Kyaw is a 59-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife and two daughters in a refugee camp in Thailand. He works as a daily agricultural laborer outside of the camp, and his eldest daughter also earns an income through daily labor. His wife cares for the family, and his youngest daughter attends school in the camp. Kyaw was diagnosed with right eye glaucoma, an eye condition that damages the optic nerve. This can lead to vision loss or blindness. Kyaw continues to experience severe pain in his right eye and blurred vision. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help fund lens replacement surgery for Kyaw. On September 2nd, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Kyaw's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. “I don’t have a regular job in the camp, so I don’t have a regular income. I didn’t expect this to happen to me, and I am really worried about my treatment cost. There is nobody to help me, and I don’t know what to do anymore,” said Kyaw.

Separa is a three-year-old girl from Ethiopia. She lives with her mother and her six-year-old brother. Her father left when she was one year old, and her mother has raised the two children alone ever since. Separa's health problems started when she was just six months old, when she began having trouble with her tonsils again and again. When she was one, she had surgery to help her. For about three months she was better, but then her symptoms came back, and this time they were worse. She snores loudly every night and breathes through her mouth, even during the day. At night, her breathing becomes blocked while she sleeps, and she suddenly wakes up gasping for air. Separa has enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Separa, which is scheduled to take place on October 10th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils, hopefully relieving Separa of her symptoms and helping her live more comfortably. Separa shared, "I just want my daughter to breathe and sleep well. She has suffered since she was a baby. I pray this surgery ends it."

Jonah is 52 years old and a farmer from Uganda. She and her husband engage in small-scale farming to support their five children. Her husband supplements their income through brickmaking. About one year ago, Jonah began to experience troubling symptoms, including a swelling on the front of her neck. Over time, she began experiencing shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, pain when swallowing, and a persistent, irritating cough-like sensation. Her condition gradually worsened, reaching a point where she could no longer lie down comfortably to rest. Jonah was diagnosed with a goitre, which is an abnormal swelling of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth, and other bodily functions. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Jonah receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 2nd. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Jonah says, “I was excited to know of your support, and I believe that with it, I will be operated on and will surely get better.”