Samuel is a father of three. He is a businessman who trades in bananas, selling them from door to door. He did not study much but proudly desires to see his children attain the highest level of education. His eldest child is in college while the others are in primary school. For four years, Samuel has had abdominal hernia. For the last six months, the hernia has been causing him pain especially when he is straining. He is worried that without treatment, the hernia might become strangulated, affecting his output and thus his family income. He needs surgery but is not able to raise the funds needed. He appeals for help. Fortunately, on December 8th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund Samuel's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Samuel says “I trust that I will get healed and continue hustling to see that I get my children where I want them to be once am operated.”

Aziza is 14-year-old girl and the second born child in a family of three children. She has just completed her class seven exams and looks forward to joining secondary school once the national examination results are out. She would love to be a teacher when she grows up. Aziza was involved in a fire accident when she was just three years old and she had not been able to use her left hand to hold things or be able to participate in many home chores. Aziza had surgery in February 2020 to release the burn contracture on her hand, which went a long way to enable her to use her hand more. Now, Aziza also needs an amputation of the small finger of her left hand. Her small finger has significant flexion contracture with severe damage to the joint capsules. Aziza is being raised by one of her aunts while her other siblings are being raised by other relatives after their mother passed away three years ago. Their father is not reliable in taking care of the children, and that’s when relatives decided to come in to help since they would miss meals and they didn’t have anyone to wash their clothes or provide them with other needs. Aziza’s aunt has three children of her own and including Aziza she has a total of four children. Aziza’s aunt is a stay at home wife while the husband sells bicycle spare parts and repairs them for a living. The income is not much but just enough to help support the family. Aziza says, “I am scared to lose a part of my hand but I agree with the surgeons that it is necessary and I hope it will help me be able to use my hand more. Please help me get this treatment.”

Ay is a 32-year-old garment worker. She is married and has one six-year-old daughter. Her daughter is in 2nd grade. Ay's husband is a construction worker. When Ay was just three the back of her leg was burned by a cooking fire. In 2018 her wound re-opened where her scar was. She went to a pharmacy for medications and clean dressings but the wound would not heal. Ay has a painful non-healing wound that makes it difficult for her to walk or flex her right leg. When Ay learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On October 29th, surgeons at CSC will perform a skin graft procedure to to help her walk easily again. Now, Ay needs help to fund this $474 procedure. Ay says, "After surgery I hope my right leg will be free of pain and infection and once it heals I will be able to walk again and return to work."

Arnold is a 40-year-old married man with three children; aged 15, 10, and 3. He is a truck driver and his wife helps take care of their family and home. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, his work has decreased. Also, his driving license is currently expired which means that he cannot work as a truck driver until he's able to renew the license. Since last year, Arnold has had a chronic cough. He sought medical care and tested negative for Tuberculosis more than four times; he was frequently put on antibiotics. Late last year, he started noticing a protruding swelling on his neck along with his persistent cough. He again sought medical attention from a health center and was referred to the public hospital. At the hospital, they suspected that he had a goiter and was referred to Partners in Hope (PIH) for thyroid tests since the other facility had no reagents for these tests. At PiH, Arnold was diagnosed with goiter. Doctors recommend that he has his thyroid removed in a procedure called thyroidectomy. A goiter is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland; a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck. Although goiters are usually painless, a large goiter can cause a cough, irritation and may also cause difficulty in swallowing and breathing. Arnold is afraid that his thyroid might grow bigger if he does not have it removed. It is expected that after surgery, the symptoms will heal and his neck will return to its normal size. Arnold appeals for financial assistance as he is not financially able to pay for the surgery. Arnold says, "My worry is that the goiter might grow bigger. I hope to get treatment before the condition worsens."

Channa is a 13-year-old student. She's the youngest of six children in her family, and has two older brothers, and three older sisters. Her siblings are married and work in construction or at the local clothes factory. Her father sadly passed away six years ago, and her mother has taken over the family farm and grows vegetables. When she is not in school, she likes to go swimming or for walks with her friends. Her favorite subject in school is Khmer literature, and she would like to be a lawyer when she grows up. Since she was born, Channa has had a mass on the right side of her nose. The mass was removed once before, but has come back. She experiences pain and feels ashamed of her appearance. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Channa receive treatment. She traveled to visit CSC's care center where, on December 9th, surgeons will remove the mass. Doctors believe the mass is a hamartoma, or an abnormal growth that is a mixture of cells and tissue, but they would like to do a histology to confirm whether additional treatment is needed following the excision. Now, Channa's family needs help raising $231 to fund her procedure and care. Channa's mother shared that she is hopeful that after surgery her daughter will look and feel better and can go to school.

Babikyengyire is the mother of one child who is 7 years old and in first grade at primary school. Her husband died in an accident in 2012. She later managed to buy a piece of land and constructed a three-room semi-permanent house for shelter. A long time ago, in 1989, she thought she was gaining weight with an expanded neck because it was painless. She got married in 2009 and when she got pregnant in 2012, she developed neck pains especially after walking long distances. After delivery, the swelling increased as well as her pain. She is a member of the church choir, but she could no longer sing because it was too painful. Currently, she feels much pain when she wears a mask due to the ongoing COVID-19 regulations in the country. She is hopeful to find a solution from Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Rushoroza Hospital. At Rushoroza, she presented with long-standing history of bi-nodular neck swelling. Thyrotoxicosis, airway obstruction, difficulty in breathing could be the end result if not treated through a thyroidectomy. Babikyengyire is a businesswoman who carries clothes around town to her customers, though she shared that she is finding it challenging now due to her condition. She feels uncomfortable being in public because of her neck swelling. She seeks financial support for her surgery because her small business can hardly raise a fraction of the total surgery charges. Babikyengyire shared, “I hope for a successful surgery. After the surgery, I believe that I will be able to travel long distances that will help me reach out to more customers and improve my business.”

Annet is a peasant farmer from Uganda. Annet has suffered from a goiter for the past four years, resulting in persistent headache, fatigue and difficulty in breathing. Due to this condition, her performance in the farm has reduced and without treatment, she might have further complications . She has been to several hospitals but the medication prescribed has not been helpful. She came to our facility and upon review, was diagnosed with a goiter and thyroidectomy surgery was recommended. Annet is a peasant farmer who relies on her few farm outputs to compliment her husband's income. The husband is a carpenter. Annet has four children, who are all in school. With little income, Annet may not be able to afford the cost of care. She thus appeals for financial assistance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Annet receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 12 at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $240, and she and her family need help raising money. Annet says, “I am more optimistic to having a changed life after my surgery and continue with work at the farm.”

Florence is a recent graduate from Malawi. She lives with her brother and enjoys chatting with friends in her free time. Since September of last year, Florence has been experiencing pain, which made it challenging to finish her education. She has been diagnosed with ovarian cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs on the ovaries. She needs to undergo an ovarian cystectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will excise the cysts. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $541 to fund Florence's surgery. On May 7, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and seven nights of hospital stay. She is so happy to be assisted through this surgery. She says, "Soon I will be able to do what I could not do before due to health problems. May God bless this program for helping me!"

Kule is a farmer from Kenya. He is married and a father of six children. Since 2017, Kule has had an inguinal hernia. This hernia causes him pain and if not treated, the hernia may result in intestinal tissue damage or death. Fortunately, on March 27, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 to fund Kule's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. He says, "After surgery I will resume with my work."

Blet is a 30-year-old woman from Burma who works as a farmer in order to support her elderly parents, daughter, niece, and nephew. In early June, Blet was hit in the nape of her neck by a tight bunch of bamboo as she was trying to pull the bunch apart. While she resumed working, Blet noticed dizziness and pain three days later when she was eating a snack. She hoped that the discomfort would get better on its own, but, six days later, her pain intensified to the point where she now feels as though her head might explode. Breathing is difficult, her left leg and hand tremble and ache, walking is slow and tough, and her right eye is swollen shut. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to fund a CT scan for Blet in order to properly diagnose her condition. The scan is scheduled for July 4 and, once completed, will hopefully provide Blet with clarity regarding her current symptoms.

Isabellah is a 32-year-old single mother from rural Uganda. She lives with her parents and her 12-year-old son. During her free time, Isabellah can be found listening to the radio. Isabellah has been diagnosed with a lipoma, or a mass, located just below her neck. The mass causes Isabellah to experience a lot of pain, and she is consequently unable to work. Our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, is requesting $196 to cover the cost of Isabellah's mass excision surgery, which is scheduled to take place on July 4. After her treatment, Isabellah is looking forward to returning to her old job, saving some money, and starting a business dealing in agricultural produce. "I thank the donors for supporting my treatment. God bless them," says Isabellah.

Magali is a 28-year-old woman from Guatemala. Magali is single and lives with her parents in Guatemala's rural highlands. With a passion for studying, Magali is taking weekend university classes, while working a full-time job and assisting with her family's business. Magali has always had problems with her sight, but she has never been able to afford a visit to an eye doctor. However, a month ago, Magali was able to get her vision checked at a free clinic. In this visit, she was diagnosed with myopia, or nearsightedness. Through our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, Magali is scheduled for an eye evaluation and to receive prescription lenses on June 12. She is requesting $552 to cover the total cost of her treatment. With a pair of glasses to fix her blurry vision, Magali will more easily be able to work, study, and support her family.