Sotheara lives with her parents, two sisters, and one brother. Her parents are rice farmers, and she attends the local school with her siblings. Her favorite subject at school is Khmer and English language and she would like to be a nurse when she grows up. At home, she likes to play with her sister, exercise, and eat fried eggs and soup with rice. For the past several years, Sotheara's mom has noticed she occasionally has discharge from a small hole in the front of her left ear. Regularly she suffers from, pain, swelling, itching, headache, and fever, which prevents her from attending school. Her parents are unable to pay for medication from the pharmacy to provide temporary relief. ENT specialists at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, have diagnosed her with a chronic pre-auricular pit sinus infection. This is a small hole or cyst just above the ear canal that some children are born with. The hole marks a sinus tract under the skin that’s in the wrong place. Most people don’t realize they have a sinus pit until they have an infection. On February 20th, Sotheara will have surgery to remove the sinus tract, and her parents need $297 to cover the cost of the procedure. After surgery, Sotheara will no longer have frequent infections or drainage from her left ear. Sotheara said, "I hope I will have no more pain, and the hole in my ear will be closed. I do not want to miss school."

Elizabeth is a child from Kenya. Elizabeth is the youngest in a family of three children. Her parents separated a few weeks after she was born, and they returned to their ancestral home to stay with their grandparents. They are now living in Gataka town, where they have rented a single-roomed house. To earn a living, her mother sells watermelons to provide for them. Elizabeth injured herself while playing, waiting for her friends to go home after school. She was not in pain at the moment and went home. When she got home, the pain intensified suddenly, and her mother had to rush her to a nearby hospital. She was in excruciating pain and could not use her right hand. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 13th, Elizabeth will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. She will heal properly and continue with schooling. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Elizabeth’s grandmother says, “After all we have been through, it is very painful to see Elizabeth having an injured arm. We really want her to be treated and be well.”

Sros is a thirty-two-year-old mother of two. Residing in tranquil Kampot province, Sros shares her life with her husband - a rice farmer - and their two children. Their 17-year-old son is working to become a monk, while their 13-year-old daughter studies in fifth grade. Sros is employed at a nearby garment factory, and when she returns home, she devotes much of her time to cooking meals for her family and maintaining a tidy home. Sros has an additional challenge of being hearing impaired and mute. In October 2023, during a rainstorm, she slipped in the mud and twisted her left leg enough to fracture her tibia and fibula - the bones in her lower leg. Financial limitations prevented the family from seeking help at the local clinic, so she sought help from a Khmer traditional healer, who applied a splint to her leg. Her pain still persists, rendering her unable to walk. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On January 4th, Sros will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. This procedure will align her fractured bone into place for optimal healing so that she can walk again. Sros's husband said: "I hope the doctors can fix her leg so she can come home and not be in pain."