Levina is a bright 10-year-old student. She is very social and loves to study. She is especially gifted in science and math! She is the youngest child in a family of four children. Her mother stays at home to care for the family. Although her father does not have permanent work, he owns a chainsaw and seeks lumber jobs as they are available during timber seasons. Levina is experiencing clubfoot in her left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. As a result, she has difficulty walking and wearing shoes. Due to the persistent pain of walking, she had to stop ​school to seek treatment for her left foot. Levina’s family traveled to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for her treatment. On August 13th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery that will allow Levina to walk easily. AMH is requesting $935 to fund this procedure. Levina’s mother shared, “We decided to stop her from going to school so that we can find treatment for her foot as it is troubling her so much in walking. Her treatment cost is too high for us to afford."

Johnson is a charming and playful toddler and the only child of his young parents. They are small scale farmers of maize, vegetable, sunflowers, and beans. It is through their harvest that the family is able to get food and earn money for other basic commodities. The little boy was diagnosed with genu varus, a condition typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, often stemming from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Johnson's legs bow outward at the knee. He has difficulty walking and experiences pain after playing or running around for longer periods of time. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Johnson. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 15th. Treatment will hopefully restore Johnson's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Johnson’s mother shares, "My child is having a hard time walking due to his legs being deformed. I would love for him to walk well like other children but the cost is too high for us to afford help us."

Marilyn is a 10-month-old baby girl from a small town in Colombia. She lives with her mother, grandmother, three aunts and one uncle, who is a farmer. Marilyn has clubfoot, a condition in which her foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Marilyn's family traveled to visit our medical partner, Clínica Noel, where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 26th. Now, Clínica Noel is requesting $1,422 to fund Marilyn's life-changing procedure. After treatment, she will be able to start walking and running after her dreams as she grows. Her mother shared, "my biggest dream is for her to get well soon, to see her walking and running as a normal child, with no pain or anything."

Sarom is a 37-year-old farmer with a big family of two brothers and four sisters. Sarom is the second youngest, and Sarom and his younger sister still live at home with their parents. The other siblings are married and live elsewhere. In January 2021, Sarom fell down stairs and injured his left leg but did not go to a hospital. It is now difficult for him to walk and he is in chronic pain. He can not flex his left knee or stand for long periods of time. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 17th, Sarom will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. This procedure will help him walk easily again. Sarom shared, "I hope this surgery will allow me to get better and return to work. I need to help support my family. Thank you for your help."

Kome is a 15-year-old student and his parents fish to earn a living for their family. In December of 2020, Kome's left leg became swollen and later ruptured exposing the bone. He has since developed a severely infected wound. He is in pain, unable to walk, and has since stopped walking to school. He was undergoing treatment and wound cleaning in his hometown, but unfortunately, his condition has worsened. After being examined by both general and orthopedic surgeons, he is now scheduled for surgery as an urgent case. Kome requires debridement and a possible sequescretomy to avoid amputation of his infected leg. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Kome receive treatment. On April 2nd, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure. After treatment, Kome will no longer be at risk for a severe bone infection and possible amputation. Now, Kome's family needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Kome's father shared, “Kome has not been going to school or playing because of the wound. The best we could do is the herbal treatment, but it seems it wasn’t working. He can lose the leg if it is not treated, and that is very sad.”

Ko is a 37-year-old father of five who lives with his wife, three daughters and two sons in a refugee camp in Thailand. His family receives a cash card every month from an organization, but this is not enough to cover their expenses. Therefore, he also works as an agricultural day laborer in a nearby Thai village. In his free time, Ko enjoys playing cane ball and spending time with his friends. On December 11, 2020, Ko slipped and fell onto rocks outside of the camp. When he tried to get up, Ko could tell that his leg was broken. He went to the hospital in the refugee camp run by Malteser International (MI). He was eventually referred to a hospital where he underwent surgery to insert a metal rod into his leg on December 25, 2020. When he went back to the hospital for his follow-up appointment on February 3, 2021, the doctor observed that the surgical wound was infected and he underwent surgery to clean his wound. When the wound still did not heal, the doctor referred him to another hospital, where the doctor told him he would need an additional surgery to remove necrotic tissue and replace the rod in his leg. Currently, Ko is experiencing a lot of pain. It is difficult for him to walk and he is worried about his family in the camp. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Ko will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and finally heal. This procedure will allow Ko to walk and his leg to heal properly. The procedure is scheduled for March 12th and will cost $1,500. Ko shared, “I really want to work to support my family as soon as possible. I cannot imagine what life would be like for my family if my leg never heals.”

Samuel is a young student from Kenya. He is the third child in a family of four. His mother is a widow who is raising the family on her own. His father passed away three years ago and his mother works as a manual laborer washing clothes for a living. Around November 2020, Samuel fell from a bridge and landed in water resulting in multiple fractures of his pelvis, elbow, and femur. These fractures have made him immobile and unable to use his limbs. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 8th, Samuel will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him heal and walk again. He will also not be in pain anymore. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,094 to fund this procedure. Samuel’s mother says, “My son cannot stop crying, and he is in so much pain. He cannot walk or use his hand. Kindly help Samuel walk again.”

Colling is a handsome eleven-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He has a twin brother whose name is Collins. Colling's father is the sole provider to the family through his small business of selling used car spare parts. Colling and his twin brother were born healthy babies, but at one month of age, his mother realized that he had an unusual swelling around his pelvis. Doctors at the regional hospital diagnosed him with an inguinal hernia, but told them to wait until he was six months old to seek treatment. As time went on, Colling's condition got worse, causing him a lot of pain and he would cry a lot. Colling's parents decided to seek treatment at a different hospital, but the cost of treatment was too high for them to afford. His mother says that due to the pain, Collings has not been able to crawl or move around with the same ease as his twin brother. Colling's parents are unable to afford the treatment that Colling needs and appeal for financial help. Fortunately, on January 18th, Colling will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $566 to fund Colling's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently, and he will be able to grow up healthy, and walk and play with his brother. Colling’s mother shared, “Please help my son, since this problem has made him lag behind compared to his twin brother.”

Joan is a 15-year-old student from Kenya. She is the third born in a family of five children, and is very calm and tends to be quiet. Joan is a hard-working, optimistic girl who hopes to excel in school, and she is currently in Grade Seven. Her dream is to become a teacher in future. In the second week of December, Joan was involved in a road accident as a pillion passenger which almost cost her her life. Her vehicle came into a head-on collision with a car, and she lost consciousness for more than three hours. Ultimately, Joan suffered a severe femur fracture and skin lacerations. Because she could not lift her leg, she was put on traction to bring stability to her leg. She is in pain on her right leg and unable to walk. Now, she needs to undergo a fracture repair procedure to heal her injury and avoid risk of further complications. Unfortunately, this procedure is costly for Joan and her family. Her mother is a potato farmer, while her father is ill and currently unable to work in the farm. Joan's mother is the sole breadwinner of the family, and she has found it hard to educate her children due to the family's income. Joan and her family live in a mud-built house that is not in good condition and they are unable to repair it due to lack of money. The family has raised some money for the surgery thus far, but needs more financial support to raise the total cost. They appeal for financial help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On December 17th, Joan will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. After she is fully recovered, Joan will be able to walk with ease and will be able to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,016 to fund this procedure. Joan shared, "My prayer is to finish school, have a good job and support my mum and my siblings."

Lenox is a 1-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the second-born child in a family of two children. Lenox’s father works as a guard and earns limited income, so he is not able to cover the cost of Lenox's treatment. Lenox has clubfoot in both his feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes him difficulty with walking and wearing shoes. Fortunately, Lenox's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on November 13th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Lenox's clubfoot repair. After treatment, as he grows, he will be able to walk well and wear shoes when he grows up. He will be able to run and play just like all the other kids. Lenox’s mother shared, “We have tried to seek treatment for our son’s feet with no success, but we were referred to this hospital with the hope he could get proper treatment, but the cost has turned out to be expensive for us. Please help support us if possible.”

Daniel is a seven-year-old boy from Tanzania and the firstborn in a family of two children. Daniel is a big fan of football. He is currently in second grade and he shared his best subject is mathematics. Daniel and his younger sister, who is two years old, are being raised by their widowed mother after their father passed away last December after being sick for a long time. This left their mother with no one to give her a hand or support to take care of her children. Daniel's mother depends on small-scale farming of maize and vegetables to be able to provide for her two children, something she says it has not been easy by herself. Earlier this year in April, Daniel was attacked by a hyena as he was taking a bath outside their hut in the evening. The hyena grabbed him by the leg and started running with him towards the bushes. His mother was just close by bathing his younger sister and she ran after the hyena while crying for help. The hyena dropped Daniel but left him with claw injuries, broken bones and a badly injured face. He was rushed to the hospital where he had several surgeries to help repair the places he had been cut open and casting for his fractures. He has been able to recover but the incident left Daniel with damage to his nose. All of his earlier treatment costs were paid for by their church through donations, but his mom is now trying to raise funds for his additional surgery. Daniel has been scheduled for a skin flap cover surgery that will help repair his nose. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Daniel receive treatment. On October 14th, surgeons at their care center will perform a surgery to help correct his nose. Now, his family needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Daniel’s mother says, “All the treatment my son has had ever since the incident it’s through God’s grace. I wouldn’t have been able to afford any of that. Please help fund his nose correction surgery.”

Jackson is an 8-year-old student from Tanzania. He has been living with his grandmother since he was 2 years old as his mother and father separated and neither could care for him. His aunt describes Jackson as a very friendly and playful boy. He used to be a very active boy, always friendly, and hardworking. He would help his grandmother with home chores when he was not at school. He was in class one at school but unfortunately, his studies had to stop after he started losing consciousness and falling most of the time when at school. Jackson has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Jackson has been experiencing dizziness and he would lose consciousness and fall at school. He now cannot walk or stand and is often asleep. Without treatment, Jackson will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $765 to cover the cost of surgery for Jackson that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 16th and will drain the excess fluid from Jackson's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Jackson will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Jackson’s aunt told us, “We all wish Jackson to get this needed treatment so that he can get back to his old normal self and hopeful resume school again.”