Ra is an only child and lives with his parents who work as rice farmers near their home. In school, Ra enjoys mathematics class, and at home, he enjoys playing with his friends in the village and riding bikes. One year ago, Ra fell while playing with his friends. He experienced a significant injury on his left wrist and elbow. Ra's mother observed that he could not flex his elbow properly or extend his wrist and fingers like he could before the accident. Ra was referred by a public hospital in Phnom Penh to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). He and his mom traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 11th, surgeons will perform a nerve and tendon procedure to improve the function of his wrist and elbow. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, is seeking assistance to fund the $487 surgery and physiotherapy that Ra needs. Ra's mother shared, "I hope he can recover from this injury and go back to school quickly."

Racheal is a middle-aged small businesswoman from Uganda. She is the mother of one and shared that she separated from her husband due to domestic violence. She now lives with her twenty-five-year-old daughter and her grandchild. She works hard to provide for her family. Eleven years ago, Racheal began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling. It was small and painless initially but has increased in size over the years. The swelling now causes respiratory problems, worrying Racheal. A doctor examined Racheal and diagnosed a multi-nodular goiter - an enlarged thyroid gland with separate bumps (nodules) on it. Racheal needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Racheal receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 8th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and Racheal and her family need help raising money. Racheal says, “I believe with your support I will have a successful surgery with a positive outcome for my life.”

Blandina is a mother of five children. She and her husband farm together. Blandina likes singing and enjoys eating maize porridge with fish and rice with milk. Blandina noticed some swelling on her neck, causing her bouts of pain. During her visit at Partners in Hope Medical Center, she was diagnosed with Euthyroid Multinodular Goiter and was told she needed a thyroidectomy, a procedure where surgeons will remove part or all of her thyroid to help address pain and difficulty breathing. Blandina is scheduled for surgery on February 27th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,015 for the procedure. Blandina said, "The surgical operation will help me go back home and rejoin my family and community and continue enjoying life."