey Veng Province with her elderly husband and her second child, who is a rice farmer. She has six children, three of whom are married and live in a nearby village. She helps care for her grandchildren and spends her free time listening to monks' sermons. One year ago, Chhem started to experience pain in her nose and ears, headaches, and blurred vision, which have significantly affected her daily life. These symptoms make it difficult for her to sleep and leave her feeling constantly tired, limiting her ability to care for her family. She previously sought treatment at another hospital, where she received medication for two weeks, but her condition did not improve. Chhem has now traveled to our medical partner’s care center to seek further treatment. On April 2nd, surgeons at Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) will perform endoscopic sinus surgery to help relieve her symptoms and improve her quality of life. Her family can contribute $50, but needs help raising $299 more to fund her procedure and care. Chhem said, “After the surgery, I hope that the pain in my nostril, headache, ear pain, and blurred vision will go away, so I can sleep better and feel healthy again."