Three year old Sok Heng lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with her parents and 10 year-old brother. Currently, Sok Heng's mother is unemployed, and her father is unable to work due to a recent illness. They live near extended family members who assist with caring for the children. Sok Heng was born with a rare congenital condition called Morquio syndrome. In children with Morquio syndrome, the body cannot break down sugar chains called glycosaminoglycans that help build bone, cartilage, corneas, skin and connective tissues. As a result, these children suffer from loose joints and restricted mobility of their joints. For the last several months, Sok Heng been undergoing treatment, including splinting and physiotherapy of her right hand and wrist. Unfortunately, she is still experiencing pain and limited hand function. On November 2nd, Hok Seng will undergo tenosynovectomy surgery with our medical partner at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. This tendon and nerve procedure corrects restricted or painful movement of a tendon, due to thickening and adhesions within the tendon sheath. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is seeking $572 to fund Hok Seng's surgery and post-operative care, including physiotherapy. After recovery, Sok Heng will have reduced pain and improved function in her hand. Her mom shared: "I hope my daughter can move her hand again and not be in pain."

Ignitius is a 12-year-old boy - the second in a family of four siblings in junior secondary school, grade seven. His elder sibling has just completed class eight; the rest are in primary school. He dropped out of school in grade four and went to look for a job as a house helper to support the family. Ignitius' father does any casual job available to bring food to the table for his family. Ignitius' mother is also a simple laborer. She works on other people's farms where she digs, weeds, and sometimes washes clothes for a small wage. They have a small piece of land where they have kept two goats and three chickens. They reside in a three-roomed timber house and have a small kitchen built of poles. It was late in the evening on November 16th. His mother sent him to the nearest open-air market to buy cabbage and potatoes. Unfortunately, he was hit by a speeding motorbike, which disappeared immediately after the accident. His parents were informed of the accident over the phone. They rushed him to a clinic, where they were referred to Maua Hospital. He arrived to the hospital with an open tibia fibular fracture and was in much pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Ignitius receive treatment. On November 17, surgeons will perform surgery to restore his limb function. Now, Ignitius and his family need help to fund this $741 procedure. Ignitius' father says, "Please help my son; he is in deep pain. Kindly help us to fund the surgery costs."

Six year old John is active and jovial. His father passed away two years ago, and now John lives with his mother in an urban area in Kenya. When John entered first grade, his teacher noticed that he had difficulty hearing him in class. He contacted John's mother, and advised her to take John in for an evaluation. However, John's mother struggles to support herself and her son with her work washing clothes, so she was not able to take John to the doctor. A benefactor offered to pay for John to be evaluated, but when it was determined that he would benefit from having hearing aids, the benefactor could not afford to pay for John to have them. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,171 to cover the costs of John's hearing aids and care, which he will receive from AIC Kijabe Hospital. With your help, John will be able to participate fully in school, and in the life around him. John’s mother says: “All I want is for my son (John) to be able to hear well. I have struggled with hearing loss since birth too, and I know how it feels.”