Manet is a happy pre-schooler from Cambodia. He is five years old and attends a local preschool in Phnom Penh, where he lives with his parents and older sister. His dad is in the army, and his mom stays at home to look after the kids and assist older relatives. Manet loves fried eggs with toast, painting, and riding his bike up and down the street. Around two years ago, Manet started experiencing a persistent sore throat, and difficulty swallowing and sleeping at night. Frequent illness already causes him to miss school. Manet was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Manet, which is scheduled to take place on February 1st. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Manet of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. His mom shared, "I hope he can feel healthy again. It is very hard for him to always be sick and we want him to attend school every day."

Sorphea is a 51-year-old middle school teacher from Cambodia. She is a mother of three. Sorphea's husband serves in the army and her eldest daughter helps support the family by working in a nearby garment factory. Sorphea enjoys listening to music and watching Cambodian dramas at home. Thirty years ago, Sorphea 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, Sorphea experiences hearing loss, tinnitus, frequent headaches, and ear discharge. It is difficult for her to hear her students and family. Because of this condition, she has taken numerous sick days from her work at the school. Sorphea traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 14th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, the surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure to cover medications, supplies, and in-patient care. Sorphea shared, "I hope I can improve my hearing and get back to my job so I can help my students and support my family."

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."