23-year-old Josephine and her two siblings live with their mother in Kenya and participate in small-scale farming for home consumption. Josephine has no source of income but is hoping to pursue a course in hairdressing. On April 16th, 2022, while planting corn on their farm, Josephine slipped and plunged into a hole she hadn't seen. She sustained a fracture in her right leg and surgery was performed to stabilize the bone and help the fracture heal. Two months after the surgery, Josephine started noticing pus accumulating in the affected area. She returned to the hospital and was treated, but her condition did not improve. In October 2022, doctors noted that the hardware that had been placed in Josephine's leg to stabilize the bone had actually caused an infection. Despite the removal of the hardware, the infection has persisted. Josephine has a large mid-diaphyseal sequestrum. This means that her femur bone is infected. As a result, she is unable to use her right leg to walk. If left untreated, the infection can spread, and potentially result in an amputation. With the assistance of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Josephine has been scheduled for a Right Femur Sequestrectomy and Exfix to clear the infection and strengthen the bone, allowing it to heal completely. The surgery, which will take place at AIC Kijabe Hospital on April 17th, will enable Josephine to walk easily again so that she can farm and pursue the course in hairdressing. She and her family need your help to raise the $1,500 to fund her treatment. Josephine says, “I want to go to college and do a course in hairdressing. I am unable to pursue this dream since I have a broken bone that needs to be attended to.”

17-year-old SreyNeth lives with her parents and her four-year-old sister in Kampong Speu province in Cambodia. Her parents are rice farmers, while SreyNeth is in grade nine, where she most enjoys studying math and physics. When she is older, she would like to become a math teacher. SreyNeth's parents noticed stiffness on the left side of her neck when she was a toddler. At a local clinic, she was diagnosed with torticollis, a twisting of the neck that causes the head to rotate and tilt at an odd angle. This likely occurred because of how she was positioned in the womb and is a result of injuries to her neck muscles. SreyNeth lives with limited motion of her neck and one of her shoulders are higher than the other. She experiences difficulty performing many daily tasks, and she is shy and embarrassed because of her condition. Fortunately, a relative told her about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, and she and her family traveled to seek their help. Doctors recommended a tenotomy, a cutting or removal of tendons, which should restore the range of motion in SreyNeth's neck. The procedure is scheduled for February 17th at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, and SreyNeth and her family need help to fund the $572 procedure, which would enhance SreyNeth's quality of life. SreyNeth said: "After surgery, I hope that I can move my head freely."

Lang is a 57-year-old rice farmer from Prey Veng province in Cambodia. She is married and has one son, one daughter, and three grandchildren. She and her husband live with their daughter, who is still in school. Lang's husband works on the farm with her and he also drives a moto-taxi to make ends meet. Five years ago, Lang developed a pterygium in her left eye. As a result, she now experiences itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Her progressive vision loss makes it difficult for her to watch her favorite shows and she is embarrassed by the way her eye looks. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sunlight, which causes cells to grow abnormally over the pupil. When Lang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours, hoping to receive treatment. On May 4th, Lang will undergo a surgical procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During the procedure, the abnormal conjunctiva will be removed from the surface of the cornea and replaced with a conjunctival graft, which should prevent a recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225, which will cover the medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Lang needs your help to fund her procedure. Lang said: "I hope after surgery the irritation and tearing in my eye will stop, and I can go back to growing rice and doing housework."