Ruth lives in the mountains of Haiti with her mother, grandmother, and four siblings. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), tells us that eight-year-old Ruth "does not attend school, but likes helping her mother around the house, playing with her brothers and sisters, and singing." Ruth loses her breath and energy quickly, however, because she was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. "A hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart," HCA says. "Ruth also has down syndrome." Ruth's heart condition makes it difficult for her body to circulate and process her blood efficiently. HCA explains that "because she has lived for so long with this condition, there is a chance it may no longer be repairable, but the only way to determine this is by inserting a catheter into the chambers of her heart. Since this is not possible in Haiti, arrangements are being made to bring her to Dominican Republic to perform this extremely important test in the hopes that she can have heart surgery soon." For $1500, Ruth will be taken to the Dominican Republic for the catheterization procedure that will determine whether she is a candidate for heart surgery. If she is operable, she will be prepared for surgery as soon as possible. "We are very happy that there is hope for Ruth, and hope that she will be able to have surgery," her mother says.

“About two and a half years ago, Turyaingana noticed two swellings in his inguinal region as he was lifting sacks of dried food in a store,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). 53-year-old Turyaingana runs a business in his home country of Uganda, and also works as a farmer to generate income to support his wife and seven children. “Income from farming is not stable because it depends on the season and good timing,” AMHF says. “Sometimes he puts in a lot of energy but gets very poor yield.” Due to his pain and swelling, Turyaingana’s work schedule has become even more irregular. AMHF diagnosed him with an inguinal hernia, and he needs surgery to fix the condition. “Turyaingana decided to stop working in a store and started digging,” AMHF continues. “He is currently unable to carry heavy stuff or climb a hill where his gardens are. He has never gone to a hospital but has been using herbs. After being on herbs for a long time and not experiencing any positive change on the swelling Turyaingana went to the hospital, but he couldn’t afford to pay for treatment.” For $220, we can fund Turyaingana’s hernia repair. Not only will he be able to return to work, but “the risk of intestinal obstruction, incarceration or/and strangulation will also be eliminated,” AMHF says. “Thank you for being thoughtful of the poor,” Turyaingana told AMHF.