Paulo is a 17-year-old boy from Tanzania. He lives with his parents and his four siblings. His parents are farmers who grow food for their family and sell the excess to support their family. Due to limited funds, Paulo and his siblings had to stop attending school. Paulo experiences difficulty with his mobility. When Paulo was enrolled in school, he was often unable to walk the distance to class. Paulo's parents were inspired to seek treatment for Paulo after attending an outreach seminar held by our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Doctors at AMH's care center determined that Paulo's limited mobility is due to the shape of his legs, and Paulo was diagnosed with genu varus. Genu varus is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones which often stems from contaminated drinking water. Fortunately, AMH can help. AMH is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Paulo's legs. Paulo's procedure is scheduled to take place on June 6th, and will hopefully restore Paulo's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and decrease his risk of future complications. Paulo says, "I hope that one day I will be able to walk without feeling any discomfort."

23-year-old Roth lives with his parents and three younger siblings in Kampong Thom province in Cambodia. His parents are rice farmers, while his two sisters and one brother are all in school. On August 5, Roth fell off his motorbike and injured his left knee. He went to the local provincial hospital, where the wound on his knee was stitched up. However, Roth is unable to put weight on or to extend his knee. He is in pain, and cannot work in the rice fields with his parents. After reading about our medical partner on their Facebook page, Roth consulted with their doctors. They determined that Roth has a completely torn patellar (knee) tendon, which requires surgery. If left untreated, this injury could result in other foot and leg problems, such as inflammation and pain in the ligaments in the soles of his foot, and tendinitis in other parts of his foot. He might also develop arthritis. Surgeons from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, are scheduled to perform patellar tendon repair surgery on December 5th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. Roth needs your help to fund the $572 cost of the procedure, hospitalization and rehabilitation. Roth said: "I hope I can walk more easily with no pain or swelling after this operation, so I can return to help my family with the rice crop."

Charles is a 7-year-old boy living in Kiambu County, Kenya. He is in the third grade and says he likes attending school and playing with other kids. Charles is the only child of a young, single mother. He lives with his grandparents and their children because his mother travelled to Saudi Arabia about a month ago in search of better economic opportunities. Charles's grandmother is a small businesswoman selling vegetables and fruits, and Charles's grandfather is a local barber. Charles's mother first noticed his condition when he was 3 years old, but had troubling getting doctors to take the condition seriously. Finally, at age 7, his grandmother brought him to Nazareth Hospital, where an ultrasound scan was done. Charles was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition affecting his private areas. If left untreated, Charles has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Charles needs corrective surgery, but the family income is insufficient for this treatment. Charles will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) and is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on October 31. AMHF is requesting $483 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Charles's grandmother says, "This is the only child of my daughter, and we love him very much, especially his grandfather." She expresses concern about Charles's potential to have his own children some days, and says, "On behalf of my daughter, I kindly ask for help so that he can be treated and grow up in a normal way like other boys."