Pisey is a 10-year-old girl from Cambodia. Pisey lives with her parents and younger brother in Takeo province. Her mother is a housewife, while her father works as a welder. Pisey is currently in fifth grade and her favorite subjects are Khmer and mathematics. When she grows up, she wants to become a lawyer. At home, she likes to eat boiled eggs with rice and enjoys watching animations on TV. Pisey was born with a hereditary multiple exostosis, a rare genetic condition that causes benign bone tumors to grow near the growth plates of her long bones. This is a condition that runs in families, as her grandmother has similar lesions on her bones. These bone growths can cause problems when they pressure nearby nerves, limit movement, or cause friction by rubbing against other bones or tissues. Pisey experiences pain in her left upper limb during the night, leading to sleep disturbances. She has difficulty in school because she doesn't sleep well due to the pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 1st, Pisey will undergo surgery to remove the tumors on her arm. This will help address the pain and allow her to use her arm better. Pisey's family is able to contribute $100 but needs your help to raise $626 more to fund this procedure. Pisey's mother shared, "After surgery, Pisey hopes to use her arm without pain and to be able to attend school regularly."

Thein is a seven-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her mother and grandfather and is currently a first-grade student. Her father works as a driver at a toy factory in Bangkok and Thein’s mother stays home to care for her. The family relies on her father’s income, which is enough to cover their daily expenses. They are able to pay for basic healthcare, but they cannot afford expensive treatment costs. During her free time, Thein enjoys helping her mother with household chores. Currently, Thein faces difficulty seeing objects clearly, requiring the use of thick eyeglasses. Additionally, she must sit in the front row of the classroom, near the blackboard, to follow her teachers’ lesson. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Thein. On February 16th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Thein's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she and her family need help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Thein’s mother said, “Thank you [BCMF and donors] for helping my daughter to get a good and clear vision. I pray for the donors to have wealthy lives and continue helping others.” Thein also said, “I want to be a teacher when I grow up and thanks for your help.”

Kwangu is a farmer and a single mother of three adult children. She enjoys taking care of her grandchild and eating maize porridge with vegetables prepared with groundnut flour. Kwangu was diagnosed with a goiter, which was affecting her movement, daily activities, and health. She was referred to Partners in Hope Medical Center where she was told she needed a thyroidectomy, a procedure where surgeons remove a part or all of the thyroid glands. She is scheduled for surgery on February 27th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,015 for the procedure. Kwangu believes that the surgical operation will help her get back home and be with her children. She looks forward to getting better after surgery so she can continue her farm work and support her family as a single parent.