Visal is a five-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives with his parents, older sister, and grandmother. Visal's father is a construction worker, while his mother is a garment factory worker. His grandmother stays at home to care for him while his parents work. Visal's parents hope that he can go to school soon. His favorite meal is fried chicken and vegetables. At home, Visal enjoys spending his free time playing soccer with his friends in the village. Since birth, Visal has been unable to fully extend his fingers as they are fixed in a bent position. This condition is making it difficult for him to grasp objects or use his hand comfortably. His parents are worried he will have difficulty when he starts school. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, can help. Visal is scheduled for contracture release surgery on April 22nd. Visal's family is able to contribute $100 but still needs $387 to fund this procedure. Visal's mother said, “I hope Visal can use his hand before he starts school."

Chorng is a 60-year-old soup cart owner from Cambodia. He lives with his wife, two sons, and eight other family members on the outskirts of the capital city of Phnom Penh. His younger son is at University and the older son helps run their soup cart. When not working, Chorng helps around the house and listens to traditional Cambodian music playlists from YouTube. Just over one year ago, Chorng had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Chorng experiences hearing loss, pain, and ear discharge. He is unable to hear his customers and relies on others to help him. He also has trouble communicating with his family and neighbors. Chorng traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 28th, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Chorng says, "I hope my hearing will improve. I want to be able to work more and talk with my customers."

Korb lives in a rural village around two hours from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Korb and his wife earn a living by catching river fish in the Mekong and selling them in the local market. At home, they care for his 82 year-old mother-in-law, and their seven children ranging in age from one to 17. Before his injury, Korb was an avid volleyball player and always playing with his kids around the village. In December 2023, Korb was rear-ended while driving his motorbike and dislocated his left elbow. Since then, he has been receiving treatment from a local healer in the village. Unfortunately, his injury has not healed, and now his elbow is locked and he is in chronic pain. He is unable to effectively carry out his everyday activities at work and with his family. On February 19th, Korb will undergo a procedure to realign the bones, and restore function to his arm. He shared, "I hope I can do everything I used to do before the accident so I can care for my family and play volleyball again."