Lopiro is a 15-year-old boy from Tanzania. His father is a livestock keeper who has two wives, which is common in their culture, and six children. Due to their remote location, Lopiro has been unable to attend school. He has been living with thoracic kyphoscoliosis and bilateral genu valgus for the past five years, which has severely impacted his mobility and prevented him from participating in community activities. Bilateral genu valgus means that his legs bow inwards. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, It is difficult for him to walk long distances and experiences considerable discomfort due to the abnormal gait he has developed. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery scheduled on June 27th. Treatment will hopefully restore Lopiro's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Lopiro says, "My legs have been causing me a lot of pain when I try to help at home. I hope this treatment will reduce the discomfort I feel when I walk."

Panha is a 5-year-old kindergartener who lives in Kampong Cham with his parents and two sisters. His parents work in a nearby clothing factory, and Panha is the middle child. He loves drawing and watching Tom and Jerry on his mom's phone. His favorite meal is fish soup and sugarcane juice. Three months ago, Panha began experiencing a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. He is losing weight, and unable to sleep well from the pain. Panha was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Panha, which is scheduled to take place on September 21st. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Panha of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. His mom shared, "I hope Panha can eat and drink normally, and return to school without feeling unwell."

Saw Htoo is an 11-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his parents, 4 brothers and a sister in a refugee camp, in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. His parents fled to the camp from Karen State, Burma, due to the civil war in 2010. Saw Htoo is in grade 4 and his favorite subject is English. His father used to work as a day laborer before travel restrictions were imposed on camp residents after the outbreak of covid-19. Since then, both of Saw Htoo’s parents are homemakers. Although they receive a small monthly cash card to purchase food in the camp, as well as free basic health care and education, they struggle to make ends meet. For the past 5 years, Saw Htoo has been brought frequently to the hospital in the camp due to having urine in his blood. He has also experienced pain while going to the bathroom, developed a fever and pain in his bladder area. He received an ultrasound, an x-ray of his kidney, ureter and bladder (KUB) and an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and was diagnosed with a renal stone in his right renal pelvis. At a follow-up appointment in August 2023, he received another IVP which indicated that the stone was increasing in size and doctors recommended Saw Htoo have surgery to remove the stone. Saw Htoo has been experiencing pain in his back, and he often needs to take leave from school because of the pain. Fortunately, our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) can help. Saw Htoo is scheduled for surgery on September 8th, and BCMF is asking for help to raise $1,500 to fund the procedure. Saw Htoo said, “I want to become a football player [in the future] because I love to play football.”