Vannareach is a five-year-old kindergarten student from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and his three-year-old little sister in Kampong Chhnang. Both of his parents serve in the military and are often stationed at the border, so the children stay with their elderly grandmother while their parents are away. He enjoys studying math and playing with toys along with his younger sister. For the past two years, Vannareach has been experiencing difficulty breathing and swallowing. He also snores at night and experiences recurrent throat infections about twice a month. His frequent throat infections and enlarged tonsils affect his sleep, breathing, swallowing, and overall comfort. Getting sick so often can also interfere with his ability to attend school and enjoy his usual activities. Vannareach was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and 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 a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Vannareach, which is scheduled to take place on August 14th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Vannareach of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. Vannareach's mother said, “I hope this surgery will help my son breathe and swallow more comfortably, sleep better at night, and reduce his frequent throat infections. I want him to feel healthier and return to school and his normal activities without getting sick so often.”

Pon is a 61-year-old rice farmer from Prey Veng province in Cambodia. He is married with one son, one daughter and five grandchildren. He lives with his wife who is also a rice farmer. His daughter is a garment worker and his son is a construction worker. He likes to listen to the news and the monks praying on the radio. About two years ago, Pon developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Pon learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On May 18th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $263 procedure. Pon said: "I hope that after surgery my eye can see better, so I can easily go back to growing rice, and venture outside well."

Talia is a sweet and soft-spoken 11-year-old student from Kenya. Her father is a construction worker, and her mother is a homemaker. Despite health challenges, Talia is a determined girl who works hard in school and dreams of becoming a pilot one day. When Talia was very young, her parents noticed delays in her development. She needed therapy to learn how to walk and did not begin speaking until she was three years old. Around that time, she was diagnosed with hearing loss, but her parents could not afford hearing aids. Without them, school has been difficult for Talia, and she has begun to fall behind her classmates. This has made her dream of becoming a pilot feel increasingly out of reach. Her hearing loss also affects her speech, making her hesitant to express herself for fear that others might laugh at her. About three months ago, Talia and her family visited our partner’s medical care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, where doctors recommend hearing aids for Talia. Our partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,171 to fund Talia’s hearing aids, which will be fitted on April 28th. This amount will cover the purchase, programming, and fitting of the hearing aids. With these hearing aids, Talia will finally be able to hear, to learn, and to thrive. Now, Talia's family needs your support to have a fair chance at a brighter future. Talia shared, “When I try to speak, and the words don’t come out right, other children laugh at me. It makes me feel very sad.”