Sokha is a 19-year-old elephant sanctuary worker. She lives in rural northeast of Cambodia, where she works at one of the country's few elephant sanctuaries. Tragically, her mother passed away during childbirth, and her father has recently passed too. Since then, Sokha and her older sister moved in with their aunt and uncle nearby. In her free time, she enjoys reading, checking her social media, and cooking. About six years ago, she started to develop a painful mass in her salivary gland on the right side of her jaw. She experiences chronic pain and difficulty swallowing. Sokha traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment and hope to feel better soon. On February 19th, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. Now, Sokha needs $273 to fund this procedure. She shared, "I hope I can stop having the painful swelling so I can work and feel happy."

Tadesse is a 2-year-old boy from Ethiopia, who loves playing with other children. His mother is a single mom and they live with his grandmother who is sickly. The family has difficulty making ends meet. They rely heavily on donations of food from the government, other charities, and their neighbors. Tadesse was born with an inguinal hernia, causing him pain and weakness. Fortunately, on February 27th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $512 to fund Tadesse's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Tadesse's mother said “I hope with this surgery, my child will heal. I will go to church and give the gift I promised to God if he heals my child. When he is old enough, I will ensure he goes to school."

Thokozani is a 23-year-old university student from Malawi. He is the fourth born in a family of ten children and the only child in his family who went on to study at the university level. Thokozani is completing a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management (Wildlife) and Eco-tourism. His higher education student loans support him, and he lives in a single-room hostel with two friends. In his free time, Thokozani enjoys watching wildlife programs and eating rice served with beef. Thokozani was born with a hernia condition, and in 2020, he started experiencing on-and-off episodes of discomfort. He visited a private hospital where they diagnosed his condition and recommended surgery, but he was unable to afford it and returned to school. In this last year, however, the pain has become too much to handle, causing him to miss classes. His worsening condition is impacting his ability to engage in daily activities and complete his education. Fortunately, Thokozani recently received a text from a friend regarding surgery support that is available with our medical partner. He immediately called the medical center and was able to see a surgeon who confirmed the diagnosis of a left inguinal hernia and the need for him to undergo surgery. A hernia is a condition in which soft tissue bulges through a weak point in the abdominal muscle. If the hernia is left untreated, the size of the protruding intestine might get bigger and become strangulated, leading to the reduction of blood flow to surrounding tissues, which may be life-threatening. Thokozani will undergo surgery on March 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $575 to fund the procedure. Thokozani is hopeful that this surgery will allow him to finally heal and return to school in good health. He is looking forward to his brighter future and making his family proud by being the first to complete university studies. He said, “I can’t wait to concentrate after surgery; kindly help me as I plan to finish the remaining part of my course.”