Saw Htoo is an 11-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his parents, 4 brothers and a sister in a refugee camp, in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. His parents fled to the camp from Karen State, Burma, due to the civil war in 2010. Saw Htoo is in grade 4 and his favorite subject is English. His father used to work as a day laborer before travel restrictions were imposed on camp residents after the outbreak of covid-19. Since then, both of Saw Htoo’s parents are homemakers. Although they receive a small monthly cash card to purchase food in the camp, as well as free basic health care and education, they struggle to make ends meet. For the past 5 years, Saw Htoo has been brought frequently to the hospital in the camp due to having urine in his blood. He has also experienced pain while going to the bathroom, developed a fever and pain in his bladder area. He received an ultrasound, an x-ray of his kidney, ureter and bladder (KUB) and an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and was diagnosed with a renal stone in his right renal pelvis. At a follow-up appointment in August 2023, he received another IVP which indicated that the stone was increasing in size and doctors recommended Saw Htoo have surgery to remove the stone. Saw Htoo has been experiencing pain in his back, and he often needs to take leave from school because of the pain. Fortunately, our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) can help. Saw Htoo is scheduled for surgery on September 8th, and BCMF is asking for help to raise $1,500 to fund the procedure. Saw Htoo said, “I want to become a football player [in the future] because I love to play football.”

Nuwampaire is a 24-year-old student from Uganda who is working to become a doctor in the future. She has an older sister, who is married and works as a farmer, and a younger sister studying in school. Nuwampaire's parents separated, and her mother financially supports the family with her earnings working as a hairdresser. For the last six years, Nuwampaire has had swelling towards the back of her neck. Her family was unable to afford treatment and decided to give it some time. However, a friend shared about our medical partner, and Nuwampaire was able to visit the hospital for support. She was diagnosed with a left lobe goiter. Her symptoms include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and palpitations. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Nuwampaire receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 6th, during which surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $252 to fund this procedure. Nuwampaire said, "It's only our mother taking care of us; with her job, she earns less, yet my health is in bad shape. I request your support to make my surgery possible."

Sokhon is a 49 year-old soup seller. She moved from a rural province to the capital Phnom Penh around 20 years ago, when she first got married. Her husband is a rickshaw driver, and together they have three daughters. One daughter is recently married, and the other two are in their final years of high school. Sokhon sells soup from a street cart. In her free time, she enjoys sleeping and watching Cambodian sitcoms. Around two years ago, Sokhon 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, Sokhon experiences hearing loss, tinnitus, and persisitent ear discharge. It is difficult for her to hear and she experiences constant discomfort. Sokhon traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On September 14th she will undergo left ear surgery. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She shared, "I hope I can go back to work and speak clearly with my customers, friends, and family."