Somean is a 12-year-old 6th grader who lives in rural Kampong Chnang province with her parents and three siblings. Her parents earn a small living as rice farmers. In school, Somean loves Khmer and English class, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. At home, she likes playing with her siblings and reading books. Since she was 6 years old, Somean has experienced a sore throat, difficulty breathing and swallowing, and a hard time sleeping. Frequent illness causes her to miss school. Somean was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her 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 Somean, which is scheduled to take place on February 8th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Somean of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Her mom shared, "I hope she can feel better after surgery so her life will be easier for going to school, eating, and sleeping."

Valentina is a 3-year-old toddler who lives with her mother, father, and younger sister in a city in central Bolivia. Her father is a construction worker and her mother is a homemaker. Valentina is very outgoing and enjoys drawing and painting. When Valentina was younger, health workers came to her house for a vaccination campaign and noticed that she was very small for her age. They helped the family reach a pediatrician and then a cardiologist, who diagnosed her with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a condition in which a hole exists between two major blood vessels next to the heart. PDA can cause poor growth, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Valentina will be undergoing heart surgery on March 27th to treat her condition. During surgery, doctors will close the hole so that blood will no longer leak through it. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is asking for $1,500 to fund this surgery. After surgery, Valentina is expected to grow stronger and healthier. Valentina's mother shares: "Our family would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping to fix our daughter's heart!"

Sansy, who is an only child, is an active nine-year-old, living with his parents in Phnom Province in Cambodia. His father works in a factory, and his mother sells snacks from in front of their house. Sansy, who enjoys eating pizza and swimming, would like to be a translator when he grows up. For five years, Sansy has been experiencing difficulty swallowing, frequent throat infections, and snoring at night. He often misses school, and has a hard time concentrating, because he does not sleep well. Sansy was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist, and to intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Sansy, which is scheduled to take place on January 8th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During the procedure, surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Sansy of his symptoms, and helping him to live much more comfortably. Sansy's mother said: "I hope my son will get better and stop getting such frequent infections. We don't want to continue spending money on medicines that have not helped him."