Thaw is a two-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents and elder sister in Zee Kone Village, but his family migrated to Thailand four months ago to seek better job opportunities. His father works as an agricultural day labourer, while his mother is a homemaker. Thaw’s elder brother and sister take turns working as agricultural day labourers. Thaw’s mother carefully manages their income, and their combined family income is enough to cover their daily basic expenses. Thaw receives free healthcare services at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). On 2 July 2021, Thaw was born through emergency caesarean section. His mother noticed on the following day, while cleaning Thaw’s body, that he was born with a worrying condition that makes it challenging to go to the bathroom. Thaw’s mother immediately informed the doctor, who then referred Thaw to hospital in Ayeyarwady Division. Unfortunately, due to a lack of facilities, he did not receive the necessary treatment at this hospital. He was subsequently recommended to go to Yangon Hospital. However, due to financial limitations, Thaw’s mother could not afford to take him to Yangon Hospital, leading her to cease efforts to seek Thaw’s treatment. Fortunately, Thaw was able to defecate through a fistula however Thaw began to experience troubling symptoms, including at present, Thaw is passing stool through the fistula, experiencing constipation with bowel movements occurring every four or five days, with a distended abdomen. Thaw has been diagnosed with imperforate anus with fistula and his doctors recommend a colostomy. A colostomy is a surgery that creates an opening for the colon through the abdomen. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1500 to fund Thaw's surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital scheduled January 31st. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully alleviate him symptoms. Thaw’s mother expressed her concerns saying, “I want my son to have a healthy, long life. I was always worried about him, and he couldn’t receive treatment due to lack of money. Now, with the help of BCMF and donors, he can undergo surgery. Thank you."

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."

Dalis is a 12-year-old student from Cambodia. She is from a family of four in Banteay Meanchey province. Her mother works in a clothing factory and her father drives a tuk-tuk taxi. Her favorite subjects are Khmer and mathematics. When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher. She likes to eat fried rice, and during her free time, she enjoys bowling with her father. Four years ago, Dalis developed a painful ganglion cyst in her left foot. A ganglion cyst is a benign, jelly-like sac that forms beneath the skin on the top or bottom of the foot. The cyst causes her pain, and she cannot walk properly due to the pain. If it grows too large, it can limit her ability to walk to school or ride her bike. Dalis traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 4th, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. Her family is able to contribute $100 but needs help to raise an additional $273 to fund the procedure. Dalis' mother shared, "We hope that our daughter will have no pain and can do daily activities after the surgery."