Nana is an adorable 18-month-old baby. Her father works as a farmer, and her mother works selling food. Nana is the only child in her family. She enjoys playing with toys, and her favorite meal is fried noodles with fresh milk! Ten months ago, Nana's left-hand fingers were severely burned from a pan of boiling oil. Her mother took her to a local clinic for medications, but her fingers did not heal. She has since developed scar contracture on three of her fingers. This means the scar from the accident is pulling together and tightening the skin surrounding it, leaving Nana unable to hold objects. In order to help her condition, she will need to undergo a contracture release surgery, as well as a skin graft surgery to repair the scar tissues. When Nana and her family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), they traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On July 4th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help Nana use her fingers again. Now, she needs help to fund this $495 procedure. Her mother expressed, "I hope after this surgery my daughter can use her hand like other children."

Ivan is an 11-month-old baby who is very energetic. He is now at the crawling stage, and from the moment he arrived at our medical partner's care centre, Ivan has not stopped crawling from one point to another. Ivan lives with both his parents. His father is a small-scale farmer, and the sole provider for the family, while his mother stays at home taking care of household chores. He is very close to his mother, but also not afraid to meet new people. His mother enjoys watching him move around. She has struggled to find treatment for him since he was a newborn baby. When Ivan was born, his parents tried their best to pay for his treatment, but halfway through the treatment plan, they could not afford to pay anymore. Ivan has clubfoot of his right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and wearing shoes as he grows. Fortunately, Ivan's family came to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on November 8th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Ivan's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily when he grows up. Ivan’s mother says, “my biggest wish is to see my son learn how to stand and eventually start walking.”

Martin is a playful and friendly young boy and the last-born in a family of six children. Martin has not started going to school yet, but his father plans to enroll him in two years. Martin's father says life has been tough for him and his family since he fell sick for most of 2020, something that he says made life for his family tough. Prior to falling ill, Martin's father was a hardworking man practicing small-scale farming to provide food for his family and was also a catechist at their local catholic church. For over a year Martin's father was moved from one hospital to another seeking treatment. Martin's parents were forced to sell most of their property to cover the resulting medical bills. In 2021, Martin's father's health returned and he was able to grow his strength back. Martin's father moved their family to another village for a fresh start. They are now slowly rebuilding their life with the hope of restoring their livelihood once more. Since then, Martin has been diagnosed with Left Genu Varus meaning his leg is bent at the knee so that they do not touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, it is difficult for him to walk. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is raising $880 to fund corrective surgery for Martin. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 5th. Treatment will hopefully restore Martin's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Martin’s father says, “Because of the long period I was sick I was not able to provide for my family. My son now needs treatment, but I still can’t afford the cost.”

Laurencia is a 9-year-old girl and the seventh born in a family of nine siblings. She is a student at the nearby primary school. Her parents are small-scale farmers who plant vegetables for sale and for the family's needs. Some of her siblings are in high school, so her father uses his small income to pay for their school fees and to provide for other family needs. They are from a semi-arid area which faces drought and most of their crops are sorghum and millet. There is a food and water shortage in the area, and they shared that bandits often attack them. Life has been quite challenging, but they have persevered. Laurencia came to AIC Kapsowar Hospital with a bandaged right arm. She had an x-ray from another facility, which showed that she had broken both the ulna and the radius after falling from a mango tree while harvesting mangoes. She is in pain and unable to use her hand. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 1st, Laurencia will undergo an open reduction and internal fixation surgical procedure to put the broken bones back in place. Her hand will be able to heal well and she will be able to use it again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $941 to fund this procedure. Laurencias’ father says, “This incident happened just when I was paying my other children's school fees. I am worried now that I cannot help my daughter when she is in need. Please help her so that she can be able to grow in a normal way.”

Bizuayehu is a beautiful and cheerful girl from Ethiopia who loves to talk and play with her mother. She asks a lot of questions and she is eager to learn about things. She especially loves dolls. Her mother washes clothes and makes injera (a traditional Ethiopian food) for a living. Bizuayehu's father abandoned her mother when she was pregnant. She shared that there was a time when she couldn’t pay for her rent and was out in the streets for several months. This led to malnutrition for both of them but they were able to recover with help from the hospital's nutrition program. She is now living on her very limited income from making injera and washing people’s clothes in the neighborhood, and with support from another organization. Since birth, Bizuayehu has had a bilateral inguinal hernia. The bulge is usually visible when she cries, coughs or strains. She also gets irritable and has reduced appetite. Fortunately there is a cure and on October 6th, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $591 to fund Bizuayehu's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Bizuayehu's mother says, “Once my child gets better and cured she can join a daycare and I can do a better job to earn a better income. And I hope she will do well at school. I would like to thank BKMCM for all the support I got. I would also like also to thank our donors for this surgery. I don’t know what I could do if it was not for you and all the people at different times who supported me and encouraged me. I have been supported and gone through so many challenges, but I have had people by my side. I am thankful to God for this blessing.”

Adonai is a one-month-old baby boy and the last-born child in a family of five children. Adonai's parents are small-scale farmers of maize, vegetables, beans, and a bit of tobacco. Through farming, they can get their food while the tobacco is usually sold to get money to pay for daily necessities. Adonai was diagnosed at birth with a congenital disability of the left clubfoot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape causing difficulty in walking and wearing shoes. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre, will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 5th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is raising $935 to fund Adonai's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when he grows up. Adonai’s father shared, “Things are really tough, and money has become hard to get. I depend on farming which has been very poor this season. Please help treat my son.”

Anjelina is a beautiful two-year-old baby from Tanzania. She is the youngest of three children in her family. Both of her parents do small-scale farming of maize, beans, and other vegetables, which they grow to feed their family. To help earn money, her father sometimes works as a casual laborer. Anjelina was born at a local hospital where her parents were informed that their daughter has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition where the foot is twisted out of shape, causing difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Although the doctor notified them that their daughter's condition could be corrected at a referral hospital, the hospital was over an eight-hour bus ride away, and they could not fund the transportation due to financial constraints. Fortunately, Anjelina's family was able to travel to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Anjelina's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily. Anjelina’s mother shares, “We tried to correct her feet using a local doctor, but there was not much improvement, and we couldn't afford to go to the referral hospital.”

Nancy is a bright and social 12-year-old student from Tanzania. She is the youngest in a family of three children. Her and her siblings are being raised by their grandparents with the help of amazing well-wishers, since their grandparents are older and appreciate the extra help. Nancy currently attends primary school, and her favorite subjects include Swahili, mathematics, and social studies! She is very friendly and loves to play netball with her schoolmates. However, playing is becoming increasingly difficult due to her condition. Nancy has clubfoot of the left foot. Clubfoot is a condition where the foot is twisted out of shape, which causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Nancy and her family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Nancy's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily. Her grandmother says, "Nancy and her siblings have been in my care since they were babies. We struggle to raise them. That's why well-wishers help. Unfortunately, they can’t help her with her treatment. Please help us."

Davith is a toddler who is not yet old enough to start school, so stays home with relatives while his parents work in a flower factory close to their home. Since birth, Davith has had clinodactyly of his right thumb. This means he was born with a finger that curves to one side. It is typically caused by abnormal growth and development of the small bones of the finger. He cannot flex the joint in his thumb, which makes it difficult to hold or carry objects and hinders his development. His parents took him to a hospital for children and were referred to our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre. His parents would like Davith's hand to be fully functional, and fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre can correct his condition. Now his parents need help with the $487 cost of a contracture release and skin graft of his thumb. With surgery, Davith will be able to hold objects and improve his range of motion with his thumb. The parents shared: "We also hope our son's thumb will look normal after surgery and other children will not make fun of him."

Nevid is a curious and playful two year old boy, living with his parents in Tanzania. His father is a motorcycle taxi driver, while his mother is a homemaker. Earlier this year, Nevid was outside the house playing with his friends, when he fell on a pot of hot water. His right arm was badly burned, leaving him with contractures when the wound healed. He has pain when he tries to straighten the affected arm. He has also developed a fear of doctors, because of the many times he had to go for injections, and it is difficult for him to allow anyone to examine his arm. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Nevid receive treatment. On October 17th, surgeons at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help Nevid straighten his hand easily without causing any pain. Now, his family needs your help to fund this $639 procedure. Nevid’s mother says: “The entire treatment period has been so traumatizing to my son. I hope this will be the last time his arm has a problem.”

Reach is an inquisitive two-year-old toddler from Cambodia who loves playing with toy cars and eating his favorite meal: fried meat with milk! He has an older sister, who is in primary school. His father works as a policeman, and his mother works as a seller at the local market. When Reach grows up, he wants to be a policeman just like his father! For about a year, Reach has been experiencing fevers, snoring, a sore throat, and difficulty swallowing and drinking. Despite his mother taking him to multiple medical clinics, his condition has not improved. Reach was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids. If not treated, his symptoms will persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Reach. On August 8th, surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving him of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. Reach's parents share that they hope he will feel better soon and sleep easily at night.