Michael is a 14-year-old boy from Kenya. He is in high school and is the only child in the family. He is being raised by his single mom, who washes clothes to earn a living. Michael was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Michael has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Michael will receive assistance from our medical partner, the African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 27th. AMHF is requesting $646 to cover his procedure and care costs. Michael’s mother says, “I hope my boy will get to live his full life.”

Oscar is a 28-year-old married man from a village in Lilongwe District in Malawi. He has a young child who is not yet of school age, and relies on small-scale farming to support the family by growing maize, groundnuts, and keeping livestock. One year ago, Oscar noticed an itch in his throat and a slight hoarseness in his voice, initially thinking he was developing a cough. However, he later discovered a small painful swelling that has been gradually getting larger. He did not seek medical help as he had no funds to pay for treatment until his mother heard about a care program when she visited our medical partner care center, Nkhoma Hospital. Oscar was diagnosed with goiter, and was scheduled to undergo thyroidectomy surgery. The condition has negatively affected his life as the swelling is painful and sometimes, he experiences shortness of breath. Treatment will relieve him of these symptoms, improving the quality of his life. Fortunately, our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is helping Oscar receive treatment at their care center. On March 7th surgeons will perform thyroid surgery so he can regain his health. Now, he needs help to fund this $491 procedure. Oscar says, “Thank you for this opportunity, I am looking forward to treatment and recovery.”

Phoeun is a carpenter and father of four from Cambodia. He lives with his wife and two children in rural Kampong Chnang province. Their other two children recently moved to nearby villages with their spouses. In his free time, Phoeun likes watching Cambodian and Thai boxing on TV and drinking coffee at the local street cart. Around five years ago, Phoeun noticed a mass growing behind his right ear. The mass has grown larger and occasionally becomes inflamed and infected. He experiences discomfort and has tried numerous medications from his local pharmacy with no improvement. Phoeun traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 3rd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, will remove the mass. Now, Phoeun needs help to raise $273 to fund this procedure. Phoeun shared, "I would like to fix this problem with surgery so I can feel better and go back to work quickly."