Pinit is a 24-year-old soldier from Cambodia. He lives with his parents, his grandparents, and two younger brothers in Kampong Speu province. When not working, he likes to play football and go fishing. Pinit fractured his left clavicle a little over a year ago when playing football with his friends. He had an open reduction internal fixation at a government hospital in Pnom Penh. His fracture has healed, but he still feels a chronic ache in his shoulder and neck. He is not able to perform some of the required activities for soldiers. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On December 13th, Pinit will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $304. The chronic ache will disappear along with his risk of infection and he can return to full activity in his day-to-day life. Pinit shared: "I would like to get back to my full strength, and I hope taking out the metal will help me to get strong again."

Giripina is an elder from Uganda who had eleven children- three of whom are still living. She is a small-scale farmer alongside her husband, who also practices carpentry. During her free time, Giripina enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. One month ago, Giripina began to experience uncomfortable symptoms, including a bulging abdomen. She continued with her activities at home, hoping that the condition would go away on its own. When the symptoms intensified, she was referred to a hospital where she was diagnosed with partial intestinal obstruction. The doctors recommended surgery given that, if left untreated, Giripina could develop worsened obstruction, gangrene, intestinal perforation, sepsis, or death. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Giripina with this life-saving treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a curative laparotomy on March 10th. This procedure will cost $297, and Giripina and her family need your support. Gripina says, “I pray for a successful surgery. I hope to get well so that I may be able to continue taking care of myself and my family through farming.”

Myo is a 14-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents in a village in Karen State. His mother is a homemaker who is currently eight months pregnant. His father is a subsistence farmer, but he also works as a day laborer to earn money. Myo is in grade six and he enjoys playing football in his free time. Two years ago, Myo developed a pain in his arm which he noticed while playing football with his friends. Right away he was in a lot of pain, but his arm did not look broken. At first, the pain lessened, but gradually the pain worsened and his upper left forearm became swollen. Myo could also feel a mass under the swollen area of his left forearm. Myo and his father went to Chiang Mai Hospital, where he received a MRI and other tests, as well as a biopsy which confirmed that the tumor in his forearm was cancer. Now he needs surgery to remove the tumor, and he will need a chemo after surgery. The enlarged mass in Myo's left forearm has not increased in size, and only causes him pain when he lifts something heavy or when he does any physical activity with that arm such as washing his clothes or cleaning. Although he can take a shower by himself, using only his right arm makes it challenging. When he plays with his friends, he needs to protect his left forearm to prevent getting hurt. Myo's family sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. He is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 8th, and his family needs help funding the $1,500 cost to cover his procedure and care. He said, “I feel sorry for my mother and I pity her that she has to stay alone with the new baby. I also feel sad that I cannot go to school this year. I want to recover quickly and go back to see my brother and mother.”