Revania is an 8-month-old baby. She is the firstborn and an only child, bringing much joy to her parents. Her parents are trying their best to provide for their baby, but their income is dependent on the unpredictability of agriculture in Tanzania, where they live. Revania has clubfoot of both of her feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Revania's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on December 2nd. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Revania's surgery. After treatment, she will be able to grow up healthy and active. Revania’s mother says, “It was scary at first not knowing how to help my daughter, but I wish she will get better.”

Stevenson is a 26-year-old man from Haiti. He lives in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince with his parents and several siblings. Stevenson had been attending university, studying for a business degree, when poor health forced him to leave school. When he was a child, Stevenson developed rheumatic fever, which has resulted in rheumatic mitral valve prolapse. This condition has meant that one of Stevenson's heart valves is unable to pump sufficient blood through his body, leaving him weak and short of breath. Thanks to our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, Stevenson will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on September 27th, surgeons at Hospital CEDIMAT will perform surgery to remove the damaged valve, and implant an artificial one. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $8,000 to pay for Stevenson's surgery. But Stevenson's family also needs your help to fund the $1,500 to cover the cost of labs, medicines, and follow up appointments, as well as for the passports and the social workers, who will accompany the family to the Dominican Republic. Stevenson shared, "I feel very lucky to have this chance to finally have my heart healed!"

Kay is 43-year-old woman and garment factory worker. She lives alone on the border of Thailand and Burma. Kay supports her parents in Burma by sending them money every month. In her free time, she enjoys reading books about Buddhism. In the middle of 2021, Kay began experiencing pain and abnormal bleeding. By September of 2022, the pain and symptoms had worsened. Kay has been diagnosed with myoma, or a noncancerous growth in the uterus. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, which would surgically remove her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Kay's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Kay is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on September 19th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer experience pain or abnormal bleeding. She will be able to go back to work, and to continue supporting her family. “When I recover fully, I will continue to work in the garment factory. I will save my money and I will pay back my debt. I will try to continue supporting my parents,” said Kay.

Saw Hsar is a 21-year-old man who lives with his mother, stepfather, and sister in a refugee camp in Hong Son Province. He used to live with his father in Burma, but he moved back to live with his mother in 2018 and hoped to receive treatment for an eye injury. His stepfather is a homemaker, while his mother weaves traditional Karen sarongs to sell. Saw Hsar stopped studying after he graduated from grade four, when he injured his eye. Currently, he is unemployed. In 2018, Saw Hsar began to experience blurry vision, and an inability to clearly see the objects around him. While he is comfortable moving around in his home, he needs someone with him when he leaves home, as he is afraid of tripping over unseen objects in his way, given his increasing inability to see clearly. Saw Hsar was diagnosed with a detached retina, which means that his retina has pulled away from the supporting tissue in his eye. Without the proper treatment, Saw Hsar could completely lose the vision in his eye. Saw Hsar is scheduled to undergo surgery to reattach his retina on September 3rd, at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of Saw Hsar's procedure and care. After surgery, Saw Hsar's vision will hopefully be restored, and he will be able to resume his daily activities without his current limitations. He said, “I would like to see clearly like before. In the future, I will find a job and earn a living. I want to grow rice or vegetables on a farm, save money and support my family.”

Chhorn is a 56-year-old rice and vegetable farmer from Cambodia. He is married and has three sons and one daughter. Two of his sons are married and work in construction. Chhorn enjoys talking with friends, listening to the news on the radio, and watching TV. Two years ago, Chhorn began experiencing hip pain and is now unable to walk. He has avascular necrosis of the right and left hip, meaning a lack of blood supply is causing the death of the bone tissue in his hips. Fortunately, a neighbor told Chhorn about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). At CSC's care center, surgeons will perform a total hip replacement to relieve Chhorn of his pain and allow him to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for July 20th. Chhorn needs help raising $1,118 to pay for this procedure. Chhorn says, "I hope I can walk without pain after my surgery."

Miriam is a hardworking 52-year-old woman who finds work as a laborer or doing housework. She is a single mother of six children and cares for her family single-handedly. Due to the lack of help, it was not easy for Miriam to give her children a good education. However, two of her kids are still in school and one works selling phone covers in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. At the beginning of June, Miriam started having concerning symptoms. After seeking medical help, Miriam was diagnosed with having multiple fibroids, meaning she has multiple tumors growing on her uterus. In order to eliminate her condition, she needs to undergo a hysterectomy–a procedure where surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $755 to fund Miriam's surgery. On July 1st, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Miriam will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Miriam shared, “I have always been okay, but this bleeding shocked me. I kindly ask for help so that I can be confident in my life tomorrow. My children depend fully on me for their support and guidance. I hope to have successful surgery so that I can get well and be there for my children.”

Ko Kyaw lives with his wife and two daughters in the border region of Tak Province in Thailand. He is a homemaker while his wife works as a day laborer. He plans to send his older daughter to a Thai school in the new school year, but his younger daughter is still too young to go to school. In early 2021, Kyaw was still living in his village in Myawaddy Township in Burma but it has been a very challenging time for his community ever since the military coup. He and his wife were injured in an emergency involving the local soldiers who came to their area. Luckily other villagers came to their rescue and Kyaw was treated for fractures on both his upper and lower leg, where a metal rod was inserted to help him heal. Now the bone in his thigh is misshapen and doctors have diagnosed osteomyelitis (infected bone). His doctor told him that in order to heal, he would need to have the metal rods replaced in both his upper and lower leg. Currently, Kyaw’s left leg is in a lot of pain. He can only bend his leg slightly and needs to use crutches to get around. With his leg in pain, Ko Kyaw spends most of his time helping out with household chores he can do and teaching his oldest daughter how to read and write in Burmese. He feels frustrated that since his leg was broken, he cannot support his family. Our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund is helping to pay the cost of his treatment and is raising $1500 to cover his surgery, which will take place on May 10th. “I feel upset that I cannot support my family as the head of the house,” he said. “We only have my wife’s income. We do not have our own house to live in. I want to say a lot of things but I cannot express what I want to say. I never thought that I would lose my house, my possessions and that my leg would be in pain.”

Stefano is a 5-year-old child from Tanzania. Stefano’s parents are small-scale farmers and livestock keepers. They are not able to afford their son’s treatment costs thus they are asking for help. When we first met Stefano he was having difficulty walking and it was challenging for him to do day-to-day tasks. He looked tired despite being carried on her mother’s back. Stefano has needed support from the hospital to get healthy enough for surgery and has been receiving care since last November. He now is healthy enough to undergo surgery for his leg condition. Stefano was diagnosed with windswept deformity. His legs bow so that the knees appear windswept. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, he has a difficult time walking and experiences pain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Stefano. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 22nd. Treatment will hopefully restore Stefano's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Stefano’s mother shared in her language, “Mchugaji alituambia tunaweza kupata msaada wa matibabu kwa ajili yam toto wetu hapa.” Meaning: "The pastor told us our son could get treatment help from here."

Saumu is a three-year-old girl from Tanzania. Saumu is the second born child in a family of three children. She has a twin brother by the name of Ramadhani. They love playing together though Saumu's mother shared that Saumu has a hard time keeping up with her brother due to her health condition. Both of Saumu's parents are small-scale farmers who get their daily food from what they harvest. Her father also seeks day jobs which helps to get a little additional money to support his family. Saumu has been diagnosed with Genu Varus, where her legs are bowed outward so that her knees do not touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she cannot walk well. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Saumu. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 15th. Treatment will hopefully restore Saumu's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Saumus’s mother says, “Please help my daughter she is struggling to walk.”