Ireen is a 24-year-old single mother from Malawi. To support her family, Ireen grows maize. While fetching firewood, Ireen fell and fractured her elbow. Because of the pain, she is unable to perform daily tasks and work on the farm. If left untreated, it may result in the non-union of the fractured bone. She is scheduled for surgery on March 12th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $525 for her surgery and care. Treatment will relieve Ireen of the pain and help her resume working on her farm again. Ireen says, “I hope to receive treatment so that I can take care of my child.”

Marise is a 13-year-old student, living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her parents and four siblings. Marise has a cardiac condition called congenital aortic valve stenosis. As a result of this condition, one of the four valves in Marise's heart is much narrower than it should be, making her heart strain to push blood through the valve. This leaves Marise weak, and unable to participate in physical activities. The care she needs is not available in Haiti so Marise will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on February 9th, she will undergo surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which her valve will be repaired. While another organization is helping to support the cost of Marise's surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover her care costs including pre and post operative medical care, and travel expenses for Marise's family, and the social worker who will accompany them for her surgery. Marise shared: "I am looking forward to being able to stop worrying about my heart after surgery."

Yean is a retired rice farmer who lives in Kampong Cham province with his wife and their oldest son, who supports the family by working in a nearby rubber plantation. In total, they have three grown children and seven grandchildren who visit often. Yean likes praying at the pagoda, spending time with his grandchildren, and listening to the local news on the radio. About one year ago, Yean developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him photophobia, tearing, and blurry vision. When Yean learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 14th, doctors will perform a small incision 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 $253 procedure. He shared, "I hope after surgery my eye can see better and I feel happy again. I want to go places on my own and know my neighbors when I see them."