Mesa is 10 years old and a Grade 4 student from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and younger brother in Kompong Spue Province. His parents run a small shop where they take photos for students and print documents. He enjoys math at school, looks after his younger brother, and plays football with friends in his village. His favorite meal is lemongrass sour soup with eggs. When Mesa was one year old, he was burned by hot water, causing an injury to his left hand. He received a skin graft to the back of his hand at a governmental hospital, followed by a release of the fourth web space about a year later. He has since developed burn scar contractures between the second, third, and fourth fingers. The scars between his fingers restrict the spaces between them and make it difficult for him to fully straighten his left-hand fingers. He sometimes struggles to hold objects, and the appearance of his hand makes him feel shy around other people. Mesa's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, and sought treatment. On September 15th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help open the tight spaces between his fingers and improve the movement of his left hand, making it easier for him to straighten his fingers and hold things. Now, he needs help to fund this $652 procedure. Mesa's father said, “I hope this surgery will help my son straighten his fingers and use his left hand more easily when holding things. I also hope that as his hand improves, he will feel less shy and more confident around other people.”

Savoeun is a 64-year-old woman from Cambodia. She previously worked as a rice farmer and is now retired. She is married and has three sons, three daughters, and fifteen grandchildren. She lives with her husband, who is also a retired farmer, and they are supported financially by their children. In her free time, she enjoys listening to the radio and listening to monks' prayers. For the past two years, Savoeun has been living with age-related cataracts. She developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Savoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On July 8th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $263 procedure. Savoeun said, "I hope that after cataract surgery, my vision will improve so that I can recognize my relatives more easily and go outside with greater confidence and independence."

Gay is a 37-year-old man from Burma. He lives with extended family in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. Gay used to work at a shop loading and unloading supplies, but now he is unemployed. On June 12th, 2026, while he was standing suddenly, he heard a crack from his lower back close to his hip. The next day, he woke up with pain, stiffness, and leg weakness. He could only walk two or three steps before he could no longer stand. He is unable to walk or stand, and experiences persistent lower back pain, affecting his sleep. Gay was diagnosed with spinal cord compression with cauda equina syndrome, a neurosurgical emergency that occurs when the nerve roots at the very base of your lower spine are crushed or heavily squeezed. If left untreated, this compression can cause permanent neurological damage. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Gay will undergo surgery on June 25th. He needs help raising $1,500 to fund his treatment and care. This procedure will help Gay to be able to walk and be free from pain so that he can return to his work and earn an income. Gay said, “I could not sleep at night due to the pain, and I worried and thought about where to borrow money from, which made me very stressed. The amount of money that is required is such a burden for me, and I can never borrow that much money from anyone."