Vannareach is a 12-year-old 7th grader from Cambodia. He lives just outside of the capital city of Phnom Penh with his mom and two sisters. Vannareach is the youngest and hopes to become a math teacher when he is older. After school, he enjoys playing soccer with his friends and getting fried noodles from a street cart. Since around four years ago, Vannareach has been experiencing a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and wakes up throughout the night. Frequent illness causes him to miss a lot of school and he is underweight due to difficulty with eating. Vannareach was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his 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 Vannareach, which is scheduled to take place on January 10th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Vannareach of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. Vannareach's mom shared, "I hope my son can feel better, be able to sleep more, and not miss so much school."

Andrew is a 62-year-old farmer from Malawi. He is married with five children, all living in their respective homes. He presently lives with his wife and two grandchildren, growing corn to support his family. He expressed that he would have desired to pursue a different career path, but he was unable to complete his primary school education, which unfortunately restricted his job opportunities. Three months ago, Andrew started experiencing discomfort in a sensitive area, including pain while carrying out daily activities. He went to a nearby health center, and was referred to the district hospital where he was unfortunately unable to secure an appointment with the surgeon. Andrew had a friend who had experienced a similar condition, and his friend recommended that he visit our medical partner's care center, Nkhoma Hospital. Andrew was diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as an enlarged prostate. Physicians at Nkhoma Hospital determined that Andrew should undergo a prostatectomy, which is a surgery to remove part or all of the prostate. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Andrew receive treatment. On April 16th, surgeons at Nkhoma Hospital will perform a prostatectomy to alleviate his pain and treat his condition. Andrew and his family are able to contribute $58 towards the cost of his treatment and need help raising $530 more to fund the operation. Andrew says, "Treatment is what I’m looking for, and I will be glad when this condition is healed.”

Vatanak is a three-year-old toddler from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and his nine-month-old brother in rural Ratanakiri province. His parents earn a small living working as cashew tree farmers in the village. Vatanak enjoys eating Cambodian sour soup made by his mom and loves keeping his little brother entertained with toys. Vatanak was born with syndactyly of the right foot. This means that his big and second toes are abnormally large due to overgrowth of the underlying bone and soft tissue. The condition makes it difficult for him to walk or move his toes, and he experiences mild pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Vatanak receive treatment. On April 22nd, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a syndactyly repair surgery to separate and release the fused digits. This will improve Vatanak's mobility, and provide more comfort while wearing shoes. Vatanak and his family are able to contribute $100 towards the cost of his treatment and need help raising $344 more to fund the procedure. Vatanak's mother says, "I hope my son's foot can be fixed so it is easy for him to run and wear shoes when he starts school."