Soeun is a 67-year-old rice farmer from the Prey Veng province. She is married with two sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. Currently, she lives with her husband and three of her grandchildren. These days she has very little free time, but when she does have some time to herself, she likes to go to her local village pagoda to pray. About one year ago, Soeun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision and sensitivity to light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus is unable to travel on her own. When Soeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 8th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Soeun needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She said, "I hope my vision improves, and I can do housework, take care of my grandchildren, and get around easily by myself."

Hoy is a 64-year-old retired Khmer cake seller from Cambodia. Sadly, Hoy's husband passed away during the Khmer Rouge. She has two sons, three daughters, and five grandchildren, and her children support her. She enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio and joining ceremonies at the pagoda in her free time. Three years ago, Hoy developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Hoy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 15th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help raising $253 to fund her procedure and care. Hoy shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, do housework and visit our local pagoda by myself."

Shallot is a 28-year-old female farmer living in Southwestern Uganda. Her husband and three stepsons live on a small piece of land, where they raise crops to support themselves. The income generated from their farm helps pay for school tuition from her stepsons. Ten years ago, Shallot began to experience troubling symptoms, including substantial swelling around her neck. The village where Shallot lives is very remote, taking over two weeks for her to travel in order to seek medical care. However, six months ago, her symptoms worsened. She started experiencing neck stiffness and numbness and began having difficulty speaking and breathing. She visited several different health facilities. After multiple tests, she was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid gland with nodules within it. Surgery was recommended, but Shallot was unable to move forward with the procedure due to a lack of funds. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Shallot receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 24th at AMH's care center, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The procedure will cost $252 and dramatically improve Shallot's life. Shallot says, “I need your support, and I hope my health will get better after surgery.”