Lovence is a farmer and a loving mother of five children; two sons and three daughters. One of the sons is a banana trader and another one is a hawker in Kampala. All her daughters are married and are small-scale farmers. Lovence has been supporting her family alone since her husband died in 2000. She dropped out of school in third grade due to school fees and started doing farming in a banana and coffee plantation. The 51-year-old has been earning her living from farming, but shared that her production is small. In her free time, she weaves mats and baskets to earn supplementary income. Lovence needs surgery but her income is insufficient to fund it. For two years, Lovence has been experiencing on and off abdominal pain and other troubling symptoms. Before her referral to Nyakibale Hospital, Lovence had visited several healthcare facilities where they treated her for urinary tract infections. She has now been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and premalignant cervical lesion. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Lovence's surgery. On December 8th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lovence will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lovence says, "I hope to get back into farming after the treatment. Your support will be highly appreciated."

Gilbert is a hard working 48-year-old man from Kiambu, on the outskirts of Nairobi. His family is from both Kenya and Rwanda and he is the second born in a family of four. Gilbert has been working as a labourer at construction sites. He was married but separated with his wife and he is now raising their small child who is in kindergarten with the help of his neighbors. On Monday 25th January, while checking a tank at a construction site, Gilbert slipped and fell. He sustained a closed fracture of the right tibia and was brought to Nazareth Hospital. He needs a fracture repair surgery but his income is not sufficient to meet the cost of the surgery. If not treated Gilbert may have difficulty walking, may not be able to go back to work, and his leg may heal with a deformity. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 8th, Gilbert will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. The surgery will correct the fracture, allow him walk with ease and free of pain. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. “I have no family member around, yet I have to work to support myself and my child. I kindly request for help so that I may be well to take care of my baby,” said Gilbert.

Precious is a 3-year-old girl with a contagious smile. She is the youngest of four children in her family. Precious’ father is a bus driver and her mother is a housewife. Since Precious was born, she has had difficulty breathing and difficulty sleeping. Over the last three years, she has had treatments at various hospitals, but Precious' condition has not improved. She has tried taking antibiotics and using nasal spray steroids, but there has been no improvement. A church pastor gave information to Precious' family about a hospital, and they decided to visit to see if Precious would be a candidate for surgery. Accompanied by her parents, Precious traveled for several hours from her hometown to get to the care center for consultation. She was diagnosed with hypertrophy of the tonsils and adenoids and deemed fit for surgery. On March 3rd, Precious will undergo a tonsillectomy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $420 to fund Precious' surgery. Precious' mother shared, “I hope for my child to get treated so that she can breathe well and sleep well."

Kato is a young child from Uganda. He is a twin and last born in a family of four children. His mother operates a small roadside canteen where she sells items like sugar cane, potatoes, and avocados. His father is a police man and they stay all together in a single-roomed rental home. Kato was accompanied by his mother to hospital presenting with a swelling around the proximal intergluteal region for about eight months. He feels pain whenever sitting on the affected side, spends sleepless nights crying due to pain, and also presents with mild fevers. Kato traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 21st, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Kato needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure. Kato's mother says, “I hope that my child will be healed from his condition after his surgery is done.”

Joseph is a father of 9 children, now all grown up and working in small-scale businesses. He lives on his subsistence farm in Nakuru. Joseph started to experience hearing problem 20 years back but he could still hear with difficulties. The condition become severe about four years ago where he was forced to go to a provincial hospital. He was checked and the plan was to wash his ears. Since then he has been going for ear washing regularly when his family heard of our facility through the social media. This is when we had a free clinic for patients with a hearing problem. Joseph was diagnosed with mild to moderate-severe hearing loss. The plan is for him to have hearing aids for both ears so that he can return to a higher quality of life and independence. Currently, Joseph is not working due to his health and is fully depended on his children. He lives with his wife who is also elderly and can’t work either. "I will really appreciate if I can be able to hear clearly and communicate with my family," Joseph said.

Morris is a shy 20-year-old motorcycle (bodaboda) rider from Kenya. Morris was involved in a motorcycle accident in October 2019 sustaining a closed left tibia fracture. He had a cast applied with the hope that the fracture would heal. Unfortunately, it did not heal. Having visited different hospitals, Morris was brought to our facility by his mother. Upon review, the surgeon recommended an ORIF to fix the fracture. If not treated, Morris will be at risk of infections on the fracture or healing with a malunion. Morris completed his high school education but could not proceed to college. His single mother sustains her four children from their small retail shop in the village. The family is not able to raise the funds needed for surgery and appeals for help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 14th, Morris will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. the surgery will allow Morris heal well and resume his duties of providing for himself. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $998 to fund this procedure. “I have gone through a lot of pain and still told the leg is not healing. I plead for support so that I can be able to use my leg again and go back to my job and not depend on my mother,” said Morris.

“I am unable to pay for my surgery,” shares Tusiime. “I need help.” At 33, Tusiime is a single father to one son. The pair live in Uganda. Until recently, Tusiime supported himself and his son by farming, cultivating food both to eat at home and to sell. Most of Tusiime’s money goes towards his boy’s school fees. About eight years ago, Tusiime developed a swelling in his left groin region. Although the bump was not painful at first, it soon began to cause him discomfort. Eventually the pain became so great that he had to stop farming. Fortunately, Tusiime heard a radio broadcast about Watsi’s subsidized medical treatment and decided to come in for a checkup. At our medical partner's care center, Tusiime was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia, meaning that some of his internal tissue is pushing outwards through a tear in his abdominal muscle. If he continues to go without treatment, he faces potentially fatal side effects from the hernia. There is a surgical procedure called a hernia repair that can heal Tusiime. While he cannot afford it on his own, we can help him for $249. This money will cover the cost of his operation on August 23, as well as his three-day hospital stay, medications, and lab tests. After his surgery, Tusiime hopes he will once more find peace of mind and be able to continue with his farming. Let’s fund his surgery so that this family of two can stay afloat.

Seven-year-old Khin is a first grade student at her school in Burma. She enjoys learning and wants to be a medic when she grows up. “Approximately five months ago, Khin’s father noticed that she was having vision problems and that her left eye was not focusing on the object of sight,” our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us. “Problems with her vision have affected her ability and attendance at school.” Diagnostic testing revealed that Khin has an optic glioma, a tumor in the nerve that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain. Khin’s vision loss is a result of the tumor growing and pressing on the nerve and nearby structures. Treatment for Khin is surgery to remove the tumor. Khin’s father farms rice and vegetables on the family’s two acres of land. He also works as a day laborer to supplement their income from vegetable sales, but the work is irregular. Medical care for Khin’s mother has left the family in debt, leaving no money to pay for Khin’s surgery. With $1,500 in funding, Khin can undergo surgery to remove the tumor. Funding also pays for outpatient visits before and after surgery and 15 days of hospital care. “With treatment,” shares BBP, “Khin will be able to return to school, which she enjoys very much.” “I hope that my daughter will be able to have surgery and then will go on to finish her schooling and eventually attend higher education,” says Khin’s mother. Let’s help make that happen!

“I pray for my baby’s feet to be straight so when she grows up she can walk like her sisters and does not become dependent on other people due to an inability to walk,” shares Anna’s mother. Meet Anna, a happy, adorable baby girl. “Anna was born with congenital deformity of the feet called bilateral clubfoot,” says our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “When Anna starts to walk, she will use the lateral aspect of her feet for walking, which is painful and will affect her gait.” Anna is the fourth born child and lives with her family in Tanzania. Determined to provide for her family, Anna’s mother has a plan of starting a small business which sells green bananas. “As much as she wants to help her baby girl, at this time she cannot afford the cost of treatment which her daughter needs,” explains AMHF. $1,160 will cover Anna’s full treatment plan, including x-rays, casts, clubfoot surgery, and recovery. Once treated, Anna will have a normal gait when she starts to walk and she will be able to perform everyday activities without any problems. Let’s help Anna get access to the medical care she needs in order to grow into a healthy young girl!