Reaksmey is a 38-year-old rice farmer and musician from Cambodia. He is married and his wife works in a garment factory. The couple has two daughters, ages 19 and 13. In November 2014, Reaksmey was in a motor vehicle accident that caused a fracture of both hips. After the accident, he visited a government hospital where doctors fixated hardware to heal the fractures. Now that the fractures are healed, the hardware needs to be removed to prevent future complications. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On November 16th, Reaksmey will undergo a hardware removal procedure. After the procedure, he will be fully recovered from his accident. Now, he needs help raising $304 to fund his procedure and care. Reaksmey shared, "I hope I can recover quickly so I can return to work to support my family."

Meet Katweensly, a 16 year old student, living with her mother and siblings in a small town in Haiti, near the border with the Dominican Republic. Katweensly, who is a junior in high school, particularly enjoys her math and science classes. As a young child, Katweensly suffered a bout of rheumatic fever, which damaged one of the four valves in her heart. As a result, her heart cannot pump blood efficiently through her body, leaving her feeling weak and short of breath. Thanks to the help of our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, Katweensly is scheduled to travel to the Dominican Republic for surgery, which is scheduled for November 10th, at Hospital CEDIMAT. There, doctors will first try to repair the damaged valve. If they are unable to do this, they will implant an artificial valve. Another organization, Mitral Foundation, is helping supporting the cost of the surgery, but Katweensly's family needs an additional $1,500 to pay for lab tests, medicines, and follow up appointments that are a part of her overall treatment. In addition, support will help cover the travel costs and ensure a social worker from Haiti Cardiac Alliance can support the family during treatment in the Dominican Republic. Katweensly said: "I am feeling very happy to finally have the chance to have my heart repaired after waiting for so long."

Vibol is a 38-year-old farmer from Cambodia. He is married and has one son and one daughter who are students at the local public school. He and his wife work as rice farmers and own several cattle. Vibol used to work in construction, but switched to farming after his accident. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, fishing, and listening to the news on the radio. Ten years ago, Vibol fell off of scaffolding while working in construction. He fractured his mandible and both legs in several places. He had an open reduction internal fixation procedure, but has developed subtalar arthritis secondary to the fracture of his left heel bone. He experiences chronic pain in the foot, is unable to walk well, and has difficulty helping his family. When Vibol learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 14th, surgeons at CSC will perform a subtalar fusion of the left heel. After surgery, he will be able to walk without pain and work to support his family. Now, Vibol needs help raising $600 to fund his procedure and care. Vibol shared, "I am in pain and feel helpless because I cannot do many things. I hope to walk again to support my wife and children."

Sem is a 61-year-old rice farmer from Kampong Speu province. She is married with three sons, one daughter, and seven precious grandchildren. She lives with her husband and her youngest son, who are both rice farmers. In addition, her husband likes to fix houses in the off-season to make extra money for their family. At home, she likes to listen to the monks pray on the radio, and help to care for her grandchildren. One year ago, Sem developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her difficulty seeing in bright or low lights, and blurry vision. Sem shared she has trouble doing simple household tasks because of her poor eyesight. When Sem learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 6th, doctors will perform phacoemulsification cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sem said: "I hope after surgery I can see again. I want to go outside to help my family plant rice and cook for them again."

Kidus is a five-month-old baby from Ethiopia who is his parents' first child. Some of his favorite activities include breast feeding and playing with his mother. His parents are both students and farmers. They earn their income by selling fruits from their farm; however, the weather in their area is very sunny and their land is dry, which makes their harvest limited. Kidus was born with an anorectal malformation, a congenital condition that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. He needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate bowel dysfunction. Kidus recently underwent a colostomy, an intestinal procedure that inserts a colostomy bag. His parents share that paying for this surgery was very difficult. They had to borrow the money from individual loaners, and it has been difficult for them to repay it. In the middle of these challenging times, they heard about our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, and their care center, BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Kidus's parents decided to seek financial assistance so he could complete the series of surgeries he needs. Kidus is now scheduled to undergo surgery to correct his condition on August 17th. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Kidus's procedure and care. After his recovery, Kidus will no longer experience bowel dysfunction and will be able to live more comfortably and confidently. Kidus's dad says, “We were happy that we got this opportunity. We hope that our child will get the treatment and make stool just like other people.”

Hser is a 38-year-old woman who lives with her parents in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. She and her family fled there many years ago from Karen State in Burma because of civil war. Hser is now a high school teacher in the refugee camp, and she earns 1,000 baht (approx. 33 USD) per month. Hser used to teach groups of students at their home due to Covid restrictions that closed schools in July 2021, but all home teaching was also stopped in September 2021 when Covid cases increased in the refugee camp. Since then, Hser teaches students online, but many of her students cannot afford to pay for mobile data to study from their family’s mobile phones. Since late 2019, Hser has been experiencing pain in the right side of her abdomen every day, especially at night. She says that she has lost her appetite and has lost some weight because of this. She feels like the mass is gradually increasing in size and feels more comfortable lying down then sitting. She also feels tired when she walks. She has been diagnosed with an ovarian tumour, and has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, which involves surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Hser's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Hser is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on November 9th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, this treatment will help Hser to live free from pain and she has hope that she'll be able to live her life happily with her parents in the future. Hser said, “I love being a teacher and when I have recovered, I will continue to teach. My parents worry about me a lot and they want me to receive surgery as soon as possible. They are stressed about my condition, but I do not want to feel stressed because stress cannot help me feel better. So even though I cannot eat a lot, I try to eat as much as I can to stay strong.”

Peace is a farmer and a mother of five girls who are all married and practice small-scale farming to earn a living. Peace and her husband also earn their living through small-scale farming. The family is not in a financial position to cater for the surgery Peace needs and are appealing for financial assistance. Ten years ago, Peace began to experience troubling symptoms, including an anterior neck swelling, persistent headache, losing breath, drowsiness, and a lot more swelling at night. She was diagnosed with multiple nodular goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Peace receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 12th 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. Peace says, "I sometimes fail to breathe so well at night. I hope the surgery will change that."

Samuel is a shy and cautious 18-month-old boy. He is the youngest child in a family of two children. His older sibling is 13 years old and a student in primary school. His mother is a housewife, while his father is a teacher at a local primary school. In April 2020, immediately after he was born, Samuel was unable to pass stool and was admitted to a local health facility for further evaluation. Since then, he has visited the hospital often for follow-up and has had several procedures to improve his condition. However, he is still unable to pass stool and needs ileostomy surgery to treat his condition. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Samuel to receive treatment. On November 4th, doctors will perform a colostomy procedure and bring Samuel's intestine through his abdomen to form a stoma. This will allow Samuel to pass stool. Now, Samuel's family needs help raising $1,152 to fund his procedure and care. Samuel father shared, "our kid is straining a lot. His life is in danger if not attended to."

Saitabau is a fifteen-year-old student. He's the second born out of four children from their mother who passed away three years ago. Saitabau is a hard-working boy who is currently in class three and his best subject is mathematics. Saitabau was diagnosed with bilateral genu valgus. His knees tilt inward and his ankles are far apart. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Saitabau's legs have worsened, making walking exhausting, painful and difficult for him. He has trouble walking to school and playing sports, which he loves to do. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Saitabau. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 9th. Treatment will hopefully restore Saitabau's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Saitabau says “Walking to school has now become very difficult because I feel pain on my knees and I get tired easily."

Nalis is an 18-year-old student in 12th grade. When he is not studying, Nalis likes to play football and play games on his phone. He lives in the main city in Cambodia with his brother, while the rest of his family lives in a different province, so he often visits his mother on weekends. Four years ago, Nalis developed nasal polyps, which are noncancerous growths in the nasal passage lining. As a result, he experiences difficulty breathing, headaches, and frequent nasal infections. He feels unwell most of the time and has lost his sense of smell. Nalis tried medicine from a local pharmacy, but it has not helped relieve his symptoms. When Nalis learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled there hoping to have treatment. On December 15th, doctors will perform a nasal polypectomy to remove the polyps. After recovery, he will be able to breathe easily. CSC is requesting $291 to fund his procedure. Nalis shared, "I hope after surgery, I can breathe better and be able to concentrate on my studies."

Neang is a 38-year-old tuk-tuk driver. Neang comes from Kompong Speu Province in Cambodia. Since his father passed away ten years ago, Neang has decided to stay with his mother to take care of her. He also has five siblings that live in his area, and many nieces and nephews. When he is not working, he enjoys playing sports, cooking for his mother, and visiting his siblings. In 2008, Neang was involved in a motor vehicle accident that caused a fracture of his right femur. He visited a government hospital after the accident, where doctors fixated hardware to heal the fracture. The hardware has recently become infected and exposed. It has become difficult for Neang to walk, and he is experiencing chronic pain and discomfort. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On November 9th, Neang will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $230. This procedure will allow his leg to heal and help him walk easily again. Neang said, "I hope my leg can heal quickly, so that I can work again and make sure my mother is cared for."

Yvonne is a 15-year-old student and the youngest in a family of two children. She's in grade eight in primary school. Her favorite subjects in school are social studies and mathematics. She enjoys reading and would like to be a lawyer in the future. Her mother is a single mom and works as a farmer. Yvonne has clubfoot of her left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Yvonne receive treatment. She traveled to visit AMH's care center, where, on November 22nd, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery. After treatment, she will be able to walk without pain, wear shoes, and her self-esteem will improve. Now, AMH is requesting $1,286 to fund Yvonne's procedure and care. Yvonne shared, "please help me undergo the surgery. I hope after this, I will be able to walk normally like others with no pain. I will be very grateful."