Meet David, a 29-year-old boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) rider from Kenya. He and his wife have two children. David's income supports their family, but he was recently injured in a hit-and-run accident that compromised his mobility. David was driving his boda-boda when he was hit by another car. An x-ray revealed that he fractured his right leg and dislocated his right ankle. David has a cast on his leg and uses crutches to walk. He needs to undergo surgery to heal. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On December 15th, David will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Once he fully recovers from his treatment, David will be able to walk again and take care of his family. AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. David says, "I rely on my legs to ride my motorbike. This is how I feed my family. With this fracture, I am unable to work and provide for them. Therefore, I appeal for your support."

Souty is a 14-year-old student from Cambodia. He has three brothers and one sister. He lives with his siblings, his grandfather, and his mother in Kampong Cham province. His father works in Thailand in a factory and sends money home to support the family. Souty attends public school and enjoys playing football with his friends. Since Souty was a small child, he has not been able to hear out of his right ear. For three years, he has also had frequent fevers and ear discharge from his left ear, due to an ear infection. The infection caused the tympanic membrane (the ear drum) in his left ear to perforate. Souty suffers from almost total hearing loss because of the poor hearing in his right ear combined with the problems in his left ear. This makes it difficult for him to attend school or understand the teacher. He shared that he feels embarrassed and has been held back in school for several years. Souty and his mother traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On November 22nd, he will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in his left ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Souty's mother said: "Souty wants to go to school and be like other boys. I hope he can get his hearing back so he can communicate well with others."

Kon is a 51-year-old rice farmer. He is married and lives with his wife who is a garment worker in a local factory. Since he can no longer work in the rice fields due to limited vision, he enjoys listening to the news on the radio at home. He feels ashamed that he cannot work on the farm to supplement their income. One year ago, Kon developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him light sensitivity and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Kon learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On October 24th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery which will break up the cataract with ultrasound, irrigate the eye, and remove the cataract through suction. Then they will implant a new lens in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Kon shared: "I hope that after surgery I can see better and be able to recognize faces. I want to be able to plant rice well again."

Titus is a hardworking 24-year-old from Kenya. He is the only child to his single mother, who sells tea and porridge at the market. Due to their financial situation, Titus was compelled to drop out of high school and do casual labor jobs to support his mother. Together with his mother, they live in his uncles’ home who is a small-scale farmer. Titus also helps his uncle with farm work. A month ago, Titus fell at work and his hand was cut by a sharp object. Titus went to a nearby facility where his wound was sutured because the fracture was open, and a splint was applied in order to stabilize the fracture. Now he cannot work using his hand and therefore he depends entirely on his mother. When he realized that there was no improvement of his injury, Titus visited a nearby facility where he was referred to our medical partner's care center Kapsowar Hospital. On physical examination, the surgeon told him that he required an urgent surgery in order to repair his tendon and fix his fracture which had taken time to heal. Titus has no medical insurance and is worried about how he can pay for the care he needs. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On September 27th, Titus will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Titus will be able to go back to his work and continue to earn a living. He will be able to assist his mother. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $941 to fund this procedure. Titus says, “I get my income through working with my hands. Now that I cannot use them, I feel so bad. I don’t want to burden my mother who is also struggling. Kindly help me.”

Myo is a 14-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents in a village in Karen State. His mother is a homemaker who is currently eight months pregnant. His father is a subsistence farmer, but he also works as a day laborer to earn money. Myo is in grade six and he enjoys playing football in his free time. Two years ago, Myo developed a pain in his arm which he noticed while playing football with his friends. Right away he was in a lot of pain, but his arm did not look broken. At first, the pain lessened, but gradually the pain worsened and his upper left forearm became swollen. Myo could also feel a mass under the swollen area of his left forearm. Myo and his father went to Chiang Mai Hospital, where he received a MRI and other tests, as well as a biopsy which confirmed that the tumor in his forearm was cancer. Now he needs surgery to remove the tumor, and he will need a chemo after surgery. The enlarged mass in Myo's left forearm has not increased in size, and only causes him pain when he lifts something heavy or when he does any physical activity with that arm such as washing his clothes or cleaning. Although he can take a shower by himself, using only his right arm makes it challenging. When he plays with his friends, he needs to protect his left forearm to prevent getting hurt. Myo's family sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. He is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 8th, and his family needs help funding the $1,500 cost to cover his procedure and care. He said, “I feel sorry for my mother and I pity her that she has to stay alone with the new baby. I also feel sad that I cannot go to school this year. I want to recover quickly and go back to see my brother and mother.”

Sineth is an active 19-month-old toddler. He has an older brother and older sister and enjoys playing with toys and singing along with videos of children's songs. His favorite activity is taking naps on his mother's lap. His parents are rice farmers in Kampong Speu Province in southern Cambodia. Sineth was born with congenital stenosing tenosynovitis - also known as trigger finger - in both of his thumbs. It is a condition in which the finger gets stuck in a bent position. The tendons - tough bands of tissue that connect muscles and bones in the thumb - have an abnormal flexion. Sineth is not able to grasp objects and it is painful when his mother tries to straighten his thumbs. Fortunately, a villager told his parents that our partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can fix Sineth's fingers, so they traveled two and half hours for diagnosis and treatment. Now, his parents need help to pay the $572 cost of surgery. This includes surgical costs, medications, and post-operative care. Sineth's mother said: "I hope that the doctors can fix my baby's fingers so he can hold things, and will grow up to have normal hands."

Davin is a 10-year-old 3rd grade student. He has three older brothers and one older sister. Davin's parents are rice and lemongrass root farmers. Davin told us how much he enjoys playing football. Two years ago, Davin had a severe ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. Now, Davin experiences ear pain, discharge, hearing loss, and tinnitus. He has difficulty hearing his teacher or classmates and is often absent from school due to his ear pain. Fortunately, on June 1st, Davin will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Davin's parents say, "I hope his hearing improves and he can enjoy school again."