Manin is an eight-year-old student in grade three. She and her family live in Kampong Cham province. Her father is a driver, and her mother stays home to care for the children, including her younger brother and sister. In school, her favorite subjects are Khmer literature and mathematics. At home, she likes to eat her mother's fried pork and soup, and ride her bicycle around the village. When Manin is older, she would like to be a nurse. For the past four years, Manin has been experiencing a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. Her mother said she has had throat problems since she was a small child, accompanied by infections and high fevers. In the last few years, Manin has lost her appetite because of difficulty swallowing and it is hard for her to breathe at night. Manin was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Manin receive a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, which is scheduled to take place on January 24th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Manin of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Manin's family needs help raising $265 to fund her procedure and care. Manin's mother said: "We hope Manin will no longer have infections. She can swallow without pain, eat better, and not take so much medicine."

Kosi is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She currently lives with and cares for her aging mother after separating from her husband 20 years ago and losing her children in their early years of life. For over four years, Kosi has been experiencing lower abdominal pain and abnormal vaginal discharge. She has been diagnosed with multiple uterine fibroids. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 6th, she will undergo a hysterectomy at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Kosi will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Kosi needs help raising $319 to fund her procedure. Kosi says, “I seek medical assistance so that I may be able to live a good life once again. I will continue with farming to help me take care of myself and my mother.”

Malaika lives on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in Haiti with her parents and four siblings; she is in the third grade and likes her science and reading classes. She was both with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. The surgery she needs is not available in Haiti, but fortunately for Malaika, doctors at the Clinica Corominas in the Dominican Republic will be able to perform an interventional heart catherization procedure to fix her condition. During the procedure, doctors will insert a catheter into her heart to plug the hole with a device. Now, her family needs $1,500 to help pay the costs of the procedure and travel. Another organization Gift of Life International is also contributing to her life-saving care. Malaika's mother says: "Our family is very hopeful that our daughter will be healthier and happier after her heart is fixed."