Jasten is a two-year-old boy from Chimutu Village, Kenya where he lives with his single mother and five siblings. Because of the recent death of his father, Jasten's mother depends upon small-scale farming to provide for the family. In February 2023, Jasten’s mother noticed that his scrotum was swollen and that he would constantly cry because he was in pain. His mother took him to the nearest health center where she was advised to seek traditional help. Knowing how expensive traditional help can be, she decided to take Jasten to Nkhoma Hospital, hoping he would be prescribed drugs that she could buy at a pharmacy, whenever she could afford them. After assessment at the hospital, Jasten was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia and the doctor informed Jasten's mother that he would need to have surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $421 to fund Jasten's procedure, which is scheduled for April 19th at Nkhoma Hospital. Treatment will be a welcome development in Jasten’s life, as he will be relieved of the pain and saved from complications that can arise if his condition is left untreated, such as hernia strangulation, which can be life-threatening. Jasten’s mother says: “Thank you to the donors for this opportunity. I am glad that my son will be well again.”

Eva is a 37-year-old mother from Uganda. Her husband works in a Sacco and she owns a small hairdressing business in her local village. However, due to limited capital for expansion, her business has not been able to compete with similar businesses in the area and her husband's job does not provide financial stability for their family. 15 years ago, Eva began to experience troubling symptoms, including a painful swelling on the front of her neck, shortness of breath, and disfigurement of her neck. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Eva receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 14th 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 to raise the funds. Eva says “I know that my condition has limited my progress, but I hope that now I will have the surgery done under your support, I will live a happy and improved lifestyle as I resume with my work.”

Tek Ay is a 67-year-old retired rice farmer from southern Cambodia. She has three sons, two daughters, and four grandchildren. Tek Ay and her husband live near their oldest daughter, who works as a food seller in the local market. Tek Ay shared that she enjoys cooking and listening to monks pray on the radio. About two years ago, Tek Ay developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision, tearing, and sensitivity to light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she cannot go out on her own. When Tek Ay learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On January 31st, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Tek Ay said: "I hope I can I go outside by myself and see faces well again. I want to help my daughter take care of my grandchildren."

Pascal is a small-scale farmer. He is a 70-year-old tall and elderly, yet still strong man. He walks from his home to the hospital on foot. He is the father of six children, with two daughters who are married - one is a teacher and the other is a nurse. His elder son is a policeman, and the rest are still studying. Pascal was an evangelist but retired a few years back. He now farms on limited land, growing food crops for home consumption and selling off the surplus to generate an income for the family. Since 2019, Pascal has had left inguinal scrotal hernia. He has a swelling in the inguinal region and now can barely sit, stand, or walk — his face showing that he is in a lot of pain. Fortunately, on April 6th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund Pascal's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Pascal says “I am looking forward to be relieved from the pain I have been having when given your support to be operated on."

Salome, who is 59 years old, is a mother of three adult children. She lives with one of her sons in the Dandora, an urban slum area in Nairobi, Kenya, where she sells vegetables from a small grocery store that she owns. Salome has some abnormal tissue growth in her cervix. As a result, she began noticing bloodstains in February 2023 and went to a local hospital for a checkup. She was referred to a national hospital where tests were done. The pathology results indicated full-thickness dysplasia with invasive foci. This means that she has abnormal cells in her cervix that will need to be removed. When she came to AIC Kijabe Hospital, it was determined that Salome should undergo a LEEP procedure, which will remove the abnormal tissue, allowing for a biopsy to be performed. If cancerous cells are found, further surgical treatment may be necessary. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $164 to fund the LEEP procedure, which is scheduled to take place on April 18th, at AIC Kijabe Hospital. This procedure will allow the physicians to decide the best course of treatment for Salome. Salome says, “I feel confused. This cancer scares me a lot. I think am even ready to have the womb removed as long as the cancer is contained.”

Ester is a two-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her parents and sister in a village in Karen State. Her father is a pastor, while her mother is a homemaker who looks after Ester and her sister. Ester's parents depend on donations from church members to cover the cost of their basic needs. Since Ester was born, she has been unable to move her eyes. She does blink whenever someone waves their hands close to her eyes; however, her mother does not know whether or not Ester can see. Doctors want Ester to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose Ester's condition, enabling them to formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Ester's CT scan and care. Her scan is scheduled for April 24th, at Mae Sot General Hospital. "We, [her parents], have dedicated our lives to serving God. I want her to be able to walk and see. When Ester grows up, I want her to go to Bible school and become a missionary, spreading God's message, and sharing her life’s story," said Ester's mother.

Nita is a bright 3rd grader. Her mom works in a restaurant and her dad is a rice farmer. She loves playing with her older sister, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Nita has strabismus in both eyes. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye caused by injury or dysfunction in the associated nerves and muscles. It is difficult for her to focus and she experiences frequent headaches Nita's family traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 2nd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to align her eyes. Now, Nita's family needs help to raise $331 to fund this procedure. Her mom said, "I hope my daughter has good vision so she can focus in school and play with the other children."

Horn is a 72-year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Cham province. He is married and has three sons, five daughters, and twelve grandchildren. Horn's favorite hobbies are visiting the local pagoda to pray and gardening around his house. About three years ago, Horn developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him sensitivity to light, tearing, and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus he is unable to travel on his own. When Horn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for five and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 6th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Horn needs help raising $253 to fund his procedure. He said, "I hope after surgery my eye can see better and I can recognize my family members."

Peninah is a 26-year-old woman from Uganda. She is the sixth born child in a family of eight children. After completing primary school grade seven, she dropped out. Now, she stays with her sister in Southwestern Uganda. Her father is a small-scale farmer, while her mother mostly stays home. In October 2022, Peninah began experiencing troubling symptoms, including mild pain and swelling in her neck. She visited a local health center, where she received an exam and was diagnosed with a non-toxic goiter. She was prescribed medication, but now, she often has a sore throat and sometimes experiences difficulty breathing. Surgery has been recommended to treat her condition. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Peninah receive treatment. On March 9th, she will undergo a undergo a thyroidectomy, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. Now, she and her family need help raising $333 to fund her procedure and care. Peninah shared, “I want to look normal again. I pray that I may have a successful surgery and be able to live a comfortable life in the future.”

Godfrey is a gentle and respectful man who is a father to four children, all of whom are studying in school. He started working at a young age, doing casual labor work on other people's farms while taking care of his siblings. Because of Godfrey's hard work, his sisters have become teachers and are married with families. Over time, Godfrey became a farm manager at a nearby convent, taking care of the pig farm there. Recently, Godfrey started experiencing symptoms such as needle-like pain, especially when lifting heavy objects, which has worsened while cultivating the farm. Godfrey's dream is to see his children thrive academically, and he is concerned that his health issues will keep him from working and supporting his family. Recently, Godfrey traveled to seek treatment and was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia. On March 14th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery with the support of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Now African Mission Healthcare is requesting $230 to help support Godfrey's surgery. Godfrey said, "I hope I will get well after the operation because it's the only hope I'm left with. Nevertheless, without your help, I won't be able to raise the funds required for my operation, therefore I will truly need your assistance."

Turyahabwa is a father of four and is a small-scale farmer alongside his wife in Uganda. Their firstborn is 25 years old and in secondary school class six while their last is 2 years old. His relatives assist him in raising school fees for his children because farming alone is not enough. Turyahabwa developed a small swelling on the occipital region at the back of his head six years ago. He experiences redness and the swelling is increasing in size. Turyahabwa traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 3rd, surgeons will remove the mass. Turyahabwa and his family need help raising $145 to fund this procedure. Turyahabwa says, “I have a strong belief that I will live a normal life once again after surgery. I will be able to continue with farming after recovery for further development of my family.”

Wiliam is from Chapata Village in Malawi. He is the last born in a family of two children, where his parents work as cleaners at a nearby lodge to support the family. At two months of age, Wiliam’s mother noticed that a swelling causing him to cry. She took him to a nearby health clinic where she was advised to take him to Kamuzu Central Hospital. Wiliam was scheduled a couple of times to see a surgeon at the hospital, but he never got a chance due to overbooking in the surgeon’s schedule. Wiliam’s mother decided to visit Nkhoma Hospital and hoped he could get treatment there. Wiliam was diagnosed with bilateral inguinal hernia, and the doctor broke news to his mother that he needs to undergo bilateral hernia repair surgery. Due to lack of funds, Wiliam was referred to our medical partner African Mission Healthcare, and his mother pledged to pay the little she can afford to help as much as possible. Their family is raising $421 to fund his surgery which is schedule for May 3rd. Treatment will free Wiliam of this condition and eliminate the risk of worrying complications. Wiliam’s mother shared, “I am happy that my son will soon receive treatment and be free from this condition."