Grace is a 47-year-old farmer from Southwestern Uganda. She has six children who are all in school, but their schools have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Uganda. She and her husband farm their small piece of land to support their family. For three years, Grace has experienced troubling symptoms including neck swelling, shortness of breath and heart palpitations. She was diagnosed with a nodular goiter. Her condition has affected her work on the farm, as she now gets tired very quickly. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Grace receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on September 14th at AMH's care center where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The procedure will cost $252 and she and her family need help raising money. Grace shared, "my nights are mainly sleepless due to headaches and sweating and the neck swell keeps increasing. Please help me."

Seth is a sweet baby boy. He is the only child in his family and his parents separated before he was born. His mother moved back to his grandparent’s place to raise him with support. A few months ago, Seth's mother went abroad to work as a domestic helper. Seth is being cared for by his grandmother who does laundry for her neighbors to earn a living, while his grandfather sells cereals in a local market. Seth's mother noticed that he could not pass stool three days after he was born. It was discovered that Seth's lower digestive system had not developed fully and he received surgery to treat this congenital anal malformation. Later additional scans were to be done but Seth's mother did not have any extra money at that time. She went back home, gathered some funds, and brought Seth back to the facility a few months later. A community health volunteer referred his family to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH) as his family was having a challenging time to cover the cost of his treatment and he needs a anorectoplasty surgery to repair his digestive system. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $743 to cover the costs. Seth’s grandmother says, “The past one year has been very stressful for us but we hope that it will be well.”

Nancy is a middle-aged mother from Kawaida village in Kenya. She separated from her husband and has been raising their two children on her own. Her daughter is married and her son lives with Nancy but has not started working yet. Nancy works jobs when she can find them, such as helping in the neighboring tea farms or washing clothes, to support her family. Nancy loves singing at her church, but now her condition forces her to remain indoors and in bed. Five years ago, Nancy began experiencing worrying symptoms. She has been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $755 to fund Nancy's surgery. On July 2nd, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Nancy will be able to resume her daily activities free from pain. Nancy is eager to recover so she can continue her working and pursuing her musical passion: “If this bleeding continues I feel like it will be more challenging for me to continue working for my family. My children look unto me and so I really hope for help so that I can be well again, take care of them and be able to sing as I used to do."

Ruth is a 39-year-old farmer. She's married with three children, who are all in school. Her husband is a hardworking businessman who works in a butchery in the town. Together their family lives in a small house with three rooms. Three years ago, Ruth began to experience troubling symptoms, including anterior neck swelling, difficulty breathing and swallowing, increased heart palpitations and general body weakness. She was diagnosed with multinodular goitre. Ruth tried managing the condition with medication but it has not been improving. Her friends referred her to Nyakibale Hospital and on review, surgery was recommended to relieve her pain. Ruth needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Ruth receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on October 12th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Ruth says “I have had the worst experience with this condition. I hope to get better and resume farming after surgery.”

Lydia is a small-scale farmer and mother of ten children. Her oldest child is now forty years old and her youngest is eighteen years old. Her husband stays at home, as his old age keeps him from engaging in income-generating work anymore. Her children can only provide minimal support, so Lydia engages in small-scale farming to provide for her family. About thirty years ago, Lydia began to experience troubling symptoms, including swelling on her neck that was initially small and painless but has rapidly increased in size. Due to limited income, she has not been able to seek treatment before. However, Lydia recently visited our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for another health condition and shared more about her situation with the doctors. She shared that she experiences airway obstructions and has difficulty sleeping. Additionally, she experiences pain in her eyes and ears that affects her hearing and ability to light a fire in the kitchen which is needed for cooking. Upon review, doctors diagnosed her condition as a non-toxic goiter, and thyroidectomy surgery iss recommended to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. On October 5th, Lydia will undergo a thyroidectomy at AMH's care center to remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $333 to fund this procedure. Lydia shared, “I have been for the majority of my life covering my neck whenever I go to the public because of the huge neck swelling and feeling uncomfortable. I pray that I may look normal again through surgery. I hope to comfortably continue with farming once I am stable.”

Oun is an elderly widow. She shared with us that her husband, unfortunately, passed away ten years ago so she lives with her rice farming niece and several grandchildren. She is also the proud mother of a son who works in Thailand. She cannot work due to her age and poor vision, thus she stays home and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. Five years ago, Oun developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision, photophobia, and difficulty seeing well in low light. It is also difficult for her to see things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Oun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On September 13th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Oun optimistically says, "I hope my eye can see clearly after surgery. I can see my grandchildren's faces clearly and can visit our pagoda in town."

Tumusimire is a 54-year-old small scale farmer and a married mother to seven children. Her husband is also a small-scale farmer and together, they own a three-room house. Their oldest child is 35 years old, while their youngest is 20 years old and completing secondary school. She shared that it has been challenging to raise money for school fees for their children, but they have done their best to educate them. For two years, Tumusimire has been experiencing lower abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. Recently, the pain has affected her work. She was diagnosed with uterine fibroids and surgery was recommended by her doctor. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Tumusimire receive treatment. On July 10th, she will undergo a hysterectomy, or a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Once recovered, she will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Now, she needs $228 to fund the procedure. Tumusimire shared, “I hope to feel better with less pain after surgery as I look forward to keeping my farming going to be able to sustain my family.”

Leakana is a 19-year-old clothes seller. She is a newlywed and lives with her husband who also sells clothes. Currently, they stay at home since the market closed one month ago due to rising COVID-19 cases. Leakana enjoys listening to music on her phone and going on walks. One month ago, Leakana developed a chalazion in her left eye, an inflamed cyst in her tear gland. The cyst causes itchiness, irritation, and redness making it difficult for her to see clearly. Leakana traveled to seek treatment from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. On August 13th, surgeons will remove the cyst through a chalazion excision procedure. She needs help raising $187 to fund this procedure. After recovery, Leakana's symptoms should improve and she will be able to go back to doing her favorite activities without discomfort. Leakana said, "I hope after surgery the swelling and cyst go away so I do not have to worry about my eye."