Biruke is 12 years old and a second grader from Ethiopia. His parents are farmers who work hard to support Biruke and his six siblings. Two years ago, Biruke noticed an infection on his right thigh. It was causing him pain, limiting his mobility, and preventing him from attending school and playing soccer. Following a consultation with our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, doctors have recommended that Biruke undergo a sequestrectomy, a surgical procedure involving the removal of fragments of infected, dead bone or tissue. If not treated, it can lead to recurrent infections that may result in life-threatening complications. He is scheduled for surgery on December 6th, and needs help to raise $900 to fund his treatment and care. Once completed, this procedure will alleviate his symptoms and prevent serious long-term complications. Biruke's parents shared, "More than anything, we pray for the simple sight of our son being truly healthy—to see him fully restored, running and playing without constraint. We long for him to share the same freedom and opportunity to attend school as every other child."

Phanneth is an eight-year-old student from Cambodia. He lives with his parents, who are rice farmers, his two older brothers, grandmother. They live in Takéo Province, near the international border with Vietnam. His brothers are in high school, while he is currently in kindergarten. At home, he enjoys eating sour soup with rice and fried fish. Phanneth was born with diplegic cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects muscle tone and movement in the legs. Because of this, Phanneth was not able to walk until he was almost three years old and he is unable to play sports with other children. During his free time, he enjoys playing with his older brothers. Phanneth needs to undergo a tendon and nerve repair procedure and our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Phanneth receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on November 19th. His family can contribute $100 but needs your help to raise $472 to fund Phanneth's procedure and care. Phanneth's mother shared: "I hope my son can walk and be happy and healthy when he grows up."

Christine is a five-year-old girl from Uganda who lives with her parents and two younger siblings. She is currently in primary school class one. Her parents are both farmers. Christine has had palpable swelling in her right rib/chest area for the past two years. She does not feel pain in the area, which made the family less worried about it at first. Now that it has been two years and her swelling is increasing in size, Christine's parents are beginning to get concerned. They brought her to our medical partner's care center, Rushoroza Hospital, for medical advice. Christine was advised to undergo surgery but due to financial instability, her parents cannot afford it. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Christine receive treatment. On November 11th, surgeons will remove the mass so Christine can return to school comfortably and reduce the risk of future problems. Now, Christine's family needs help to fund this $145 procedure. Christine's father says, “We look forward to having Christine continue with her studies and other activities more easily.”

Samen is a 36-year-old construction worker and mother. She has one son and one daughter, both in elementary school. Her husband works with her for the same construction company. In her free time, Samen likes spending time with her kids and listening to traditional Cambodian music. Five years ago, when she had an electric shock at work, afterwards Samen developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her to be unable to see out of that eye. When Samen learned about our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On July 17th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Samen is able to contribute to the cost of the surgery and needs help with $253 to fully fund the procedure. She shared, "I want to improve my vision so that I can work more and earn enough money to stop construction work and open a grocery shop in my village."

Pauline is a 36 year old single woman, living in Kenya. She works at a facility where they take care of street children. Both of her parents have passed away, and she has no siblings. Pauline has lived in near constant pain for 26 years. After she was finally able to have an MRI, an ultrasound and blood tests, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. Because of this condition, tissue, which is similar to that of the lining of the uterus, grows outside of the uterus, enveloping the ovaries and fallopian tubes, causing chronic discomfort. The tissue can also affect other nearby organs, such as the bowel and the bladder. Surgical intervention is required to resolve this condition. With the assistance of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Pauline is now scheduled to undergo a hysteroscopy and operative laparoscopy, on October 11th, at AIC Kijabe Hospital. After the surgery, Pauline should be able to live her life, free from pain. Now she needs your help to fund the procedure, which costs $1,074. Pauline says: “I have always lived with pain since I was a small girl. I hope this discomfort will come to a halt once and for all.”

Ann is a farmer and the mother of two children aged 10 and 5 years. They live in their ancestral home in Central Kenya. Ann and her husband are small-scale farmers growing food for home use. The couple does not have jobs and therefore has no source of income. They also don’t have a medical coverage and are required to pay for the treatment and surgery out-of-pocket, which they cannot afford. Two years ago, Ann began to experience troubling symptoms, including pain and discomfort. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Ann receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 10th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $949, and she and her family need help raising money. Ann says, "I have been feeling uncomfortable with this condition. It has been two years since I was diagnosed and there has been no improvement. I hope this surgery is a solution to my long-term problem."

Leo is a 49-year-old bricklayer. He lives with his wife, who is a small-scale farmer in their four-room semi-permanent house. Leo shared that he attended school up to class six, and his children have a similar educational background. His oldest is 29-years-old and attended school up to class five, while his youngest is 13-years-old and is in class seven. His children are only able to provide minimal family support. Last month, Leo developed severe pains in his groin and, as a result, experiences pain, discomfort, and difficulty sitting down and walking. He visited our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), and was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia. To address the risk that the hernia could become obstructed and gangrenous, Leo will undergo hernia repair surgery on October 22nd at our medical partner’s care center. AMH is requesting $170 to help fund Leo’s surgery. Following surgery, Leo will be able to live comfortably and confidently. Leo shared, “I can no longer do my usual duties comfortably in my current condition. I hope to get better through surgery and proceed with bricklaying to be able to earn a living for my family.”

Busingye is an assistant lecturer and a mother of four. All of her children a still in school: Her first born is 21 years old and in secondary school class six, the second born is 19 years old and in secondary school class four, the third born is 15 years old and in secondary school class two, while her last born is seven years old and in primary school class two. She is an assistant lecturer at Uganda college of commerce while her husband is a secondary school teacher. Their main struggle currently is school fees because their salaries cannot solely take care of the fees and provide other family basic needs. In recent months, Busingye has been experiencing a lot of pain during menstruation and when urinating, and also having abdominal pains and backache. She has now been diagnosed with fibroids. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $228 to fund Busingye's surgery. On September 8th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Busingye will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and her quality of life will improve. Busingye says, “I hope to live a normal life again after the surgery since I will be able to resume comfortably my normal duties as an assistant lecturer.”

11-year-old Alemwaki is the oldest of her six siblings. She is the best student in her class in grade five. Alemwaki likes science and hopes to become a doctor. Both of her parents are peasants who have difficulty paying for their children's education. Alemwaki was born with a painful umbilical swelling. Over time, both the swelling and pain increased. One year ago, Alemwaki's parents took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia and was advised to have surgery. At the time, she did not undergo surgery because her parents could not afford the procedure. Without treatment, Alemwaki risked intestinal damage and blockage. "l have a stomachache, and sometimes I get nausea,” she said about her condition. Fortunately, on November 23, doctors repaired Alemwaki's hernia. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 to fund this procedure. After recovery, Alemwaki hopes to return to school.

Mercy is a university student studying mass communication at the University of Jos, Nigeria. She loves reading, writing, and singing, and dreams of making a positive difference in the world. For many years, Mercy has battled sickle cell anemia, a disease that causes episodes of severe pain, fatigue, rapid heart rate, and shortness of breath. Her condition has been well managed by low-cost care from Faith Alive Foundation, but she is now dealing with another issue. Mercy is suffering from osteomyelitis, a condition that causes a deformity of her left knee, excruciating pain, and inability to walk. She needs surgery to remove dead pieces of bones from her leg and enable her to live normally again, but she cannot afford the $1,000 procedure. We hope to cover the cost for Faith Alive to provide Mercy with the care she needs to return to school and continue on a path towards a happy, successful life.