Rayvan is a 1 month old baby boy living with his parents and three siblings in Kenya. Rayvan's mother used to plough her neighbors' farms, while his father herds cattle and ploughs farms to earn a living for their family. Rayvan parents shared that he was born at home because they could not afford to pay for his delivery at a hospital. After his birth, his mother noticed that Rayvan had a large swelling on the lower part of his back. She immediately took him to a nearby hospital to be examined. Rayvan was given some medication, and sent back home. After using the medication for a few weeks, there was no change in his condition. His mother shared her concerns about Rayvan with her friends, and one of them referred her to our medical partner's care center BethanyKids Hospital in Kijabe. On arrival, he was examined and diagnosed with spina bifida, a condition that requires surgical intervention to heal. Without surgery, Rayvan is at risk of developing paralysis of his lower limbs, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, and possible developmental delays. His parents do not have health insurance, and are unable to pay for the surgery he needs. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,151 to cover the cost of Rayvan's spina bifida closure surgery, which is scheduled to take place on May 18th at BethanyKids Hospital. This procedure will hopefully spare Rayvan from the risks associated with his condition, and enable him to grow up strong and healthy. Rayvan’s mother says: “I have never seen such a condition before and I was very much worried about my child. Now I’m happy to hear that he can get treated. The sad part is that I cannot afford the treatment but I believe that God will make a way.”

Samson is a quiet and reserved 16-year-old boy. Three months ago, he started experiencing severe headaches. His father gave him medication but the headache was persistent so they visited a nearby hospital. There he received mediation, but after some time he started to stagger while walking. This has made it difficult for him to go anywhere on his own. His father took him to a branch of Kijabe Hospital in their home area where they referred Samson for treatment at Bethanykids Hospital. His father went with him back home, gathered some funds and now brought him to our medical partner's care center BethanyKids Hospital. Scans have revealed that Samson has a mass growing in his head, which has affected his right eye and his balance. The doctor recommends a craniotomy surgery to heal his condition. Samson is the last born in a family of five children. His mother passed away four years ago due to illness. Now his father sells groceries to provide for their family. Without insurance coverage, they are not able to raise the amount needed for Samson's care so our medical partner is helping to raise $1,500. Samson told us, “I would like to regain my health back and go to school and after that help my father in his business.”

Feven is a beautiful 7-month-old baby girl from Ethiopia. She has two older brothers and five sisters. She loves to play with her mom. Her dad is a farmer and he works hard, but his income is not enough to maintain the family so his brother often helps. All their children are in school and Feven's mom sometimes is able to sell items at the market. Feven was born with a birth defect called anorectal malformation. She developed bowel obstruction because of her condition and had an emergency colostomy surgery. Her parents shared that they are highly affected psychologically and are sad and worried about their baby. Feven now needs a follow up surgery to help her eliminate bowel dysfunction. She is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on March 22nd. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. After her recovery, Feven will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing related health complications in the future. Her mom shared, “We were so worried. But thank God he gave us this opportunity.”

San is a 38-year-old woman who lives with her daughter and two sons in a village near Mae Sot, Thailand. San’s two sons work as agricultural day labourers on a farm. San’s daughter is a second grade student. San stopped working on the farm about four months ago when she first developed problems with her vision. The money that her two sons earn is not enough to cover their household expenses and pay for her daughter’s school fees since she stopped working. They have had to borrow money to pay for basics like food. San has cataract and glaucoma. Currently, San has lost most of her vision in her right eye. Her right eye is painful and always waters. If she tries to focus her vision to make out someone’s face, her eyes will hurt, and she develops a headache. In her free time, San like to clean her house and plant vegetables. She said, “I hope that I will get better soon so that I can go back to work and pay back my debts. I want to support my daughter so that she can become an educated person. I want to live happily with my family for the rest of my life.” Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for San. On February 22nd, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove San's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. San said, “I am so upset that my condition worsens every day. I cannot sleep well because I am worried about what will happen if I do not get better. I am upset that I cannot work and my two sons have to work and support me. I feel so sad for my two sons.’’

Serah is a hard-working farmer and mother. Sadly, she has been widowed for over 30 years but is happy to have a loving family of seven children who are now adults that live with their own families. She has a small quarter-acre tea farm, but largely depends on her children for support in her older age. In December 2021, Serah found a painless lump that worried her. She visited a local health center where additional testing was recommended. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and a mastectomy, or a surgery to remove breast tissue, was recommended to rid her body of the cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Without treatment, the cancer could spread to other organs. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Serah receive treatment. On January 25th, she will undergo a mastectomy at AMH's care center. After treatment, Serah will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Now, AMH is requesting $1,110 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. Serah shared, "all my life I have had the privilege of good health. We thank God. The news of cancer and surgery came as a surprise to me considering I am an old lady and fragile. I need this surgery to save my life from the jaws of this fatal disease."

Jackson is a 48-year-old married man and the father of three children. His oldest child is in high school and his youngest has not yet joined school. Jackson works as a welder, but he shared that work is hard to come by. His wife works as a teacher in a small private school. On Monday, December 20th, Jackson was riding as a passenger on his friend's motorbike when they were in an accident. They were going to plant some tomatoes on a farm they both owned. They arrived safely and went ahead to plant the tomatoes. When they were done, they decided to go back home and took off on Monday evening. Along the way, they were involved in an accident. Jackson was badly injured and rushed to the emergency room. Later, he was evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon where he was told he had a fractured femur and surgery is recommended. Jackson is bedridden and in pain, and he worries that without treatment, he might not be able to walk again. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On December 23rd, Jackson will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. After a successful surgery, he will be able to move around easily and resume his work to provide for his family. Now, Jackson needs help raising $1,500 to fund his procedure and care. Jackson shared, "it is very hard to comprehend what happened and how I’m going to clear the hospital bill but despite the situation I’m in right now, I’m very happy that I’m receiving treatment."

Marian is a seven-year-old student and the youngest child of three children in her family. Her mother is a housewife, while her father is a small-scale farmer. Marian has clubfoot of the right foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Marian tiptoes when she walks, has difficulty walking for long distances, and often falls. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Marian receive treatment. On November 22nd, she will undergo clubfoot repair surgery at AMH's care center. After treatment, she will be able to walk well, run, and play with her peers in school. Now, AMH is requesting $1,286 to fund Marian's procedure and care. Marian's mother shared, "I would love to see my daughter walking like other girls, and any support to make her surgery possible will be highly appreciated by our family."

Naw Blut lives with her husband, toddler son, and parents in a refugee camp in northern Thailand. She is a homemaker, her parents are retired, and her husband works at the Water and Sanitation Department in the refugee camp. Their family's monthly income of 2,694 baht ($89.80 USD) is just enough to cover their daily needs as they currently have to buy formula milk for Naw Blut's toddler. Naw Blut has been receiving a antenatal care at the clinic at the refugee camp. Earlier this month, Naw Blut went for her follow-up appointment and since she was 37 weeks pregnant and had previously had an emergency C-section, she was told she would need to see a specialist about her delivery. The next day, staff from the organization that helps run the camp (Malteser International (MI) Thailand), brought her to Mae Sariang Hospital. After she met the doctor, the doctor said she could not give birth vaginally because of the status of her pregnancy and her last delivery. The team has scheduled her to undergo a c-section to safely delivery her baby. As Naw Blut cannot afford to pay for the procedure, MI staff referred her to our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund for financial support.

Jane is a 49-year-old farmer and a married mother of four children. She takes care of their home and along with her husband they do small-scale farming. Neither of them are formally employed. About one year ago, Jane began to experience troubling symptoms, including on-and-off severe headaches and, as of two months ago, neck swelling. She was diagnosed with multinodular goiter and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMH), is helping Jane receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on September 27th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $657, and she and her family need help raising money. “I am so worried because the swelling on my neck is increasing and this may affect my life more. I kindly request to be helped; we cannot get that kind of money required for surgery. I will be very grateful if I am assisted so that I can continue with my normal life and continue serving my family and be out socializing with friends,” said Jane.

Fred is a motorbike delivery man from Kenya. He is the last born in a family of five. Fred recently got a job in Nairobi making deliveries using a motorbike. He has only been working for two months at his job. On average, he can make $4 a day. The single young man lives in an apartment costing $30 a month. He does not have active medical insurance coverage do to the cost. His parents are small-scale farmers who grow food crops for home-use on their half an acre piece of land in Kisii. Fred's parents rely on him for upkeep and income since not all his siblings have jobs. To save money, he had travelled to his ancestral home in Kisii (about 500 km from Nairobi) to visit his elderly parents using his work motorbike. He was involved in an accident along Maai Maihiu road while going back to Nairobi. A personal car was on the wrong side of the narrow road and unfortunately hit him. He was rushed to Kijabe Hospital as an emergency case and admitted right away. X-rays revealed that he has a midshaft fracture femur, distal fibular fracture, ulna styloid fracture, Scaphoid fracture, and fracture of his finger.. The Orthopedic team has recommended right femur and right distal tibia fracture repair surgery. He is currently unable to walk or use his right leg and arm. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On August 25th, Fred will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. He will be able to walk again and use his arm again Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Fred says, “I am young and have a life to lead, I cannot lose my leg. I recently started working with high hopes for my future and supporting my elderly parents. I also promised my brother to pay for his college fees. Sadly, I now cannot walk or use my legs”.

Yusra is a toddler and loving big sister from Tanzania. After her father left, her family has been living at Yusra's grandparents' house. Yusra's single mother supports her family through selling vegetables and fruits at a local market. Yusra was diagnosed with genu valgus, which results in knock knees that make learning to walk a big challenge. Because of the angle that her legs are bent, Yusra has been learning to walk for four months but with limited success. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Yusra. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 29th. Treatment will hopefully restore Yusra's mobility, allow her to fully participate activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Yusra’s mother shares, "My baby is struggling a lot to walk due to her legs bending. I have been informed they can be corrected through surgery but we are not able to afford the treatment cost. Kindly help us."

Ra is a married 32-year-old metal worker from Cambodia. Ra's wife works in a factory, and they have two school-aged daughters. Eight months ago Ra fell and developed severe lower back and left hip pain, leading to difficulty walking. Ra was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, which is the death of bone tissue due to lack of blood supply. Fortunately, Ra learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. At CSC, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Ra of his pain and allow him to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for June 24th, and Ra needs help raising $1,087 to pay for this procedure. Ra looks forward to his recovery, "I am happy that I can get an operation here. After surgery I hope I heal and can return to work without pain."