Roem is a 25-year-old construction worker from Prey Veng province. Roem shares a home with his mother, his elderly grandmother, and his three siblings - one brother, and two sisters. Most of the family farms rice or works in local clothing factories. Last August, Roem was riding his motorbike, when he collided with a trailer that was being towed by another motorbike. The collision resulted in significant injuries, particularly to Roem's right forearm, which was fractured, along with his wrist. The local clinic where his parents took him asked for $800 to do surgery, a price beyond their means, so the family traveled three hours to seek help from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. Roem underwent an open reduction internal fixation of his right radial fracture, and several metacarpal bones. However, subsequent complications, including persistent infections, necessitate the removal of the hardware that was placed during the initial surgery. Children's Surgical Centre is requesting $304 to defray the cost of the hardware removal procedure, which is scheduled for January 8th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. This procedure should eliminate infections at the surgical site, and facilitate the ongoing healing process of Roem's bones. Roem said: "I hope the infection goes away and my hand is better, so I can go back to construction work to help my family."

Samnang is a two-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives in Phnom Penh with his parents and his 3-year-old brother. His mother stays home to care for the children and his father is in the army. At home, Samnang likes to play with his toys and enjoys eating fried chicken prepared by his mother. At birth, Samnang was diagnosed with arthrogryposis, a term used to describe a variety of conditions involving multiple joint and muscle contractures or stiffness. As a result of this condition, Samnang has clubfoot on both feet. Clubfoot is a condition where the foot is rotated. This causes pain and difficulty walking. Samnang traveled for one and a half hours to visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). There, surgeons will perform a bilateral tendon release and insert a K-wire on March 1st. CSC is requesting $444 to fund Samnang's clubfoot repair. After treatment and therapy, he will be able to walk and be more active. Samnang's mother said, "I hope after surgery, my son will learn to walk, have no pain, and keep up with his older brother."

Ramal is a 5-month-old baby from Kenya and the only child in his family. His parents separated before he was born. Ramal lives with his mother and great-grandparents. Ramal’s great-grandmother works jobs on people’s farms to earn a living, while his mother does laundry and also works casual jobs to provide for the family. Ramal’s family does not have NHIF coverage and needs assistance raising the required amount for Ramal’s hospital bills. Ramal was born two months early at seven months of pregnancy and was admitted to the nursery for two months. While in the nursery, the doctors noticed his head increasing in size, and upon close examination, he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. When he was discharged, the doctors referred the family to another hospital in their home county for treatment. His mother gathered some funds and took him to the hospital, where he was booked for clinics and waited for surgery. This continued for a few months until a doctor referred them to our medical partner’s care center for treatment. Once arrived, an urgent shunt insertion surgery was scheduled. Ramal has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result, Ramal has been experiencing an increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Ramal will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Ramal to treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 15th and will drain the excess fluid from Ramal’s brain, thus reducing intracranial pressure and greatly improving his quality of life. With proper treatment, Ramal will develop into a strong, healthy young boy as he grows. Ramal’s mother said, “This condition is something that we have never seen before. This made us worried for Ramal’s health.”