Thoeun is 75 years old and a loving grandmother from Cambodia. She plants rice and sells traditional Khmer desserts in her free time. She is married and has two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys attending ceremonies and visiting the pagoda. Five years ago, Thoeun developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, wind, or dust and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Thoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On October 15th, Thoeun will undergo surgery to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. Her family can contribute $25, but needs help raising $273 more to fund her procedure and care. Thoeun shared, "I hope that after the surgery, the irritation and tearing in my eyes will stop and my vision will improve. I would like to go back and sell Khmer desserts."

George is a 10-year-old boy from Kenya who enjoys playing and learning new things. His mother is a casual worker who earns a small and irregular income from activities such as selling fruits. Her income is often barely enough to meet the family’s basic needs. George was born unable to perceive sound, which has made it difficult for him to make friends and participate in school. He has learned to lip read to communicate, but the limitations have left him feeling isolated in the classroom when the teacher addresses him but he cannot understand what is being asked of him. Doctors have recommended that George be fitted with hearing aids. They would give him an opportunity to improve his ability to access sound and communication, participate more meaningfully in school, interact with his peers, and communicate more easily with his mother and those around him. Fortunately, our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can help. George is scheduled to be fitted with hearing aids on October 2nd, and he and his family need your help raising $1,171 in order to fund the devices. Hearing aids could help restore George's confidence and give him renewed hope for his education and future. "The hope of one day hearing my son call me ‘Mom’ has been restored,” George’s mother shared.

Magret is 48 years old and a single mother to four boys from Malawi. She is a small-scale farmer, and sometimes she does some casual work in people's homes for additional income. Nine months ago, Magret started to experience abdominal pains, dizziness, and bleeding, which led to anemia and affected her daily activities. She has been diagnosed with uterine fibroids. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,363 to fund Magret's surgery. On July 1st, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center, Partners in Hope Medical Center. Once recovered, Magret will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Magret looks forward to enjoying life with her children, who have always been her support system in thick and thin times. She believes her boys are the reason for her living. Magret shared, "Kindly help me to get better. My symptoms have taken away my comfort and have affected my life."