Jonathan and his mother are refugees from Southern Sudan. He is the 1st born in a family of three children. He is a special needs child after being diagnosed with autism when he was young. His mother says he developed jaundice as a neonate, which was not well controlled, which she believes led to brain damage. Hence, she cannot work because Jonathan requires constant support. It takes the help of relatives and friends to help her make ends meet. Since 2021, Jonathan has been experiencing frequent adenoid infections, accompanied by difficulty sleeping, breathing, as well as pain, making him cry a lot. He has been treated many times with not much change. They were introduced to our partner's care centre, Nazareth Hospital, by one of the doctors from South Sudan. After consultation, the surgeon advised to have an adenoidectomy, but the family is not able to raise the fee required. If not treated, Jonathan will have more problems. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting help raising the $565 to fund the surgery planned January 28th. Jonathon's mother shared: “It is not easy to bring up or care for a child with autism, but at least I try my best. It is worse when he has a painful or disturbing condition like this. I kindly seek help so that he may be treated and at least I can have one less problem to deal with. I would appreciate it.”

Korb lives in a rural village around two hours from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Korb and his wife earn a living by catching river fish in the Mekong and selling them in the local market. At home, they care for his 82 year-old mother-in-law, and their seven children ranging in age from one to 17. Before his injury, Korb was an avid volleyball player and always playing with his kids around the village. In December 2023, Korb was rear-ended while driving his motorbike and dislocated his left elbow. Since then, he has been receiving treatment from a local healer in the village. Unfortunately, his injury has not healed, and now his elbow is locked and he is in chronic pain. He is unable to effectively carry out his everyday activities at work and with his family. On February 19th, Korb will undergo a procedure to realign the bones, and restore function to his arm. He shared, "I hope I can do everything I used to do before the accident so I can care for my family and play volleyball again."

Gebra is a 10-year-old boy from Tanzania and the youngest in his family of three children. His parents are farmers. They depend on their yield for the family's sustenance and sell water at a retail store for additional income. While this supplementary income helps with some expenses, they still face challenges in affording a balanced diet and, occasionally, face challenges in providing school supplies. Gebra developed a mass on the right side of his chest when he was just one month old. Although his parents sought medical attention for him when he was a baby, the doctors advised them to wait until he was older for surgery. When Gebra turned seven, they took him to the hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, that facility was not equipped for surgeries, and due to financial constraints, Gebra's family had to wait for three years. They then sought treatment at another hospital, where one of our partner doctors referred them to our medical partner's care center, Kafika House, for assistance with the surgery cost. The mass on Gebra's chest has continued to grow, limiting his range of motion in his right shoulder. Gebra will undergo surgery to remove the mass on February 6th. Now, Gebra's family needs help to raise $724 to fund this procedure. Gebra's mother said: "I hope my son gets the treatment that will help with the mass on his chest because, as he grows, it makes him feel uncomfortable being around people."