Turinawe is a 49-year-old mother of four who are all still in school. Two are at the university, and the rest are in secondary levels of education. She and her husband are primary school teachers at a private school. They also enjoy growing crops to eat at home. Turinawe has been experiencing epigastric pain and feels as if her abdomen is always full. This has negatively impacted her quality of life. She has lost weight because she does not have an appetite. If not treated, her symptoms will persist, worsen, and she may even develop life-threatening complications such as stomach cancer. She traveled to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, where she was diagnosed with cholecystitis, an inflammation of the gallbladder. Now, she needs $253 to fund the cost of the curative laparotomy treatment which will relieve her of this condition. Turinawe shared, “I think my health will be restored because I have faith in God and I am looking forward to being able to continue teaching after the COVID-19 lockdown, thanks to Watsi.”

Margaret is a trained tailor from Kenya. She is a shy single 30-year-old from Gakoe Kiambu. Margaret completed her tailoring course recently and is yet to get into employment. She lives with her mother who is a peasant farmer.  For about 10 years Margaret has struggled with headache, palpitations, sometimes sweating and later swelling of the neck. These problems have made it difficult for Margaret to socialize with family and friends. She had been visiting different health centres with no change until she came to Nazareth and a diagnosis of multinodular goitre was made through ultrasound. She has been under hormones control and now is ready for a thyroidectomy. Due to her low socioeconomic status, the family is not in a position to meet the cost and requests support. If not treated Margaret will continue experiencing social misfit and the thyroid gland will continue to grow. She is also likely to suffer from complications like thyrotoxicosis. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Margaret receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 23rd at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $625, and she and her family need help raising money. “I have stayed for many years with this problem yet I have no means for treatment. I plead for help so that I can be well again to live my normal life,” said Margaret.

Kangume is a businesswoman from Uganda. She is a mother of two children. Kangume has had a swelling on her abdomen for three years. She experiences pain and discomfort. Kangume traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On November 21, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Kangume needs help to raise $196 to fund this procedure. She says, "After surgery I will be happy and resume my business."

This is Seam, a 32-year-old father of three from Cambodia. When he isn’t working hard as a farmer to support his family, Seam likes to watch the Khmer channel on TV and listen to old Khmer songs. In January of this year, Seam was in a motor vehicle accident and fractured his left ankle. He was taken to a hospital in Phnom Penh, where doctors surgically inserted a pin in his leg to heal the break. However, in the seven months since the accident, Seam’s ankle has not healed properly. He experiences pain and swelling caused by fluid retention, both of which make it hard for him to walk and affect his ability to work. Doctors at our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, have determined that Seam needs a procedure known as joint arthrodesis. This surgery will fuse Seam's ankle joint, giving him more stability and eventually allowing him to walk once more. The cost of this procedure is beyond Seam’s means. But we can help by raising $480. This sum will pay for Seam’s arthrodesis procedure on August 2, as well as the necessary lab tests and ten-day hospital stay. Losing the ability to walk comfortably has re-shaped Seam’s life for the worse. But by connecting him with the operation he needs, we’ll make sure he can soon return back to working—and parenting—at full speed.

Amanyire is a 22-year-old man from Uganda. He is the youngest of four children. Amanyire earns a living doing manual labor. He also sells goats. He did not receive an education because he could not afford to go to school when he was younger. In 2011, Amanyire developed a swelling in his upper abdomen, causing him pain and preventing him from digging or lifting heavy objects. Over the years, the swelling increased in size. Amanyire became unable to eat whole meals. Last year, he visited a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with an epigastric hernia. A hernia occurs when an internal organ pokes through the wall of the abdomen, causing severe pain. Left untreated, a hernia can cause intestinal blockage or prevent blood from reaching vital parts of the intestines. Fortunately, Amanyire visited our medical partner's hospital, Holy Family Virika Hospital. On November 16, doctors performed surgery to repair the abdominal wall, remove the bulging tissue in his abdomen, and reposition his herniated tissue. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 in funding. This fee covers the procedural costs, supplies, medications, and three days of inpatient care. Following recovery, Amanyire's pain will cease, and he will return to work.

"Jemima is a single mother" and runs a small kiosk to support her and her child, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares. For about a year, 46-year-old Jemima "has been experiencing heavy bleeding and lower abdominal pains" which have become more prominent in the past month. "She has been given medication with no success," AMHF continues. "This is affecting Jemima's social life and even makes it difficult to do her daily work of selling at the kiosk." Jemima sought care and a scan revealed that she has intramural fibroids, which are small growths inside the uterus. "If not operated, Jemima will continue to bleed and this could lead to anaemia and other complications." $790 covers the cost of a total abdominal hysterectomy, a procedure to completely remove Jemima's uterus and rid her of the risk of future health problems. Jemima shares that she can't afford the treatment on her own, and her condition is affecting her ability to generate income. “I have struggled with this problem, sometimes I cannot even stand to sell at the kiosk yet we depend on this." "I hope I will have help and successful treatment so that I can continue working and supporting myself and my child," Jemima shares.

44-year-old Sokhon is a garment factory worker who lives in Cambodia with her husband, three sons and daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Thai dramas on TV. "Three years ago Sokhon developed a pterygium in each eye," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). A pterygium is a growth on the clear tissue of the eye that can spread to the cornea. CSC explains, "a pterygium causes her blurred vision, burning, irritation, and redness and tearing." "It is hard to see something clear or well and I feel uncomfortable doing my job. It is hard to go anywhere outside," Sokhon says. For just $150, Sokhon will receive a surgery in which the painful growths will be removed from each of her eyes. After treatment, Sokhon will be pain-free and will have an easier time focusing while at work. After surgery, Sokhon shares, "I hope my eye is good looking and normal again and I’m not worrying about that cyst affecting my vision.”