Samnang is a two-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives in Phnom Penh with his parents and his 3-year-old brother. His mother stays home to care for the children and his father is in the army. At home, Samnang likes to play with his toys and enjoys eating fried chicken prepared by his mother. At birth, Samnang was diagnosed with arthrogryposis, a term used to describe a variety of conditions involving multiple joint and muscle contractures or stiffness. As a result of this condition, Samnang has clubfoot on both feet. Clubfoot is a condition where the foot is rotated. This causes pain and difficulty walking. Samnang traveled for one and a half hours to visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). There, surgeons will perform a bilateral tendon release and insert a K-wire on March 1st. CSC is requesting $444 to fund Samnang's clubfoot repair. After treatment and therapy, he will be able to walk and be more active. Samnang's mother said, "I hope after surgery, my son will learn to walk, have no pain, and keep up with his older brother."

Racheal is a middle-aged small businesswoman from Uganda. She is the mother of one and shared that she separated from her husband due to domestic violence. She now lives with her twenty-five-year-old daughter and her grandchild. She works hard to provide for her family. Eleven years ago, Racheal began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling. It was small and painless initially but has increased in size over the years. The swelling now causes respiratory problems, worrying Racheal. A doctor examined Racheal and diagnosed a multi-nodular goiter - an enlarged thyroid gland with separate bumps (nodules) on it. Racheal needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Racheal receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 8th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and Racheal and her family need help raising money. Racheal says, “I believe with your support I will have a successful surgery with a positive outcome for my life.”

Sotey is a 16-year-old student from Cambodia. He lives with his grandparents and his younger brother. His grandparents work as rice farmers, and his parents work on a pig farm just over the Thai border. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Sotey has been attending a school for children with disabilities for the last several years. Inspired by his teachers, he would like to become a teacher and work at the school in the future. Sotey likes reading in his free time and eating his grandmother's amazing chicken soup! About one month ago, Sotey had a fall and dislocated his left hip. Before the fall, he could walk independently, with intermittent use of a walker. For the last month since the accident, he has been in a wheelchair due to pain and frequent falling when attempting to stand. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On March 6th, Sotey will undergo a fracture repair procedure to help him walk again. CSC is requesting $483 to fund this surgery. Sotey contributed $100 to his care. Sotey's teacher accompanied him on the six-hour journey to CSC. She shared with our team: "I hope he can stand on his own again. We want him to feel happiness about the future."