Meng Leap is a 13-month-old baby boy from Cambodia. He lives in Kratie Province with his parents and two older brothers. He is the youngest child in the family. His first brother is in Grade 4, and his second brother is a kindergarten student. He enjoys playing with toys and likes eating different kinds of fish soup. Meng Leap was born with syndactyly of the right hand. This means that his second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers of his right hand are fused. The fused fingers make it difficult for him to hold and grasp objects, affecting the normal use of his right hand. His right hand and arm are smaller than the left side, which may affect his hand function and confidence as he grows older. Fortunately, on July 20th, surgeons will perform a syndactyly repair procedure to separate and release the fused digits. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $462 to fund this procedure. After surgery, he will be able to hold and grasp objects more easily and use his hand more normally as he grows. Meng Leap's parents said, “We hope this surgery will help our son use his hand more easily to hold and grasp things. We also hope he will grow up feeling confident and never feel shy because of his hand.”

Ponleu is a four-year-old kindergarten student from Cambodia. He lives in Kampong Cham Province with his parents and his eight-month-old younger brother. His father works as a security guard, and his mother is a rice farmer. He enjoys writing and reading Khmer, loves watching cartoons and playing with toys, and dreams of becoming a doctor one day. For the past two years, Ponleu has been experiencing a runny nose, difficulty swallowing, nasal congestion, frequent cough, enlarged adenoids and tonsils, and fluid behind both eardrums (glue ear), causing mild to moderate hearing loss. His repeated ear and nose problems make it difficult for him to hear clearly and breathe comfortably. The condition can affect his learning, sleep, and enjoyment of everyday activities at kindergarten. Ponleu was recently diagnosed with enlarged adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $345 to fund an adenoidectomy and grommet insertion for Ponleu, which is scheduled to take place on July 17th. Surgeons will remove his adenoids, hopefully relieving Ponleu of his symptoms and helping him hear better and live much more comfortably. Ponleu's grandfather said, “I hope this surgery will help my grandson breathe and hear better so he can stay healthy, enjoy kindergarten, and play happily without getting sick so often.”

Ester is a 13-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her parents, her younger brother, and two younger sisters in a village in Karen State, Burma. Ester and her three younger siblings go to school while their parents are small-scale farmers. They also raise chickens and pigs, and they forage for vegetables in the forest for their own consumption. They also have a small garden where they grow betel nut trees, and they sell some of the betel nuts to earn a small income. Sometimes, Ester’s father also finds work as an agricultural day laborer. In her free time, Ester loves to help her mother with household chores and also play with her friends at school. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up. Ester was born with an atrial septal defect (ASD), a condition in which a hole exists between the two upper chambers of the heart. Sometimes ASDs may close on their own during development, but sometimes this condition requires surgery to repair the hole and prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Ester is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 7th to correct her condition and improve her quality of life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help cover the cost of Ester's procedure and care. Ester's mother shared, "I would like to thank BCMF and your donors for your kindness and willingness to support my daughter. Without you, my daughter would not receive treatment as the cost is too high for us, and we cannot borrow such a large amount of money from our neighbours. On behalf of our family and our daughter, thank you to your donors and everyone willing to help my daughter.”