Soeun is a 67-year-old rice farmer from the Prey Veng province. She is married with two sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. Currently, she lives with her husband and three of her grandchildren. These days she has very little free time, but when she does have some time to herself, she likes to go to her local village pagoda to pray. About one year ago, Soeun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision and sensitivity to light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus is unable to travel on her own. When Soeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 8th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Soeun needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She said, "I hope my vision improves, and I can do housework, take care of my grandchildren, and get around easily by myself."

Oy is a 65 year-old grandmother from Cambodia. She has three sons, two daughters and eleven grandchildren to keep her busy. Currently, she lives with her husband and a few of her grandchildren, as some of her children work far from home. She shared that she does not have much free time, but when she does, she likes to go to the pagoda in her village. Two years ago, Oy developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision and sensitivity to light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Oy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and half hours seeking treatment. On January 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help raising $253 to fund her procedure and care. Oy shared, "I hope my vision improves and I can do housework, take care of my grandchildren and get around easily by myself."

Mwandu is a 5-year-old girl — the first born and the only child in her family. She lives with her parents in a small town called Msevya in the northwestern side of Tanzania. Her parents are subsistence farmers who rely on agriculture for food and money. Inflation has negatively affected their source of livelihood. As small-scale farmers, managing their crops has been more costly than purchasing crops from the market. One day when Mwandu was young, she was playing inside the house while her parents were working on the farm. Her mother had set a pot on the stove to prepare tea. Mwandu walked close to the stove and pulled the pot with her bare hands. Hot tea spilled on her arm and the right side of her body. She got burnt on her arm and armpit. Now burn contractures have developed, tightening the skin around her burn, limiting her arm extension and involvement in day-to-day activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mwandu receive treatment. On March 3rd, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help her increase extension of her right arm and allow her fully enjoy her childhood and school activities. Now, she needs help to fund this $639 procedure. Mwandu’s father says, “I hope she gets better because she will be starting school soon.”