Ly is a 21-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and three siblings in Kampong Chhnang province. His parents are rice farmers, and Ly and his older sister farm to help support the family, including their younger siblings that are still in school. In his free time, Ly likes playing soccer and checking his social media. When he was one year old, Ly suffered burns on his left fingers from an open cooking fire at home. He was treated by a traditional healer in his village. Ly has developed burn scar contractures on all four fingers, tightening the skin around the burns. This experience makes him unable to use his hand easily and impacts his daily life and ability to work. When Ly learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On April 24th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to improve the function and appearance of his hand. Ly and his family contributed $150 to his care and are requesting assistance to raise $345 to fund his surgery. Ly said, "After surgery, I hope I can use my hand more easily and get a better job."

Khmao is a 61-year-old stay-at-home mother with four daughters. She lives in Kampot province with her husband, who drives a tuk-tuk, and three of her children. Her oldest daughter is married and lives nearby. Khmao likes to care for her vegetable garden around the house and make sweets for her family. Five years ago, Khmao had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Khmao experiences hearing loss, ear pain, and ear discharge. It is difficult for her to communicate with people. In the past year, she has completely lost hearing in her left ear. Khmao traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 2nd, she will undergo a mastoidectomy in her left ear, which is surgery to remove cells in the hollow, air-filled spaces in the skull behind the ear within the mastoid bone. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Khmao and her family are able to contribute $100 but need an additional $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Khmao said, "I hope I will be able to hear normally and communicate better with others."

Mercy is a determined young lady, a sixth born in a family of nine children. Her father is a small scale farmer and her mother a homemaker. She goes to secondary school in Meru County, but is currently behind on her studies due to delays caused by a condition impacting both legs. Mercy was born with a condition known as bilateral genu varum (sometimes referred to as bowlegs), which causes her legs to curve outward at the knees. The condition has greatly affected her mobility. She finds it difficult to walk long distances, she gets tired quickly, and is unable to fully engage in activities with friends. Her self-esteem has been dramatically impacted by constant teasing from her peers, who find her way of walking different. Fortunately, Mercy is scheduled to undergo a surgery called bilateral Proximal Tibial Osteotomy (PTO) at our medical partner's care center AIC CURE International Hospital. The treatment will heal her legs, allow her to walk easily and support her to engage better both in school and with friends. Mercy hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon in order to help other children in the future. “I am looking forward to see my legs being corrected, to live more actively and continue with my education. God bless you for the support,” Mercy told us.