Win is a 65-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives on a farm with her husband, cultivating their land to grow vegetables. When Win and her husband have the chance, they will go out into the forest and collect leaves used to make roofs on houses and firewood for their home. Around 10 years ago, Win began to experience blurry vision in her left eye. These symptoms have made it increasingly difficult for her to see. Win was diagnosed with retinal detachment, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the supportive tissue in the eye, resulting in vision loss. If left untreated, she could lose vision completely. Win is scheduled to undergo surgery to reattach her retina on March 12th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. After her surgery, Win's vision will hopefully be restored and she can resume her daily activities comfortably. Win shared, “I must move around very slowly, sometimes I trip over things and fall because I cannot see them.”

Gyan is a 14 year-old student joining high school this year from Kenya. He says that he is anxious but looking forward to upgrading to secondary school. He is the firstborn in a family of three children. His siblings are 5 and 12 years old. His father is the sole breadwinner who does hawking for a living. Income from this venture is inconsistent and therefore negligible to pay for the proposed surgery that Gyan needs. Gyan was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Gyan has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Gyan will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on January 5th. AMH is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Gyan's father says: “The boy is all grown now. I hope the condition is treated to avoid complications in the future.”

Mao is a 17-year-old farmer - and the youngest of five children - living in Takeo province. Except for one sister who works in a nearby clothing factory, the family cultivates rainy day rice. Mao left school so that he could help his family with the farm work, and he is now learning how to cook, so that he can prepare meals for his family to share. During a Cambodian holiday last year, Mao fell off his motorbike while navigating a rugged road. He fractured his distal radius and several of his fingers. His parents took him to a local clinic, where he had surgery, and metal pins inserted to allow proper healing. He still has pain and weakness in his hand. In order to assess the progress of his fractures, surgeons need to remove the hardware from his fingers and wrist. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On January 8th, Mao will undergo hardware removal surgery at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, which will cost $304. This procedure will help him to strengthen his wrist and fingers, enabling Mao to work with his parents in the rice paddies, and reduce his risk of infection. Mao and his family need your help to fund this surgery. Mao said: "I hope that I will have full movement of my hand, and that I will not have any pain or infection."