Pov is a 74-year-old grandmother. She has two sons, three daughters, and eight grandchildren. Pov lives with her son who works as a delivery driver. She enjoys playing with her grandchildren and listening to monks pray on the radio. Two years ago, Pov developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her photophobia, itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking. For this reason, she is not able to go places on her own. When Pov learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled there seeking treatment. On September 14th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs your help to fund this $253 procedure. Pov says, "I hope after surgery my vision improves so I can get around easily on my own."

Jackline is a loving mother and 29-year-old who works in a saloon near her town. She is a mother of one girl who is in nursery school. Jackline is married and her husband operates a motorcycle taxi. The family shares a double room and, together, Jackline and her husband provide for the basic needs of their family. Three years ago, Jackline began to experience troubling symptoms, including anterior neck swelling and later started having breathing difficulties. She was diagnosed with nodular goitre. She has been to various hospital and in one of the facility, she was requested to pay over $800 which she could not raise. However, she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Jackline receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 2nd at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Jackline says, “my only hope of getting better again is the surgery for which I request your kind support."

Sharon is a 23-year-old small-scale farmer from Kenya. She is married with two children, aged four years and one year old. Sharon and her husband grow and sell vegetables and take on casual labor jobs to help supplement their income. They have a three-room house for their family. A week ago, Sharon was grazing her sheep when she tripped on a root. She was located on a hill and fell from a high distance causing her to fracture her right leg. Unable to walk or stand, some neighbors heard her call for help and rushed her to the hospital. Sharon was experiencing severe pain, swelling, and skin traction on her right lower leg. She underwent an x-ray, which showed that she had a fracture on her right femur. She also underwent skeletal traction to realign the bone and keep it in place until she could undergo surgery. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On November 29th, Sharon will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation, to mend her right femur and allow her to move again. AMH is requesting $1145 to fund this procedure. Sharon says: “It’s so unfortunate that I broke my leg at a time when my children needed me the most. I am now forced to stop breastfeeding my son, who is still young, but I am grateful as I am still alive. I need your help, and I believe that someday things will get back to normal, and I will be able to be there for my family.”

Hsa is an 18-year-old living with his parents, three brothers and a sister, in Burma. Two of his siblings are still in school, while the remainder of his family work as subsistence farmers. Hsa, however, is currently unemployed, and enjoys playing various sports with his friends. Hsa has cataracts in both of his eyes, making it difficult for him to see clearly. Thanks to assistance from our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Hsa is scheduled for cataract surgery on October 11th, at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. During the surgery, doctors will replace Hsa's own lenses with intraocular implants, enabling Hsa to live a more independent life. Now, Hsa needs your help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Hsa said: "I wish to see again so that I can look after myself. Then my family will no longer need to assist me with everything."

Joseph is a 15-year-old student from Kenya. His mother passed away when he was three, and his grandparents brought up Joseph. They practice small-scale farming to support the family. Joseph just completed his KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education). As a cultural norm, once a boy finishes primary school, he undergoes circumcision before joining secondary school. During this process, the doctor determined that Joseph has hypospadias, a birth condition that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, Joseph will experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility and cancer as he grows older. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Joseph receive treatment. On December 15th, he will undergo surgery to heal his birth condition. AMH is requesting $710 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Joseph’s grandfather shared: "We have taken care of my grandchild who has no parents. After my daughter died, we tried our best to take him to primary school, and now we were hoping to have him go through the circumcision. I am still worried after what the doctor told us. Kindly help him have this correction surgery so that we can see him mature."

Kenenitu is a young child from Ethiopia. She is a beautiful baby who loves playing with other children. She developed bowel obstruction and an emergency colostomy surgery was done at our medical partner's care center BKMCM. The condition and care has been challenging for Kenenitu and her mother who has been affected psychologically. Kenenitu's mother is a single mom with four children. Her brother stepped in to help raise the children as her husband has left without support. Before giving birth to Kenenitu, her mother used to make injera, an Ethiopian cuisine, for a living. Currently, she is not working. The family received logistical support from an NGO to arrive at the hospital and Kenenitu's mother is staying at another NGO in Addis Ababa for medical follow-up and accommodation. Due to their financial situation, the family cannot afford the medical bills for Kenenitu's treatment. Kenenitu's mother has struggled emotionally with her daughter's condition. She said, "I wondered what was going to happen to her. I used to cry a lot and I was not in my normal mental condition. But when I heard that she could be treated, my hope was restored and I felt better." Kenenitu was born with an anorectal malformation, a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. She needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction. Kenenitu is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on December 20th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Kenenitu's procedure and care. After her recovery, Kenenitu will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Kenenitu's mother said, "After receiving treatment, I hope she will start making stool... I want to take her to school and educate her."

Juliana is a studious teenage girl from the Philippines. She loves to read and watch TV shows. She lives with her mother and her younger brother. Her mother brings food to the table by working as a vendor. In October 2022, Juliana began to experience troubling symptoms, including palpable mass on her neck, excessive sweating, easy fatigability, and episodes of feverish feeling. Worried about her condition, her mother brought her to our partner care facility to be checked. There, she was advised to undergo a series of tests. She was diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma, which develops when cells change or mutate and multiply in the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Juliana receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 16th at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $890 to cover the cost of Juliana's procedure and care. Juliana tearfully shared, "I never expected to have this condition at this very young age. Gladly, there are foundations like you that are willing to help people like me. Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines, thank you! Please continue helping those in need."

Dennis is a farmer from Kenya, who is happily married and a father of two boys. Together with his wife and children they live in semi-permanent houses and are small-scale potato farmers. When they can get work, they do casual jobs in the neighborhood in order to earn a living. They are a young family who shared that life is often hard for them. They have no medical coverage nor money to fund the surgery that Dennis needs. Dennis came in on Friday after being cut with a machete. He went to the operating theatre for emergency care. Later on, Dennis was splinted and admitted into the surgical ward to help him heal. Three days later, he was seen and examined by the surgeon, who is deeply concerned about his recovery. The surgeon recommended follow-up care that is needed right away to avoid serious, permanent damage to Dennis' hand. Dennis is at risk of losing his arm if not treated immediately. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Dennis receive treatment. On December 7th, surgeons at their care center will perform surgery so that Dennis will be able to use his arm, work and provide for his young family. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,089 procedure. Dennis says, “I am my family provider who does a lot of casual jobs and farming to earn a living. I am really worried about my current state. Kindly help me so that I can be able to use hand normally as before.”

Gebre is a ten-year-old boy who lives with his family in Ethiopia. He loves playing football with his friends, and eating injera (a traditional Ethiopian food.) Gebre's father is a farmer, but as he is currently unwell, he can no longer work and maintain his family financially. Instead, Gebre’s two older brothers support the family. One brother works as a teacher, while the other brother manages the family farm. However, the area of Ethiopia where the family lives is significantly affected by war and poor climate, and their whole community currently needs support the government and from local NGOs for survival and basic needs. Gebre was born with an anorectal malformation, which is a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. In November 2022, Gebre had a colostomy, to prepare him for the additional procedures he will need to resolve his condition. Gebre is now scheduled to undergo surgery on December 6th, at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Gebre's procedure and care. After his recovery, Gebre will no longer experience bowel dysfunction, or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Gebre's brother says: “I hope my brother gets as normal as other boys. I hope he will be educated and have a bright future.”

Grace is a farmer, living in Kenya. She is married, and has nine children. With the assistance of some of her children, Grace works the land, and can sometimes produce enough maize to sell, although her earnings have not been sufficient to enable her children to remain in school. Grace's husband is unable to work due to a chronic illness, so the family relies on whatever income Grace can bring in, along with the limited earnings that her older children contribute from the casual jobs that they do. She shared that only one of her children was able to complete high school due to school fees. Four years ago Grace began to experience a constellation of symptoms, including severe headaches, chest pains and difficulty swallowing. She has also developed a swelling in her neck. She managed to raise enough funds to pay for tests at the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a non-toxic multinodular goiter. The doctors told Grace that she would require surgery to resolve her condition, and to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Grace access the treatment that she requires. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 19th at AIC Kapsowar Hospital, during which surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $936, and Grace and her family need your help to raise the necessary funds. Grace says: "I have been so weak and tired lately. I cannot do a lot of work, and my children cannot get their basic needs met without me. I am really worried, but I have hope that someday everything will be well. Kindly help me so that I may be able to provide for my children."

Sue is a 25-year-old woman living with her husband, mother and child in a camp for internally displaced people and refugees in Thailand. Both Sue and her husband are unemployed, and the family depends upon the rations that they receive from the organizations that support the camp. Five months ago Sue noticed that her abdomen was swelling. At first she thought that she might be pregnant, but other symptoms started to emerge. She was able to receive an ultrasound at the hospital, which showed that there is a large tumor growing on her ovary. As the tumor may prove to be cancerous, the doctors told Sue that she would need to have both of her ovaries and her uterus surgically removed. Sue sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, and she is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 23rd at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. Her family is seeking $1,500 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. Sue said: "I wish my condition will get better so that I can spend more time with my daughter and mother, and my husband in the future." Her husband also shared: "I feel pity on my wife when I see she is in pain and cannot sleep. I am stressed about her condition, but now I feel released of worry when I heard that she is going to receive surgery soon. Thank you to Burma Children Medical Fund and all the donors for helping my wife."

Cleophas is a 23-year-old farmer and student from a Kenyan family of eleven. He is studying at a technical training institute, and grows potatoes to help him pay his school fees. His wife is also a student taking an information technology course at the same institute, and they have a 2-year-old son. When schools are in session, they live in a rental house near their school, but during the holiday they stay at home and focus on farming as it is their main source of income. Cleophas was preparing timber for repair of their maize store, when one of the timbers fell on his leg and injured him. The heavy timber broke his leg, and when he was examined, he had a large wound on his left leg with tendons and proximal tibia exposed. He was rushed to theatre for incision and drainage and his fracture was stabilized with a long leg posterior splint. Now Cleophas is unable to use his swollen and painful leg. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 8th, Cleophas will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Cleophas will no longer be in pain, he will be able to use his leg and work to provide for family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,145 to fund this medical procedure. Cleophas says, "I am the sole bread winner in the family. Sometimes I give a helping hand to my parents so that my siblings can study. I feel so sorry for myself now that I cannot use my limb. Please help me so that my family may not suffer.”