"Neema was born at home on December 14th, 2015," says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "She is the fourth born in the family. Neema’s parents moved away from their village three years ago due to severe drought. They managed to move with a few cows and goats and currently they are living with Neema’s grandparents (mother’s side)." "Neema has a lesion on her lower back, which can easily burst – leaking cerebral spinal fluid," AMHF says. "If not treated, Neema can easily contract infections, causing other bigger health problems." Neema's open mass is due to a condition called spina bifida. "Neema’s mother is a homemaker and his father is a livestock keeper," AMHF says. "Their two children are in primary school and they hope to be able to send all of their children to school. Currently they do not have sufficient funds to cover the cost of operation which Neema badly needs. Neema is getting on and off fevers and sometimes she vomits after breastfeeding." For $1,200, we can fund a life-saving spina bifida closure procedure for Neema. "The lesion on Neema’s back will be closed preventing her from losing CSF and easily contracting infection," says AMHF. “I hope my baby will get well, grow up like her siblings and later on go to school,” shares Neema’s mother.

Htun is a 52-year-old mother of five children who lives with her family in Burma, and works hard around the family's farm, tending to the home and her loved ones. Several years ago while Htun was lifting something heavy, she felt a mass protrude from her vagina. She tells our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), that she "visited a local midwife, but the midwife did not know what her condition was. Htun did not receive any assistance from the midwife so she returned home and tried to use traditional medicine without any success." She has since been diagnosed with uterine prolapse, a condition that causes her uterus to protrude from her vagina, often times causing bleeding and pain. Htun is self conscious of her condition and says: "I don't want to go outside the house because when I am walking my uterus slips and protrudes." Even with this discomfort, she continues working around the house. Her husband grows and sells fruits and vegetables, and her daughter works in a factory. Despite that, "the combined income of the family is not always enough to cover the food costs," let alone her medical expenses. $1,500 will cover the cost of surgery to repair Htun's condition. After the surgery, "she will no longer feel embarrassed and will be able to resume other activities. Additionally, she will no longer have back pain or pain associated with the prolapse." "I want to be able to walk outside without being afraid," Htun adds.

While Pana was chopping wood on a tree on her family's farm, a branch snapped and fell on her, fracturing her right femur. Our medical partner, Possible, shares that 26-year-old Pana from Nepal has been in significant pain and "has difficulty moving." "We rushed immediately after the accident," Pana's husband shares. They have a one-year-old daughter they had to leave in the house as they rushed to find care. The small family "tends to the farm to make ends meet," but are unable to afford the care that Pana needs to get back on her feet. The holistic care that Pana needs costs $579, which covers surgery, antibiotics, post-operative care, and follow-up appointments. During the surgery, "Pana's bones will be aligned correctly and secured with pins to ensure that it does not move," Possible shares, "Her fracture should heal within a month." Once her femur properly heals, Pana will be able to care for her young daughter, work on the farm, and be able to live her life without immobilizing pain again.

“Radha fell from a tree that she was climbing to chop firewood for cooking,“ says our medical partner, Possible. After the fall, the 32-year-old Nepalese mother of three sustained a broken femur. “The area of injury has swollen and is painful,” Possible states. “She has been taking medication to subside the pain.” For $579, Radha can undergo orthopedic surgery to repair her broken femur. She will receive an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery, a two-part process that involves placing her bones into their correct position before binding them with metal rods and screws. In addition to spending four days of hospital care following her surgery, Radha will also work with a physiotherapist to help her regain full use of her leg. Radha, who was accompanied to the hospital by one of her children, shares, "I wish my treatment happens fast, I am worried how my children are doing at home."