Marise is a 13-year-old student, living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her parents and four siblings. Marise has a cardiac condition called congenital aortic valve stenosis. As a result of this condition, one of the four valves in Marise's heart is much narrower than it should be, making her heart strain to push blood through the valve. This leaves Marise weak, and unable to participate in physical activities. The care she needs is not available in Haiti so Marise will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on February 9th, she will undergo surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which her valve will be repaired. While another organization is helping to support the cost of Marise's surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover her care costs including pre and post operative medical care, and travel expenses for Marise's family, and the social worker who will accompany them for her surgery. Marise shared: "I am looking forward to being able to stop worrying about my heart after surgery."

Theam is a 52-year-old mother of two from Cambodia. She lives in Kandal province with her husband, who works in construction, and her two daughters, one of whom is married, and the other who is at school in Grade 11. Theam sells noodles near the local market and also raises chickens so she can sell eggs at the markets. Eleven years ago, Theam was in a motorbike accident and lost consciousness. Since that time, she has suffered from ear infections from a perforated ear drum, and she has regular discharge from her left ear. As a result, Theam experiences ear pain, ringing in the ears, and headaches, including chronic drainage from her ear. It is difficult for her to sleep, and her hearing suffers. Theam traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 15th, she will undergo a procedure to repair the hole in her left ear. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure which will cover medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Theam's husband said: "We really hope for this treatment so Theam will have a healthy ear, stop ear discharge or infection, and can improve hearing as well."

Evaristo is a 57-year-old small-scale farmer from Uganda, married with eight children. Five of his children are already married, while the remaining three are currently attending school. He and his wife are small-scale farmers, mostly growing beans, maize and a few coffee trees. Eight years ago, Evaristo was involved in a road traffic accident, which resulted in a leg injury that eventually healed. Despite the healing, the area surrounding the scar remained numb. In February of this year, while riding on a motorcycle taxi, the scar was injured by the starter pedal, causing it to start hurting again. As days passed, the site developed blisters that developed into a wound. Evaristo went to local clinics for treatment but did not experience any improvement even after receiving some injections. He has continued experiencing pain on the injured leg, unable to farm or perform other daily activities. As a result, his wife has become the sole breadwinner for their family, prompting them to take out short-term loans to cover school fees and medical costs at the different clinics they visited before going to Ibanda Hospital. Evaristo decided to seek help from a surgeon and visited Ibanda Hospital. Upon arrival, he was feeling extremely weak and in severe pain, fearful of the possibility of losing his leg. Due to his inability to walk unassisted, Evaristo relies on a wheelchair to navigate the hospital premises. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Evaristo receive treatment. On March 5th, surgeons at Ibanda Hospital will perform a debridement, which is a procedure to remove infected, damaged or dead tissue so a wound can heal properly. Now, Evaristo needs our help to fund this $207 procedure. Evaristo says, ‘’I was very worried that I may lose my leg, but I thank God for the counseling I have received. I now have hope that my surgery will be successful, and I will be able to stand again and do my usual farming activities.’’