Mengse is a 15-year-old tailor, originally from Ratanakiri province in Cambodia. He and his family relocated to Phnom Penh in an effort to find better job opportunities. Mengse's father works as a cook for a company that caters weddings, while his mother sells vegetables in a local market. Mengse works as a tailor, but he is hopeful that he will be able to return to school. Mengse was born with a preauricular pit - a congenital condition where there is a sinus tract under the skin that shouldn't be there. It is manifested by a small hole located on his right ear. As often happens in these cases, this small hole has become infected, and a cyst has formed. As a result, Mengse experiences redness, swelling, pain, and discharge. Mengse traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On January 15th, surgeons from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. Now, Mengse needs your help to raise $273 to fund this procedure. Mengse shared: "I hope I can have surgery so I can't feel pain, and so I can do my work and feel better again."

Justine is an engaging and friendly woman from Uganda. She and her husband have five children and farm for a living. Due to limited land, they grow enough food to feed their family and sell the surplus to generate an income. During her free time, Justine enjoys caring for her family and home through cooking and cleaning. For two years, Justine has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, discomfort, severe backaches, and other worrisome symptoms. Due to limited finances, she has not sought medical attention before, but when her symptoms became unbearable and she could no longer work, Justine came to our medical partner's hospital. The doctor diagnosed her with uterine myomas and recommended she undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 28th, she will undergo gynecological surgery that will allow her to resume her daily activities free of pain once she recovers. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $219 to fund Justine's surgery. Justine said, "My faith is strong that, when given a chance of your support, I will be operated on and get better. I hope to regain my strength to resume farming in good health."

Phikhirona is a shy 8-year-old student in grade one. Her family consists of her father, formerly employed near Children's Surgical Centre crafting prosthetic limbs, and her two elder sisters. One, aged 13, is currently in grade 5, while the other, aged 11, is navigating grade 4. Unfortunately, her mother succumbed to breast cancer several years ago, so her older sisters watch after her. In her first year of attending school, she has interest in Khmer subjects. Back at home, her cooking skills are being developed by her older sisters, who are teaching her how to prepare her favorite dish - fried pork with vegetables. Phikhirona was born with polydactyly of both hands and feet. This means that she has an extra digit on the side of both hands and polysyndactyly of her feet. On each foot, she has an extra toe that is connected, via fusing or webbing, to an adjacent toe. She faces difficulty wearing conventional shoes due to the presence of extra toes and fingers, and unfortunately, she endures teasing from other children as a result. Fortunately, on January 29th, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra digits of her hands. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $299 to fund this procedure. After surgery, she will feel more comfortable about her appearance, and she won't be ashamed of how her feet look. Her father shared: "I hope that the surgery will not cause any infection and the extra fingers will not grow back."