Sansy, who is an only child, is an active nine-year-old, living with his parents in Phnom Province in Cambodia. His father works in a factory, and his mother sells snacks from in front of their house. Sansy, who enjoys eating pizza and swimming, would like to be a translator when he grows up. For five years, Sansy has been experiencing difficulty swallowing, frequent throat infections, and snoring at night. He often misses school, and has a hard time concentrating, because he does not sleep well. Sansy was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist, and to intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Sansy, which is scheduled to take place on January 8th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During the procedure, surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Sansy of his symptoms, and helping him to live much more comfortably. Sansy's mother said: "I hope my son will get better and stop getting such frequent infections. We don't want to continue spending money on medicines that have not helped him."

Wishes is a 5-year-old who hails from a village in Lilongwe District. She is the last born in a family of 3 children and is a bright young student in primary school. Wishes’ parents depend on small-scale farming where they grow maize and groundnuts for their family to eat and for commercial purposes to support the family. Since she was born, Wishes has been experiencing a painful abdomen, vomiting, frequent diarrhea, and feeling weak. Her mother has been taking her to Nkhoma Hospital where she was advised to come back to meet a surgeon for assessment. Wishes was diagnosed with a periumbilical hernia, and she was scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery at Nkhoma Hospital. However, her parents cannot afford the surgery although they hope to have their daughter undergo surgery. This condition has had a negative impact on Wishes’s life as she feels abdominal pain and cannot go to school when this happens, therefore, affecting her school performance. If the condition is left untreated, it may lead to strangulation which can be life-threatening. Wishes is scheduled for hernia repair surgery on February 13th. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $421 to fund surgery. After surgery, Wishes will be relived of pain and she will be able to attend school without any hindrances from the condition. Wishes’ mother says, “Thank you for this opportunity that has brought new hope to my daughter.”

Rika is a seven-year-old student in first grade from Cambodia. She lives with her parents, her 87-year-old grandmother, and her older brother. Her parents work in a clothing factory in the province. Rika and her older brother attend the local primary school; her favorite subject is English. At home, her grandmother is teaching her how to cook simple dishes such as fried fish, which is her favorite. Rika also enjoys watching cartoons and following her older brother around. When she grows up, she would like to be a nurse. Three years ago, Rika accidentally burned a finger on her left hand from a hanging electrical wire. Her parents took her to a local children's hospital for care but she soon developed a contracture from the scar tissue. She is unable to straighten her finger, which makes it difficult for her to grasp objects. Her parents are worried she will not be able to develop fine motor skills. When Rika's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On March 12th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to restore the use of her left hand. Now, she needs help to fund this $495 procedure. Rika's mother said, "I hope my daughter's finger will work better and she will have no pain."