Jonathan and his mother are refugees from Southern Sudan. He is the 1st born in a family of three children. He is a special needs child after being diagnosed with autism when he was young. His mother says he developed jaundice as a neonate, which was not well controlled, which she believes led to brain damage. Hence, she cannot work because Jonathan requires constant support. It takes the help of relatives and friends to help her make ends meet. Since 2021, Jonathan has been experiencing frequent adenoid infections, accompanied by difficulty sleeping, breathing, as well as pain, making him cry a lot. He has been treated many times with not much change. They were introduced to our partner's care centre, Nazareth Hospital, by one of the doctors from South Sudan. After consultation, the surgeon advised to have an adenoidectomy, but the family is not able to raise the fee required. If not treated, Jonathan will have more problems. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting help raising the $565 to fund the surgery planned January 28th. Jonathon's mother shared: “It is not easy to bring up or care for a child with autism, but at least I try my best. It is worse when he has a painful or disturbing condition like this. I kindly seek help so that he may be treated and at least I can have one less problem to deal with. I would appreciate it.”

Srey Mey lives in Kampong Cham province with her parents and older sister. Both of her parents work in nearby rice fields. Srey Mey enjoys science class and hopes to be a nurse when she's older. She studies with her friends and likes listening to pop music in her free time. Since she was little, Srey Mey's parents noticed stiffness in the right side of her neck. A local clinic diagnosed her with torticollis, a twisting of the neck that causes the head to tilt at an odd angle. The family has hoped she would grow out of it, but her condition has not changed. She has a limited range of motion and often feels embarrassed. Fortunately, a friend in their village told Srey Mey's family about the Children's Surgical Centre. Srey Mey and her mom traveled two and a half hours for treatment. Doctors recommend a tendon surgery to restore the range of motion in her neck. Surgery will resolve her head tilt and improve her quality of life. Srey Mey shared, "I hope I can move my neck normally and not worry about this anymore."

Vatanak is a three-year-old toddler from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and his nine-month-old brother in rural Ratanakiri province. His parents earn a small living working as cashew tree farmers in the village. Vatanak enjoys eating Cambodian sour soup made by his mom and loves keeping his little brother entertained with toys. Vatanak was born with syndactyly of the right foot. This means that his big and second toes are abnormally large due to overgrowth of the underlying bone and soft tissue. The condition makes it difficult for him to walk or move his toes, and he experiences mild pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Vatanak receive treatment. On April 22nd, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a syndactyly repair surgery to separate and release the fused digits. This will improve Vatanak's mobility, and provide more comfort while wearing shoes. Vatanak and his family are able to contribute $100 towards the cost of his treatment and need help raising $344 more to fund the procedure. Vatanak's mother says, "I hope my son's foot can be fixed so it is easy for him to run and wear shoes when he starts school."