Sha is a 56-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife, two daughters, and two sons in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. Sha and one of his sons are day laborers in a village near the camp. His wife and one of his daughters are homemakers, while his other daughter is a teacher in the camp. His other son is still a student in the camp. The family has a vegetable garden around their home, and they raise chickens and pigs to sell and for their own consumption. Their combined monthly income of 5,000 THB is often not enough to cover their daily needs. They currently have a loan of 3,000 THB, money borrowed due to Sha's illness. A few days ago, Sha began to experience troubling symptoms, including severe abdominal pain with the pain radiating to his back and a fever. He has been diagnosed with appendicitis, and now needs surgery to prevent his condition from worsening. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Sha receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo an appendectomy, a surgery to remove the appendix when it becomes infected, on May 14th at Mae Sariang Hospital. This procedure will cost $1500, and Sha and his family need your support. Sha says, “I never experienced pain like this before. When the pain is very severe, I can’t breathe easily. I would like for this pain to stop.”

Maria is a 28-year-old woman from Uganda. Maria has spent years trying to rebuild her life after losing her only child and undergoing two major abdominal operations. Today, she runs a small soft-drinks business to support herself and help care for her sister’s two children. She operates this business out of her own home. However, a painful swelling on her abdomen has begun interfering with the very business she depends on to survive. Maria underwent two abdominal operations, the first four years ago and the last one year ago. But for the past eight months, Maria continues to experience a painful swelling around her navel at the site of her previous abdominal surgery. The pain becomes particularly troublesome when she sits for long periods, laughs, or speaks. She has not received treatment for the swelling, and it has increasingly affected her ability to attend to her customers. At times, the pain becomes so severe that she has to close her business, losing the little income she depends on. On November 3rd, Maria will undergo hernia repair surgery with the help of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. This procedure and care will cost $170, and Maria needs your help. Maria shares, “I have gone through two major operations, and the money I spent on treatment left me with almost nothing. Now I have this painful swelling, and sometimes I have to close my business because I cannot bear the pain. I depend on this small business to survive and to help care for my sister’s children, but I cannot afford another operation. I kindly appeal to the donors to help me receive the surgery I need. Your assistance would give me a chance to recover, return to my business, and continue caring for the children who depend on me. May God bless you for helping people like me who have nowhere else to turn.”

Nay is just like any other active one-year-old with a loving family. Except Nay was born with a heart condition, patent ductus arteriosis (PDA), a persistent opening between two major blood vessels that should close right after birth. However, Nay's remains open, which can weaken his heart and cause other cardiological and respiratory complications. Nay is one of three children. Their father is a day laborer, and their mother is a homemaker. Their incomes are just enough for basic expenses and health care, but not enough to fund heart surgery. "We are worried when we know that Nay needs surgery because we could not afford for it," Nay's parents said. To fund his surgery on October 3rd, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500. After treatment, Nay will live more comfortably and avoid potential complications. For his parents and sisters, it also means one less worry.