Juoneck is an 11-year old girl from Tanzania. She lives with her father - a construction layman - and her mother - a self employed roadside grocery seller - and a younger sibling. Juoneck is passionate about pursuing her education, as she hopes to become a doctor. Juoneck lives with clubfoot, a congenital condition that limits her mobility, and impedes her participation in playing, sports, and long-distance walks. Despite these challenges, she remains determined in her pursuit of education and her dreams. Her parents recently met a good Samaritan, who was astonished to discover that Juoneck has been living with a treatable disability. The Samaritan directed them to our partner's center for treatment. Juoneck's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Kafika House. There, on December 22nd, the team will begin clubfoot treatment on Juoneck. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Juoneck's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and to participate in sports. Juoneck’s mother says: “I hope my daughter’s spirit won’t be limited by the condition she was born with. I hope this treatment will help correct her leg.”

Samuel is a toddler from Ethiopia. He is the second child and loves playing with his older brother. He also loves to take milk and Plumpy Nuts, a nutritional treatment donated by the government for malnourishment, as many children in Samuel’s area experience malnutrition. Samuel’s parents separated, and he, along with his siblings, is being cared for by his mother. She works in the community market, which is a community-organized venture that operates one day a week. On the other days, his mother buys and sells bread from bread makers for a profit. Due to the area’s high poverty levels and rocky topography, drought and water shortages limit food production, so many families receive food donations of maize and wheat from the government, which also helps Samuel’s mom support her family. Samuel was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. His mom brought him to a local health center, where he was referred to the hospital. Unfortunately, before treatment could begin, war broke out and forced Samuel and his mother to return home without any treatment. Samuel’s mom has been deeply concerned about his health. However, she was filled with hope after meeting with a social worker from our medical partner’s care center and learning that Samuel’s condition is treatable. With that hope, she traveled three days to the care center for Samuel's surgery. Samuel is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on December 12th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Samuel’s mom said, “I hope I will see my child healed and pass urine just like other children.”

George a 29-year-old bus conductor. He is rehabilitated now but used to live on the streets for over eight years. He never had a chance to meet his parents since they passed away when he was a small boy. He was taken to Nairobi city to be raised by relatives. In April, George was involved in a road accident; he was riding a motorcycle when he encountered an oncoming speeding vehicle that caused him to sway off the road. He was ferrying two individuals who were unhurt, but, unfortunately, he sustained injuries to his left leg. He is currently nursing a large wound on his leg and a fractured ankle. It is difficult for him to walk, and he is in chronic pain. Surgeons at our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can help. On June 27th, George will undergo a fracture repair procedure that will help him walk easily again. AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. George says, “I survived a lot of things while living on the street. This accident came as I was settling out of the street. I cannot go to work with a broken ankle and a wound on my thigh. I hope to get treatment.”

Humphrey is a 3-month-old baby from Kenya and the youngest in his family of three children. His grandparents provide financial support for Humphrey's family, as his mother had to leave her job to stay home and care for him. As his family does not have insurance coverage, they are requesting assistance to help with Humphrey's medical bills. During a hospital visit, a doctor noticed Humphrey might have hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. He received a CT scan that confirmed the diagnosis. Currently, Humphrey has been experiencing an increasing head circumference, and without treatment, he will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Humphrey was also born with spina bifida, which the doctors will address later in his treatment journey. On January 25th, Humphrey will undergo surgery to drain the excess fluid from his brain and reduce intracranial pressure. With this treatment, Humphrey can grow up strong and healthy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $720 to cover the cost of this surgery. Humphrey's mother says: "I'm very shocked and stressed as it is not what I was expecting when I came. I just hope that all goes well in the treatment process."

Esther, who is five years old, lives in a remote area of Tanzania, primarily populated by the Maasai people. Esther's parents rely on cattle breeding for income to support their family, but due to changing climate, there is increasingly insufficient pasture land to keep the cattle from starving. Esther has also been unwell for quite some time, and after seeking both spiritual and medical help, Esther's parents decided to relocate her, so that she now lives in the city with her grandmother. Esther was diagnosed with genu varus, or bow legs, a condition commonly caused by excessive fluoride in the bones, a result of ingesting contaminated drinking water. Her legs bow outward, making it difficult for her to walk. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Esther. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 6th, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Treatment will hopefully restore Esther's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Esther’s grandmother says: “Esther is now a happy girl, I wish for her legs to be normal so that she doesn’t have to suffer in the future.”

Ashin Mala is a 30-year-old monk who lives in a monastery in Karen State, Burma. He became a monk a year ago. As a monk, Ashin usually doesn’t have the right to save money and keep cash. But sometimes, worshippers donate some money, and he keeps it to use just in case. The monastery usually provides him two meals a day donated by the Buddhist followers. In October, one day, he visited a house of a member of ethnic armed group in the village. A kid was playing with a pistol and accidentally shot the gun in the wall. Unfortunately, the bullet ricocheted and hit his left eye. The villagers sent Ashin Mala to Myawaddy General Hospital immediately. At the hospital, an X-ray was done and showed that a piece of the bullet had entered below his right eyeball. The doctors stitched the gunshot wound and gave some medications. There was no ophthalmologist at hospital. Ashin visited the hospital regularly and got wound dressing as well as medication to relieve pain. But the pain didn’t go away. He has lost sight in his left eye. Pain and itchiness, and sometimes a burning sensation, is present in the right eye and surrounding area. Hot tears are coming out from both eyes during blinking occasionally whenever he reads book for a long time. Due to the lack of ophthalmologist, he was provided only with medications and eyedrops. Now doctors want Ashin Mala 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 his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Ashin Mala's CT scan and care, scheduled for December 9th. Ashin Mala said, "I don’t want to blame anyone. It is my destiny. I am not sure my condition can be treated or not. But I am so happy to be treated here because I think I can have better health care here than in Burma. I don’t expect complete recovery, but it will be great if I can see with both eyes. In the future, I want to learn more about Dhamma and hope to attend Buddha University in the future."

Hoy is a 64-year-old retired Khmer cake seller from Cambodia. Sadly, Hoy's husband passed away during the Khmer Rouge. She has two sons, three daughters, and five grandchildren, and her children support her. She enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio and joining ceremonies at the pagoda in her free time. Three years ago, Hoy developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Hoy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 15th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help raising $253 to fund her procedure and care. Hoy shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, do housework and visit our local pagoda by myself."

David is a 24-year-old male from Kenya. He is the last born in a family of four children raised by his mother. He works at a timber workshop near his home. In June 2020, David was involved in an accident where he was hit from the side by a motorbike. He was taken to the nearest public hospital and received emergency care. An x-ray revealed that he had an open right tibia fracture that needed surgery. Following his initial surgery, he has since had several additional surgeries due to the severity of the injury. In October 2022, he was referred to the care center, AIC Kijabe Hospital, run by our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for specialized review and care. His doctors quickly realized that he still walks with a limp, and his ankle is stiff with bloody discharge from the incision site. His doctors determined that a deeper examination was needed, and he ended up having a hardware removal surgery. However, the region where the fracture occurred is still severely infected, and he risks losing his right leg due to the infection. The doctors have recommended an additional procedure to remedy the remaining issues and clean the infection. Fortunately, AMH has scheduled David for a second-stage bone transport in hopes of avoiding amputation and helping him walk again. AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund the procedure and provide for David's post-operative care. David says, “I feel exhausted and worried. I am unable to walk despite having several surgeries. I hope this surgery [helps] to save my leg.”

Nicholaus is a young boy from a family of five living in Tanzania. His parents are local farmers who practice subsistence farming. They try to provide for the family, but it has been hard for them to provide the basic needs. They sometimes live on one meal a day, and shared that buying clothes for their children is difficult. When Nicholaus was two years old, he fell into a pit of hot ashes, burning his right hand. The parents applied honey on the wound and left it to heal. They got rid of the open wound, but it left the boy with a burn scar contracture on his right hand. They live in a remote area where it is hard to access social services like medical care. The contractures tighten the area around the burn, and it is now hard for him to move the hand especially around the wrist and part of the fingers. Nicholaus' parents have tried seeking professional medical opinion for their son before, but have not been able to afford the recommended treatment. When they heard about Friends of the Plaster House (ALMC), they were hopeful, and travelled over 600 km to seek assistance for their son. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Nicholaus receive treatment. On October 12th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help him move his hand easily. Now, he needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Nicholaus’s mother says “We left home with hope that when he comes back, his hand will be okay."