Htwe is a 12-year-old student who lives with his uncle's family in Thailand. His parents are day laborers in Bangkok, who send his uncle money every month to support him. In his free time, Htwe enjoys playing football with his friends. Two years ago, Htwe's right eyelid became swollen and red. By July 2021, the swelling had worsened and he felt a small mass in his right eyelid. He also developed double vision. He visited several clinics and was given oral medications and eye drops, but he never felt better. Currently, Htwe has redness and swelling in his right eyelid, and sometimes his eye will water. He also has blurry vision and feels uncomfortable with the mass pressing on his eyelid. Due to his blurry vision, he finds it hard to study and do his homework. Eventually, his aunt took Htwe to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH), where he was diagnosed with a cyst in his right eyelid. The doctor told him that he will need to have surgery to remove the cyst. Thanks to our partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital, Htwe will have the cyst surgically removed on February 2nd. Now he needs your help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Htwe said, “I want to be a football player when I grow up.”

Sai is a six-year-old kindergarten student. He lives with his parents and siblings (a 12-year-old brother who is in grade four and a 11-month-old sister) at Mae Sot District, Tak Province in Thailand. His father is a daily worker and works as a blacksmith. Sai’s mother is a homemaker who looks after the children at home. Sai was born with a healthy delivery however just after his sixth birthday, his mother noticed that Sai’s left eye was red. He told her that it was not painful, so they did not worry about it. In June 2022 though, his mother saw that there was a white dot in the pupil of Sai’s eye. When his mother covered Sai’s right eye and asked if he could see, he answered that he did not see clearly. Sai had his eyes checked at Mae Tao Clinic and the medic suspected that he had a cataract. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. He was referred to the ophthalmology department which later the doctor diagnosed him with mature left eye cataract. Currently, Sai’s vision in his left eye is blurry and he has trouble seeing the board when he is in the classroom. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Sai. On December 9th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Sai's natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Sai’s mother said, “We cannot afford to take a loan (for the surgery) because we would have to pay the interest. There is less work during the pandemic and so it makes things very hard to have such a large loan. My words cannot express the thanks that I feel. It is so lucky for us to have the assistance from BCMF and donors.”

Omega is a five-year-old boy. He lives with his parents and two siblings, and enjoys playing with them. As the last born, he is spoiled and loved so much by his mother. They live in Hai, a small town in the Kilimanjaro Region. The parents are cattle breeders, who breed cattle for meat and milk. The cattle breeding business has been hard in the past few months because of drought. The green pastures and rivers they used to depend on to feed their cattle are now dry. Cattle are not producing enough milk, and the meat they produce is not preferred by most of the consumers around their area. In 2019, while Omega was playing with his brother, he got into an accident and fell into a pot of boiling tea. After the open wound healed, his right arm could not extend fully, making it hard for him to fully use his arm. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Omega receive treatment. On February 28th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help him use his arm freely. Now, his family needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Omega’s mother says, “I hope this treatment will give him a room of new possibilities in the future because his hand will limit him so much in his life.”