27-year-old Naw Lah lives with her husband, their two year old daughter, and other members of their extended family from Burma in a refugee camp across the Thai border. Naw Lah has a small mohinga shop, where she sells the traditional Burmese fish based soup. Her husband is a leader of their church meeting group. Naw Lah is currently expecting her second child. Because she delivered her first child via a Caesarean section - and because she is currently suffering from pre-eclampsia - a dangerous elevation of her blood pressure - her doctors recommend that she deliver via a C-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Lah undergo a C-section on May 17th, at Mae Sariang Hospital. This procedure will cost $1,500, and Naw Lah needs your support to raise this money. Naw Lah said: “Thank you BCMF and donors for helping me. I would love to relocate to another country for a better future for my babies. We are waiting for the chance to go.”

Naw Mu is an elderly woman who lives in a refugee camp with her husband, daughter and grandson due to tensions between armed groups in their village. Naw Mu’s husband sells snacks at the school campus to earn some income. Prior to her eye condition, Naw Mu was a shop vendor, but she is no longer working A few years ago, Naw Mu started to notice blurry vision in both her eyes. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), conducted an eye screening in the refugee camp and their staff diagnosed her with cataracts in both eyes. Currently, Naw Mu’s left eye can perceive only light and her right eye can only see at close distances. BMCF is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for her on March 6th. During this procedure, doctors will remove Naw Mu's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Naw Mu said, “I don’t worry about the operation because it would make me better. I would love to see properly after the operation.”

Berlando is a 4-month-old baby boy from Haiti. He is the only child of a single young mother. Berlando has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Berlando has been experiencing Increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Berlando will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Berlando at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on January 26th. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Berlando's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Berlando will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. His mother is looking forward to him being able to go to school and play with other children as he grows older.

Meet Andy, a playful two year old boy, living in Kiambu county in Kenya. Andy likes to play, and while on his daily routine, he fell, and injured his right arm. He was taken to a nearby hospital, and was given antibiotics. Later, he was referred to a different hospital for further investigation. The X-rays that were done showed that Andy sustained a fracture of his right arm, and requires surgery urgently. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,224 to fund Andy's surgery, which will enable him to use his arm and hand again. The fracture repair procedure is scheduled to take place on January 19th at AIC Cure International Hospital. “I am appealing for support from well-wishers to help my son undergo surgery and continue with his normal life,” Andy's mother told us.

Rajabu is a 15-year old boy, who lives with his parents and six siblings in Tanzania. Rajabu's parents work as small scale farmers, which because of a prolonged drought, has made it difficult for them to provide for their family. Rajabu has bilateral clubfoot. He tried to attend school, but he was unable to walk the distance between his home and school without great discomfort, so he had to discontinue his education. While his parents had sought treatment for Rajabu three days after he was born, and he went through casting for three months, the family ran out of money before Rajabu could complete his treatment. They returned home, hopeful that one day they would be able to raise the money to resolve Rajabu's condition. Fortunately, Rajabu's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons with our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, will perform clubfoot repair surgery on December 15th. They are requesting $935 to fund Rajabu's procedure, after which he will be able to walk easily and to go to school without the difficulties he experiences today. Rajabu says: “I wish to walk like other children, wear shoes, and enjoy sports with my friends."

Hnin is a determined 5-year-old girl from Burma. In her free time, she likes to draw pictures. Hnin lives with her grandmother and brother in Mon State. She goes to kindergarten, her brother goes to primary school, and her grandmother is a washerwoman. Hnin's parents, who work as day laborers in Thailand, also send them money every month to help support basic needs. Hnin was born with club foot of her left leg. With the help of Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), she underwent casting at Mawlawmyine Christian Leprosy Hospital (MCLH) to straighten her foot. Hnin's family was told to bring her back when she was five years old as she would need another surgery to fully correct her clubfoot. Currently, Hnin still has a cast on her left leg. When she walks, she walks on the side of her left foot. Because of this, she cannot play on the playground or keep up with her friends. Without treatment, Hnin's condition will continue to cause her discomfort and will further limit her movement. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of surgery for Hnin, which is scheduled to take place on November 18th. This procedure will elongate her Achilles tendon, allowing increased motion at the ankle joint. Hnin said, “My left leg is so heavy with the cast, but I am not scared to have the operation on my leg. I want to have surgery."

Noah is a young boy from Ngarenanyuki, a small village in the rural parts of Arusha, Tanzania. He is a member of a big family with seven siblings. His father is a livestock keeper and at their home, the young children are responsible for helping around with light house chores. In 2021, Noah was in the kitchen with some of his siblings, and he accidentally fell into a pot of boiling water. He was badly burnt on his left side of the elbow near the chest. His parents provided first aid to Noah, because they live in a remote area, and it was hard for them to get to the nearest hospital. Noah’s wounds healed eventually, but left him with a burn scar contracture. The contractures tighten the skin around the burn area, and it is difficult to move his arm. Noah came to our center during a medical camp and was assessed to find out if he was fit for the required treatment to help with the burn scar contracture. Noah's parents cannot afford treatment and are appealing for help. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Noah receive treatment. On October 12th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to release the tightening and help him move his hand easily. Now, he needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Noah’s mother says, "I was worried that that my boy will grow up with that deformity but with what I have seen here, he is going to be better.”