There are certain people you meet in life who leave a lasting impression. Nawin (name changed to protect his privacy) is a remarkable young man whose courage and perseverance in the face of adversity inspire me on a daily basis. Nawin was born with legs that were malformed below the knee joint. He has spent his entire life hobbling around on his stumps. In a place like Cambodia, where people are poor and infrastructure is lacking, people with physical challenges like Nawin’s often lead a life of severe hardship on the street.

Through his own drive to succeed, against incredible odds, he thrived in the children’s group home where he grew up and graduated from college near the top of his class last year. He now works in Phnom Penh providing IT support .

Recently Nawin was evaluated by one of the top prosthetic specialists in neighboring Thailand and he can be fitted for prosthetics. The only barrier he faces now is funding for his new legs.

We need to raise a total of $20,000 to support the purchase of high-quality prosthetics for Nawin. This amount will cover his travel to Bangkok and his stay near the hospital while they do the fitting and teach him how to walk on his new legs. We have already raised $7500 through other routes, and so there is only $12,500 left to go! Any money raised above that amount will fund an account for the future, since the prosthetics need periodic maintenance and replacement parts.

Nawin confided in me that he really wants to have legs so he can have a chance at a normal life and I promised I would do my best to help him. Prosthetics won’t change the way Nawin sees the world, but they will profoundly change the way the world sees him and open doors to opportunities that are currently beyond his reach.