Benina is a cheerful woman with an infectious smile, she is married and has been blessed with five children, all boys. The first two children have completed their high school education; the other two are still in high school, while the youngest is in primary school. Benina and her husband own a piece of land where they primarily cultivate potatoes for their family's consumption and sell the surplus in the market. They also sporadically work on the farms of their neighbors to supplement their little income. This year, rainfall was very inconsistent, and the couple did not have any potato produce, thereby earning no income from their land. For the past 6 years, Benina has been experiencing severe abdominal pains, bleeding, and a persistent headache. She sought medical services from a clinician, who referred her to the obstetrics and gynecology department for further review. In 2019, the symptoms became severe, and she decided to visit a nearby health facility where she was given medication and sent back home. She experienced temporary relief from the condition, but it later reappeared. Benina made the decision to come to our partner's care center, AIC Kapsowar Hospital, because the situation did not get any better. After learning about her medical history, medical test were recommended which revealed that she had a hemoglobin level below 6, which is extremely low and dangerous. She was hospitalised and underwent a blood transfusion to boost hemoglobin levels and enhance blood quality. To help her heal she needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $918 to fund Benina's surgery. On November 29th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Benina will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Benina says, "I have endured a lot while holding out hope that I may soon recover. Day by day, the symptoms are getting worse, and I've lost a lot of blood. I'm in a terrible situation, please support me to get this operation."

Rechael is a 38-year-old widow and mother of three children, who works in a small grocery store. Her husband died in a traffic accident in 2018, and her life changed dramatically as a result. Her husband's family sent her away with the children, and since her mother had also died earlier, she shared with us that she had nowhere to go. Her aunt agreed to have Rachael and her children come live with her. Rechael was accompanied by her aunt and uncle when she came to Nazareth Hospital this week. She was very anxious, and when she started narrating her story she began to cry. She had become depressed, had experienced periodic upper abdominal pains, and occasional vomiting. She has been admitted at hospitals three times, and a scan showed that she had gallstones. Doctors advised that she have surgery to heal her condition. Unfortunately, she is unable to pay the $788 needed for this surgery. If not treated, Rechael will continue to experience these symptoms, and could develop complications such as pancreatitis, or obstruction of the gallbladder among others. “I am desperate and don’t know what to do. I can only depend on my family, and they are not in a position to help. I pray for help so that at least my life can be normal again for the sake of my children,” said Rechael.

Phalla is a 62-year-old grocery seller. She has one daughter, three sons, and four grandchildren. Phalla lives with her youngest daughter who is a garment worker. She shared that her husband passed away a long time ago. Phalla likes to watch the news on TV and listen to monks pray on the radio. Two years ago, Phalla developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her tearing and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Phalla learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On April 25th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Phalla says, "I hope after surgery my eye can see clearly. I would like to recognize everything well and get around on my own."

Gebreegziabher is a brave, young, and fun boy who loves to hangout with his friends. He loves to play chase and other games with his friends and brothers. He has five siblings and shared with us that he loves goats! Gebreegziabher never went to school because of his condition. He is a shepherd and helps to keep the sheep and goats of his parents. Because of his condition, he has endured bullying, but he continues to be brave and his dad shared: “He is so strong despite his sickness. When others pick on him and speak bad things about him and things related to his disease he even gets in to fights.” Gebreegziabher's mom and dad counsel him and comfort him and help him to bring out self-confidence and strength. His dad and his mom are farmers and his mom takes care of all the household chores. Dad said: “Our area is dry. We work hard and farm but the harvest is poor with lack of rain. We purchase food because our harvest is not enough to support the family.” They also raise animals to support themselves. The community survives with the dry land and the scarcity of food by donations from the government and NGOs. But the past two years they couldn’t get the donation since they are in the war zone. For these reasons they can’t afford the medical bill for their son. Gebreegziabher was born with congenital anomaly called bladder extrophy. That is an abnormally where the bladder is open to air. Given the pain and risk of infection, he just ties clothes around the wound. His mom is very much worried and concerned because of his condition. She shared that she has excluded herself from the community for years in taking care of him and raises him and recalls that when growing up, he would sit faraway from others and boys in his age. They keep up hope for better days ahead and are a loving family who support each other the best they can. His Dad said: “He learned to exclude himself from others growing up. We are sad as a family because of his condition. The neighbor insults us, discriminate us and we feel so sad about this. We couldn’t tell what will happen to him. And we bring him to God always.”

Phat is a 73-year-old retired soldier. He was married with four children, but his wife and two of his children have unfortunately passed away. Now he lives with his son who is a mechanic. At home, he enjoys spending his time watching TV and listening to the news on the radio. One year ago, Phat developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him to experience blurry vision and light sensitivity. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Phat learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for one and a half hours seeking treatment. On July 5th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Phat says, "I hope after surgery my eye can see better and I can go outside and recognize things well again."

Purity is a 57-year-old woman from Kenya. As she enters our local Watsi rep's office, Purity strains to sit and cannot hide her pains. She looks uneasy and can’t stop asking when she will be going to the operating theatre. She developed a deep spine infection (surgical site infection) after lumbar surgery that necessitates urgent debridement and removal of hardware. Her current condition is serious and the orthopaedic team has requested an urgent procedure or she risks paralysis. Purity is a mother of 3, all of whom are now adults. Her youngest son is a student at a local university and still depends on her. Her older son is a casual laborer working with Purity’s husband at construction sites locally referred to as mjengo. Her other son is a police officer and has been the one helping Purity to cover her previous medical bills. Her son took out a loan but it was barely enough to cover her earlier treatment. She is also hoping for support from the National Health Insurance coverage, but her application is pending. She is requesting emergency assistance. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Purity receive treatment. On November 4th, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to finally help heal her wound, reduce her pain, and enable her to ambulate with ease. Now, Purity needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Purity shared, “I couldn’t sleep one more night at home, the pains are unbearable. I have no source of finances to cover for the surgery that will help me get better. I risk paralysis if this procedure is not performed.”

Tuon is an 81-year-old former rice farmer from Cambodia. Tuon has three sons, eight daughters, and twenty grandchildren. He spends most of his time at the rice field with his wife and family. Tuon enjoys planting vegetables surrounding his house. In his free time he reads Buddhist texts and listens to the monks pray at the pagoda or on the radio. One year ago, Tuon developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Tuon learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for one and a half hour seeking treatment. On May 15th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $229 procedure. "I hope after surgery I can see everything better so I can walk outside, join ceremonies at the pagoda, and do any housework on my own. I will continue my reading of the holy book and take care of my vegetables too," Tuon said.

Thu is a 11-year-old student from Burma. He lives with his mother, sister, brother-in-law, twin brother and an older brother. He and his family moved to Thailand from Burma five months ago in search of better job opportunities. Thu’s mother and older brother are agricultural day laborers. Thu and his twin brother are fourth graders at a Burmese migrant school. In his free time, Thu likes to play football with his friends. On July 12th Thu, his twin, and his friends were climbing guava trees near their school to pick up guavas. He fell out of the tree and onto his left arm. An x-ray revealed that he had broken his left elbow. Currently, his left arm is swollen, painful, and cannot be bent. He feels uncomfortable when he lays down and he cannot sleep at night. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Thu will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 15th and will cost $1,500. Thu’s mother shared, “I’m very worried and sad that I don’t have enough money to pay for my son’s treatment.” Thu also said, “I’m sad that I broke my hand and that I won’t be able to climb trees again. I don’t want to carry my hand in a sling.”

Kyaw Myat is a five-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his family in a village in Sagaing Division. Kyaw Myat’s father is a subsistence farmer and sometimes he also works as a day laborer on other villagers’ farms. His mother is a homemaker and takes care of Kyaw Myat’s brother at home. Kyaw Myat received a shunt, throught the help of Watsi, for his hydrocephalus. Because he was also diagnosed with an abnormal growth in his head, and the mass is putting pressure on an artery in his head, it affected his ability to walk properly. Currently, Kyaw Myat cannot walk properly and sometimes, he complains that he has a headache and watery eyes. Doctors want Kyaw Myat 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 $469 to cover the cost of Kyaw Myat's CT scan and care, scheduled for August 23. Kyaw Myat father said, "I was told that they want a CT scan to check my son's condition. I am very worried because they just asked for it before surgery and I am afraid there might be a bad outcome."

Ntegyerize is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is married with three children. Ntegyerize has had a swelling on her right breast for three years. She traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On May 2, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Ntegyerize needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure. Ntegyerize says, “I hope to get well after surgery and I continue with farming and breastfeed my child.”