Kham is a 14-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her father, paternal grandparents, four paternal uncles, an aunt-in-law, and a cousin in Kachin State. Kham is in the ninth grade and her cousin also goes to school. Her grandmother is a seamstress. Her grandfather is retired, and her father is unemployed and looks after her. All of her uncles are mechanics in an automobile repair shop, but they do not share their income with the rest of the family. During her free time, she helps her cousin with his homework, and she loves teaching. Kham was born with ventricular septal defect, a cardiac condition in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her sick and short of breath. Kham is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on August 9th to correct her condition and improve her quality of life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Kham's procedure and care. “I would like to become a teacher because I feel happy teaching children that I know,” Kham shared with us.

Owomugisha is a farmer with one child who is a student in the third grade. Her husband passed away in 2012 when her son was only one month old. When she was younger, she couldn't finish school herself after having completed primary seven and due to lack of school fees. Owomugisha earns a living from small scale farming, growing food crops for them to eat and selling the surplus to support her family. One year ago, Owomugisha started experiencing lower abdominal pain and other troubling symptoms. She has been diagnosed with premalignant cervical lesion. Owomugisha needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Owomugisha's surgery. On January 5th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Owomugisha will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Owomugisha shared, “I think I will be healthy again once my surgery goes on well and I hope to continue with farming after I have fully recovered.”

Tren is a 78-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia, with two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren. She shared with us that in her spare time, she most enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. Ten years ago, Tren developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurred vision, tearing, itching, irritation, and photophobia. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Tren learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two and a half hours by taxi with her daughter seeking treatment. On September 23rd, doctors will perform phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Tren said, "I hope after surgery I can recognize everyone's faces well and can get around easily without help from others."