Thomas is an 11-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the last born in a family of five children. Thomas was born through an emergency cesarean section, which his parents were not expecting. They had to sell some of their harvest which they had saved for home use to be able to pay the bill. Thomas' parents are small-scale farmers who depend entirely on what they harvest for their living. Thomas has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Thomas traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 8th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Thomas's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when the time comes. Thomas’s mother says, “We have been left with no money to be able to afford our son’s treatment cost, kindly help us.”

Vutha is a 16-year-old monk from Cambodia. He lives at a pagoda in his local village and both of his parents are farmers. He also has three younger brothers who are living at home. Vutha keeps a busy schedule of daily chores, and when he has free time he likes reading books with other monks, and helping out the nuns who live in the pagoda as well. Two years ago, Vutha had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in his right ear ear to perforate. For this reason, Vutha experiences ear discharge and hearing loss. He can't communicate clearly with others, and has consistent ear pain. Vutha traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On October 5th, he will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in his right ear ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Vutha said, "I hope that my ear can be healed, so that I can do my duties well. It is difficult to do my daily work when my ear is hurting too much."

Sunday is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is a mother of five, with all of her children now teenagers and the oldest being 20 years old. All her other children are still in school and their family’s biggest challenge is raising school fees for all their children. She likes very much taking care of their family’s crops in the fields. For the last three years, Sunday has been experiencing abdominal pains accompanied by severe headaches. She has been diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain and possible cervical cancer due to suspicious lesions. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $228 to fund Sunday's surgery. On August 14th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Sunday will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and her quality of life will improve. Sunday says, “I am in severe pain, I am helpless. I have lost hope. Given the opportunity with the surgery, I believe I can be able to work harder through farming to be able to sustain myself and my entire family.”