Day is a four-year-old boy from Karen State, Burma. He lives with his mother, two brothers, and sister. He does not yet attend school, but his sister is in grade one. His older brothers both work as agricultural day laborers and get paid in rice on an annual basis. When Day was a year old, his mother noticed a small, swollen area on his left buttock. The area was about the size of a quarter, but did not cause Day any pain. Over the next three years, the swollen area, or cyst, grew significantly. The cyst had some redness and was soft. Day’s mother did not take him to any healthcare facilities for investigation or treatment because the mass was not actively bothering him and they do not have enough money to do so. However, Day's mother started to worry about Day's condition as the cyst gradually grew bigger. In May 2018, someone in Day’s village told his mother about Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), a free clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand. They finally came to MTC and were referred to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH), our medical partner's care center, for surgery. The doctor at MSH scheduled Day for surgery on May 30. Now, his family needs help funding this $1,500 cyst removal procedure. Day’s mother says, “I really want him to have treatment, but we have never had enough money.”

Dorcus is a baby from Tanzania. She is very playful and the youngest in a family of two children. Dorcus's father is a shopkeeper, while her mother looks after the children. Dorcus was diagnosed with genu varus. Her leg bows outward. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $940 to fund corrective surgery for Dorcus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 18. Treatment will hopefully restore Dorcus's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Dorcus's mother says, "We are scared our daughter’s leg may never be straight if we don’t get help now that she is still young. We don’t where else to go."

Akankwasa is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is married with six children. One year ago, Akankwasa began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty breathing and swallowing. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Akankwasa receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on May 17 at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $240, and she and her family need help raising money. Akankwasa says, “I hope to get a better life style after surgery and be free from the disfigurement and still continue with cultivation.”