Vanna is a 18-year-old monk from Cambodia. He is an only child and lives in Prey Veng province; he resides at a local temple to learn and practice Buddhism. His mother and his father are farmers and grow rice nearby. He spends his time learning daily rituals, meditation practices, and communal activities. In November 2022, he was in a motorbike collision and fractured his left femur. He went to a private clinic in his province where doctors inserted a metal plate to secure the bone and support healing. Now, the bone is united and he would like the hardware removed. This procedure will remove the nagging ache he still has in his leg. Vanna believes that metal in the body can interfere with the flow of energy and cause health problems such as headaches, fatigue, or joint pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 12th, Vanna will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $304. He hopes to walk unaided and return to his duties at the pagoda soon. Vanna said: "I hope the hardware will be removed easily and the wound will quickly heal."

Mongkol is a 3-year-old boy - the youngest child in his family with two older siblings - one sister and one brother. He lives in Kampong Cham province with his parents who are both rice farmers. At home, he likes to play with toy cars, keep up with his older siblings, and eat bananas. Mongkol has strabismus in both eyes, a condition he was born with, although older children can develop it too. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye caused by injury or dysfunction in the associated nerves and muscles. It is difficult for him to see well. This is because his eyes don't focus together on the same object and each eye sends a different picture to the brain. Mongkol traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 3rd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to align his eyes. Now, Mongkol needs help to raise $331 to fund this procedure. His parents shared: "We hope after surgery Mongol's eyes look like other children's eyes and he can see better when he goes to school. We do not want children to make fun of him."

Salome, who is 59 years old, is a mother of three adult children. She lives with one of her sons in the Dandora, an urban slum area in Nairobi, Kenya, where she sells vegetables from a small grocery store that she owns. Salome has some abnormal tissue growth in her cervix. As a result, she began noticing bloodstains in February 2023 and went to a local hospital for a checkup. She was referred to a national hospital where tests were done. The pathology results indicated full-thickness dysplasia with invasive foci. This means that she has abnormal cells in her cervix that will need to be removed. When she came to AIC Kijabe Hospital, it was determined that Salome should undergo a LEEP procedure, which will remove the abnormal tissue, allowing for a biopsy to be performed. If cancerous cells are found, further surgical treatment may be necessary. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $164 to fund the LEEP procedure, which is scheduled to take place on April 18th, at AIC Kijabe Hospital. This procedure will allow the physicians to decide the best course of treatment for Salome. Salome says, “I feel confused. This cancer scares me a lot. I think am even ready to have the womb removed as long as the cancer is contained.”