Vanna is a 66-year-old widow. She has two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. Vanna lives in Kampong Cham province in Cambodia and sells vegetables at the local market. She lives with her youngest daughter who is a garment worker at a local market. When she has free time, she enjoys joining ceremonies at the local pagoda in her village. Five years ago, Vanna developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her itchiness and tearing. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Vanna learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. Vanna needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent a recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for April 28th. Vanna said: "I hope after surgery my eye can see better and I can go back to selling at the market to support my family."

Rithy Skay is a happy first-grader from Cambodia. He lives in Phnom Penh with his parents and 3-year-old sister. His father is in the army, and his mom stays at home to look after Rithy Skay and his sister, as well as her aging parents. At school, Rithy Skay likes music class and learning to write the Khmer alphabet. He would like to be in the military when he grows up, like his dad. For the last two years, Rithy Skay has been experiencing a sore throat, snoring, and difficulty swallowing. Being frequently ill causes him to miss school, and he has lost weight in the last six months due to skipping meals because of the pain he experiences swallowing. Rithy Skay was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Fortunately, on May 8th, Rithy Skay will undergo a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, in which surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids. The surgery will relieve Rithy Skay's symptoms and help him live much more comfortably. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), requests $265 to fund this procedure. When asked about their hopes for his future, Rithy Skay's parents shared their hopes that he can be healthy and no longer have to miss school.

Gladys is a Kenyan mother of seven. She and her husband are small-scale farmers and sell potatoes to provide for their children. Currently, their income is not enough to cover their medical bills. A few weeks ago, Gladys was involved in a road accident involving a motorcycle that resulted in a degloving wound on her left leg. Degloving injuries are injuries where the upper skin and tissue layers are torn from the lower muscle or bone. Last week, she successfully underwent a wound debridement procedure, and the wound is now clean. The surgeon has recommended a skin grafting procedure to be done while the wound is still in good condition. She is appealing for financial assistance to undergo the procedure, which is scheduled for February 9th. Gladys has accumulated a huge hospital bill that she and her family have been unable to pay. As a result, she needs help raising $1,089 to fund her skin grafting procedure, which will allow her to heal quickly and attend to her children Gladys says, ”My long stay in the hospital has really worried me. I don’t know how my children are doing and that has traumatized me. Kindly help me get treatment so that I may be able to go home.”