Paw, who is 50 years old, lives with her husband, two daughters, and four sons in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Karen State in Burma. They have no source of income and rely on the food support they receive from donors every month. In her free time, Paw enjoys weaving traditional Karen shirts and foraging for vegetables in the forest. In 2021, Paw started to experience pain in her lower abdomen and back. At first, she thought the pain would go away on its own; instead, it only intensified. Last year, she felt a mass in her lower abdomen, but she could not afford to seek treatment at a hospital. After Paw and her family fled to the IDP camp in December 2022, she went to the clinic in the camp, where she could access free, basic health care. Paw was referred to Mae Sariang Hospital for evaluation. At the hospital, she had an ultrasound and was diagnosed with bilateral ovarian tumors. The doctor told her that she needs surgery to remove her uterus and both of her ovaries. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Paw's surgery, which is scheduled to take place on April 23rd at Mae Sariang Hospital. After she has recovered from this procedure, Paw will no longer experience pain in her abdomen and back. "When the doctor told me I need to have the tumors removed, I felt happy that I will be free from this pain. I also feel very happy that your organization [BCMF] will help me pay for my treatment cost. I hope that I will recover soon, and that I will be able to work again. I want to say thank you so much to all the donors for their help. May they be blessed more and be prosperous,” said Paw.

John is a toddler boy from Kenya who is the second-born in a family of three children. His parents separated a while back, and he and his siblings now live at their ancestral home with their mother. John’s mother works around the community, such as tending to farm animals for her neighbors. John's grandparents also help support the young family. Since last year, John has been experiencing pain and discomfort caused by a right inguinal hernia. Although he was a playful boy, John has not been able to be as active as he was before the hernia. Fortunately, on March 14th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery with the support of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. African Mission Healthcare is requesting $585 to help fund John's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. John’s mother said, “Since last year, I have been stressed as I had no idea what to do. I’m hopeful that he will be treated.”

Meet Nafissa. She is a 25-year old woman who shared that she tends to be very shy and reserved. She lives with her parents and her young child in an area of Burkina Faso where conflict is currently impacting their lives deeply. When she was a child, Nafissa developed a painful growth on the left side of her chin. This swelling in her lower jawbone affected her ability to eat, and was determined to be a benign tumor that needed to be removed. Her parents were able to secure the funds to send Nafissa to a hospital in Togo, where she could be treated at no cost to her family. The growth was removed, and for several years, Nafissa did well. However, the growth recurred, and in the middle of last year, Nafissa returned to Togo, where the second growth was excised. This time, however, the surgeon determined that her whole jawbone would also need to be removed. As the doctor in Togo did not have the necessary training to perform the surgery that Nafissa needed, he referred her to a physician with our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. Miraculously, Nafissa is now scheduled for a major jaw surgery with the leading team at AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. As Nafissa's husband abandoned her because of her condition, and provides no support to Nafissa or their child, Nafissa and her parents are looking to you to help fund the $1,500 procedure, which will finally relieve Nafissa of the pain and symptoms that result from the tumor. Nafissa says: “It pains me that I have to stay at home with no friends. Making it worse, I cannot work to provide for my child.”