Somanuth is a five-year-old girl from Cambodia. She is the only child in her family. Her parents work in a factory in Phnom Penh, away from home, and she lives with her grandparents, two cousins, and an aunt in Prey Veng province. Her grandparents sell plastic goods at home, and her aunt sells second-hand clothes at the local market. Somanuth recently started first grade and she loves drawing. When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher. At home, she enjoys snacking on milk and cookies. In her free time, she loves drawing pictures with her cousins. Around one month ago, Somanuth developed a lesion on her gums called a gingival granuloma. This is a lesion on the gums that appears as a small, red, and inflamed nodule. It is characterized by bleeding when touched because of the numerous fragile blood vessels in it. The lump growing in size, causing her discomfort and difficulty eating. Somanuth traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On June 20th, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre will remove the mass and Somanuth needs help to raise $248 to fund the procedure. Somanuth's father said, "I am worried about what this could be in my daughter's mouth and hope that the doctors can remove it and she will be able to eat more easily."

Two-year-old Jimmy is the last born child in a family of five children from Lilongwe District in Malawi. Jimmy's parents are small-scale farmers, growing maize for consumption and income for the family. Jimmy has for some time been experiencing on-and-off pain and swelling on the left side of his inguinal region. Worried, his mother brought him to our medical partner's care center, Nkhoma Hospital. Jimmy was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia, and surgery was recommended. However, his mother expressed that the family would not be able to afford the cost of surgery. If left untreated, Jimmy will continue experiencing pain and the condition might lead to a strangulated hernia, cutting off blood flow, which can be life-threatening. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Jimmy receive treatment. On April 10th, surgeons at Nkhoma Hospital will perform a hernia repair surgery to alleviate Jimmy's pain, and prevent any potential risks and complications. Now, Jimmy's family needs help to fund this $421 procedure. Jimmy’s mother says, “It is my wish for my son to receive treatment and get well soon.”

Heng is a 70-year-old grandmother from Cambodia with nine children and fifteen grandchildren. Heng's husband recently died, and she moved in with her youngest son. Together they care for an orphaned child from the village. Her son works in construction, while Heng's other children send small amounts of their income to Heng to help support her living expenses. In her free time, she likes to cook and go to the village pagoda to pray. Around three months ago, Heng developed a cataract in her left eye - a clouding of the lens of the eye that causes cloudy vision, as if looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Heng now has blurry vision, headaches, and watery eyes. She has difficulty seeing things, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. She is not able to safely go up and down the steps of her traditional village home. When Heng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for one and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 11th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in her left eye. After recovery, hopefully, she will be able to see clearly. Now, Heng needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She shared: "I hope I can improve my vision so I can go places without feeling afraid and recognize faces in the village."