Porheang, a 41-year-old custodial worker from Phnom Penh, lives with her mother. Recently, her father passed away, which has led her to dedicate most of her time to supporting her family in making funeral arrangements and preparing for the upcoming Buddhist rituals. During her free time, she finds enjoyment in watching Cambodian soap operas. Around three years ago, Porheang had an ear infection. This infection caused her left ear's tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, to perforate. For this reason, Porheang experiences pain, ear discharge, tinnitus, and hearing loss. She cannot communicate clearly with others as she used to and frequently spends her limited money at the pharmacy for medications that do not work long-term. Porheang traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On June 19th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, requests $487 to fund this procedure covering medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She shared, "I hope I can feel better and hear my friends and family."

Chanthy is a 41-year-old factory worker. She lives in Svay Rieng province with her husband, who is also a factory worker. Together they have one son who repairs cars and two daughters who are both students. Since Chanthy was 20 years old, she has suffered from ear pain, ear discharge and headaches around her left ear. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Chanthy experiences hearing loss, tinnitus and ear discharge. She visited a government hospital two years ago for care, but she continues to have problems. Fortunately Chanthy traveled to our medical partner - Children’s Surgical Centre - to receive treatment. On March 22nd, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear. Children’s Surgical Centre is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medication, supplies, and inpatient care. Chanthy is hopeful that after this surgery her hearing will improve and her headaches will disappear. Without care, she is concerned this illness might affect her health permanently.

Meet Salmin, an adored newborn baby from Tanzania and the youngest in his family of four children. His father is a soldier and must spend most of his time away from home, and his mother is a teacher. Salmin was born with clubfoot on his right foot and hyperextension on his left knee. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, which causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Salmin’s parents want to ensure he receives the best care to grow up to live a healthy and fulfilling life. When they learned about our medical partner’s care center, they brought him in for assessment and treatment. Salmin will first receive non-surgical care that involves gentle manipulation and casting of his right foot. Over the course of several weeks, Salmin’s foot angle will gradually improve; then, he will undergo tenotomy surgery on May 16th. After treatment, Salmin will be able to walk easily as he grows and reaches the walking stage. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $935 to fund Salmin’s surgery. Salmin’s mother said: “I have been constantly worried since I got news of my son’s condition. I am hopeful that with the right treatment, he will be fine.”