Zackaria is a 9-month-old baby from Tanzania. His young parents work hard to take care of their only child's needs. They used to depend on farming to make ends meet, but recently the rainy season has been unreliable due to the climate. Zackaria's father, working together with the mother, then started a small business selling food products. They are now trying to run their new business while raising their baby. Zackaria has clubfoot of both his feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes as he grows older. Fortunately, Zackaria traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on December 6th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Zackaria's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to grow up active and healthy. Zackaria’s father says, “it is my wish to see my son with normal feet.”

Heng is a 16-year-old student from Cambodia in the 11th grade. His father is a roof builder and his mother stays at home. He has two older sisters who live at home, but have finished school and work outside of the home. In his free time, Heng enjoys reading books, exercising, fishing, and listening to music. At school, he likes math and would like to go into Information Technology. In June 2022, Heng was in a motorcycle collision where he fractured his right shoulder, femur, and hand, as well as both clavicles and several facial bones. His family took him to a local government hospital for surgery, but five months later, he still cannot move his right shoulder, elbow, wrist, or fingers. He has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his right side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. Heng has difficulty with daily tasks, feels poorly, and has stopped going to school due to his injury. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Heng receive treatment. He traveled to CSC's care center, the only center in Cambodia where the required treatment is available. On November 14th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, he hopes to move his shoulder and use his hand. Now, he needs help raising $709 to fund his procedure and care. Heng's mother shared, "we hope Heng will recover and use his shoulder and arm again after surgery."

Sai is a six-year-old kindergarten student. He lives with his parents and siblings (a 12-year-old brother who is in grade four and a 11-month-old sister) at Mae Sot District, Tak Province in Thailand. His father is a daily worker and works as a blacksmith. Sai’s mother is a homemaker who looks after the children at home. Sai was born with a healthy delivery however just after his sixth birthday, his mother noticed that Sai’s left eye was red. He told her that it was not painful, so they did not worry about it. In June 2022 though, his mother saw that there was a white dot in the pupil of Sai’s eye. When his mother covered Sai’s right eye and asked if he could see, he answered that he did not see clearly. Sai had his eyes checked at Mae Tao Clinic and the medic suspected that he had a cataract. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. He was referred to the ophthalmology department which later the doctor diagnosed him with mature left eye cataract. Currently, Sai’s vision in his left eye is blurry and he has trouble seeing the board when he is in the classroom. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Sai. On December 9th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Sai's natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Sai’s mother said, “We cannot afford to take a loan (for the surgery) because we would have to pay the interest. There is less work during the pandemic and so it makes things very hard to have such a large loan. My words cannot express the thanks that I feel. It is so lucky for us to have the assistance from BCMF and donors.”