Vannareach is a 12-year-old 7th grader from Cambodia. He lives just outside of the capital city of Phnom Penh with his mom and two sisters. Vannareach is the youngest and hopes to become a math teacher when he is older. After school, he enjoys playing soccer with his friends and getting fried noodles from a street cart. Since around four years ago, Vannareach has been experiencing a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and wakes up throughout the night. Frequent illness causes him to miss a lot of school and he is underweight due to difficulty with eating. Vannareach was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Vannareach, which is scheduled to take place on January 10th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Vannareach of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. Vannareach's mom shared, "I hope my son can feel better, be able to sleep more, and not miss so much school."

SreyPov is a skilled 43-year-old weaver specializing in making silk and cotton skirts. She lives with her husband, who works in construction, and her three children in Phnom Penh province. Her 19-year-old daughter works in a restaurant, her 15-year-old daughter is in school, and her 9-year-old son is also in school. SreyPov diligently weaves traditional skirts at home, contributing to the local businesses, and takes pride in maintaining her household's cleanliness. In September 2023, SreyPov slipped on a wet sidewalk, stretched out her right arm, and dislocated her elbow when she fell. Given her family's financial constraints, SreyPov sought the assistance of a Khmer traditional healer. However, despite her efforts, her arm remains swollen, causing persistent pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On January 4th, SreyPov will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. This surgery will allow her to resume her traditional weaving and alleviate her pain. SreyPov said: "I hope after surgery I can make cloth again and will not be in pain any longer."

Mey is a 5-year-old girl from Cambodia. Her father works in construction and her mother works in a clothes factory in Kampong Chhnang province. She enjoys playing with other children in the village and playing with her dolls. Mey was born with Sprengel's shoulder where her right shoulder is higher than her left one. It is a complicated condition causing asymmetry within the shoulder blade and chest area and restricting movement of her shoulder and arms. This has affected her confidence and ability to interact with other children. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. She and her parents traveled for four hours to the clinic. On March 1st, she will undergo a Woodward procedure, a surgery to improve symmetry in her torso and improve movement. CSC is requesting $572 to fund this procedure. After surgery, Mey's family hopes that she will have better movement of her shoulder, grow normally, and have no pain. Mey's mother shared, "I hope my daughter will have a normal shoulder and not be shy about starting school next year."