Wal is a 23-month-old boy who lives in Ethiopia with his siblings and parents. Wal's family is from South Sudan and living in the Jewi refugee camp in Gambela, Ethiopia. Both parents do not work and maintain their lives through donations from the UNHCR. They have planted some vegetables in their backyard for their consumption and own five chickens. Wal was born with a congenital anomaly called bladder exstrophy, where the bladder is abnormally open from the front. The bladder is exposed to air and urine leaks onto his abdomen. As a result, he suffers from pain due to irritation of the bladder, infections, and discomfort from the leak. Wal requires a Mainz Pouch procedure, which involves diverting his urination to the anal opening and creating a pouch bladder from the bowel. Wal's mother knew about his condition at birth but he was too young for surgery at that time. Later, they were told they needed to go to the capital city, Addis Ababa for the surgery, but they couldn't afford the transportation cost. Because of the conflict in the region, there are no buses in the area. Planes are available but the cost to fly is prohibitive. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, can help. Through their care center, BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre, they were able to support their flights and find a place where the family can stay. Wal is scheduled for this bladder surgery on June 25th. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,500 to fund his medical care. His family needs your help. Wal's mother said, “I hope that he will get the surgery and heal. I want to see him go to school.”

Win is an 11-year-old student from Burma who lives with his family in a refugee camp in Thailand. His father has a shop in the camp while his mother is a homemaker. Win and his three younger brothers attend school in the camp. During his free time, he enjoys playing football and sometimes watching cartoons on YouTube. One day ago, Win began to experience troubling symptoms, including abdominal pain and vomiting. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and now needs surgery to prevent his condition from worsening. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Win receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo an appendectomy, a surgery to remove the appendix when it becomes infected, on October 10th. This procedure will cost $1500, and Win and his family need your support. “I have pain in my abdomen and I cannot touch it. It is very painful. I want this pain to stop,” said Win.

Yan is a 29-year-old man from Karen state, Burma. He works in a Japanese shop together with his younger brother to support their mother and two sisters, who stopped farming due to the conflict in Burma. His mother and sisters live in another village in Burma. The owner of the shop provides free accommodation to Yan and other shop staff. His income takes care of his family, but is not enough for expensive treatment costs. Yan has recently been experiencing back pains and chest pains and has been passing yellowish, cloudy urine. When he was reviewed at Maharaj Nakron Chiang Mai Hospital, he was diagnosed with kidney stones and a procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy was recommended, to remove the kidney stones from the body. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Yan receive treatment. On May 24th, surgeons at BCMF will perform the surgery to relive his symptoms and improve his quality of life. Now, Yan needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Yan says, "I am happy to have met BCMF and have an opportunity to discuss both my health and personal challenges. Without BCMF and donors, I would be forced to rely on medication to manage my symptoms, putting my life at risk. The financial burden would be a barrier to accessing life-saving surgery."