Naw Lah is a 35-year-old woman who lives with her husband and her daughter in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province. Naw Lah is a teacher, while her husband is a homemaker caring for their three-year-old daughter. Every month, they receive 864 baht (approx. 28.80 USD) on a cash card from the organization The Border Consortium. This amount combined with the 1,200 baht (approx. 40 USD) from her salary is not enough to cover their family's daily needs. They receive free basic health care in the refugee camp, provided by Malteser International (MI) Thailand but this does note cover surgery, including the c-section that she needs. Naw Lah is currently expecting her second child. Due to complications during her previous delivery, the doctors recommend that she should receive a C-section this time to avoid risk of complications. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Lah undergo a C-Section on March 1st. This procedure will cost $1500, and Naw Lah needs your support. “I hope to have a boy because my previous baby is a girl. But I will love my baby regardless if they are a girl or a boy,” she said.

Leang Sim is a 75-year-old widow from Cambodia. She worked as a rice farmer until her retirement several years ago. She was married and had one son, but sadly, both have passed away. She lives alone near her nephew, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. One year ago, Leang Sim developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision and sensitivity to light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces. She is also worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Leang Sim learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 14th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help raising $253 to fund her procedure and care. Leang Sim shared, "I hope after surgery, I can take better care of myself, do housework and go outside to join local ceremonies."

Daniel is a 10-year-old student from Ethiopia. He is in second grade and loves school. His favorite subject is English. He also loves playing football and games with friends, eating fruits and eggs with injera. He is the fifth child in the family with four older brothers. Both parents are daily laborers on a farm and get income by sharing the profit during harvest with the landowner. They use the income to feed the family and also sell some of the produce to buy other goods for the house. During the rainy season, they engage in other labor work such as chopping wood, gardening and delivery of different goods. Even though their family income is sufficient to support the basic needs of their family, it is a challenge to afford Daniel's surgery. Daniel was born with hypospadias, a congenital disease that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms. Earlier he had two surgeries with Bethany Kids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre (BKMCM). For the third surgery, he had to wait for four years. The wait made him drop out of school and has affected his mental wellbeing. Fortunately, Daniel is now scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 28th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Daniel's dad said “I will be happy if my son completely heals and becomes free from shame. I am eager to send him back to school.”