Cristina lives with her mother, a food vendor; her father, a construction worker; and eight older brothers and sisters in a neighborhood of La Paz, Bolivia. As a small baby, she struggled to breathe normally, and so her mother took her to the children's hospital where she was diagnosed with ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart. Cristina also has Down syndrome. During surgery, doctors will sew a patch over the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Christina needs your help to raise $1,500 to pay for her heart surgery. Her mother says, "Our family is so grateful to know that there is a way to fix our daughter's heart so that she can breathe normally."

Boaz is a 15-year-old student from a small village in northwest Kenya. He is a calm boy with few words. He lives with his grandparents and his mother, who cultivates land for a living. On February 4, Boaz went to visit his hospitalized brother. He was injured when two motorcycles had a head-on collision at an intersection near his home. Boaz sought immediate medical care. X-rays showed he had a left tibia fibula fracture through the growth plate. He also had multiple small lacerations on the anterior shin and foot. His wounds were washed and cared for, but Boaz is still in pain and unable to walk. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 8th, Boaz will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. The surgery will hopefully enable him walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $941 to fund this procedure. Boaz’s mother says “I'm really stressed my son has been hospitalized again, but God has a reason why. Please help my son get better so that he will be able to continue with his studies.”

Phikhirona is a shy 8-year-old student in grade one. Her family consists of her father, formerly employed near Children's Surgical Centre crafting prosthetic limbs, and her two elder sisters. One, aged 13, is currently in grade 5, while the other, aged 11, is navigating grade 4. Unfortunately, her mother succumbed to breast cancer several years ago, so her older sisters watch after her. In her first year of attending school, she has interest in Khmer subjects. Back at home, her cooking skills are being developed by her older sisters, who are teaching her how to prepare her favorite dish - fried pork with vegetables. Phikhirona was born with polydactyly of both hands and feet. This means that she has an extra digit on the side of both hands and polysyndactyly of her feet. On each foot, she has an extra toe that is connected, via fusing or webbing, to an adjacent toe. She faces difficulty wearing conventional shoes due to the presence of extra toes and fingers, and unfortunately, she endures teasing from other children as a result. Fortunately, on January 29th, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra digits of her hands. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $299 to fund this procedure. After surgery, she will feel more comfortable about her appearance, and she won't be ashamed of how her feet look. Her father shared: "I hope that the surgery will not cause any infection and the extra fingers will not grow back."