Brian is a teenager from Kenya. He is the third born in a family of seven children. He stopped going to school last year in March after he fell ill and currently stays at home mostly in pain. His mother is a subsistence farmer and his father works on construction sites to provide for the family. The family does not have a medical insurance coverage and cannot raise the required amount of money to pay for Brian's treatment. Brian has a painful swelling in a sensitive area which impacts his movement and his ability to engage in any physical activities. He has been to different hospitals without any improvement. Earlier this year, Brian was brought to BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital where he underwent tests and has been scheduled for an urgent surgery. Brian was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Brian has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and future fertility problems. Brian will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH) and is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 22nd. AMH is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Brian says, “I want the pain to go away so that I can go back to school.”

Mao is a 17-year-old farmer - and the youngest of five children - living in Takeo province. Except for one sister who works in a nearby clothing factory, the family cultivates rainy day rice. Mao left school so that he could help his family with the farm work, and he is now learning how to cook, so that he can prepare meals for his family to share. During a Cambodian holiday last year, Mao fell off his motorbike while navigating a rugged road. He fractured his distal radius and several of his fingers. His parents took him to a local clinic, where he had surgery, and metal pins inserted to allow proper healing. He still has pain and weakness in his hand. In order to assess the progress of his fractures, surgeons need to remove the hardware from his fingers and wrist. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On January 8th, Mao will undergo hardware removal surgery at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, which will cost $304. This procedure will help him to strengthen his wrist and fingers, enabling Mao to work with his parents in the rice paddies, and reduce his risk of infection. Mao and his family need your help to fund this surgery. Mao said: "I hope that I will have full movement of my hand, and that I will not have any pain or infection."

Thu Ra is a 13-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his family in Karen State. Thu Ra is the youngest of his three siblings. His father is a day labourer and his mother is a homemaker. Around seven years ago, Thu Ra started experiencing a loss of appetite and feelings of dizziness along with muscle tightness and pain throughout his body. He was diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Physicians at Mae Sot General Hospital determined Thu Ra should undergo a splenectomy, surgery to remove the spleen, which will help manage his condition. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Mae Sot General Hospital on April 1st. Once completed, Thu Ra's quality of life is expected to improve. Thu Ra's mother said, “If Thu Ra gets better, I wish for him to finish school and become an educator. Thank you so much to the donors. If it were just up to me, I couldn’t afford the surgery on my own. It means a lot to me and my family. Thank you.”