Christine is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is married and blessed with four children aged between 17 years and 1 year who are all in school except the last one. Her husband is a builder, and they live with her parents in a two-room mud house for shelter. They combine efforts to develop and support their family. Eleven years ago, Christine began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling associated with pain, difficulty in swallowing, and loss of voice. She is also unable to carry heavy items and experiences headaches. She visited Rushoroza Hospital for treatment. She was diagnosed with a goiter and surgery was recommended to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Christine receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 24th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Christine says, ‘‘I believe and pray to have a successful surgery. I hope to continue with farming after my recovery to be able to support my husband and our family. May God bless you.’’

Myo is a 43-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his wife and three children in Tak Province. Myo used to work as a construction worker. However, he stopped working last year because of his health condition. His wife makes snacks and sells them in the community. Myo has a heart condition that requires the replacement of his aortic and mitral heart valves and the repair of the tricuspid valve. These valves control the blood flow between the chambers of the heart and are necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Because of this condition, Myo experiences chest and back pains and shortness of breath. He has difficulty breathing and is unable to sleep well. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for this complex surgery. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital on March 13th. After the surgery, Myo is expected to live more comfortably and have a more active life. Myo said, “I feel sad for my family because I can not support them. After my wife gave birth to my youngest daughter, my neighbor helped us with some food and snacks for my children. I also could not afford to pay for my surgery and I had to borrow money for my medical cost.”

Ruhama is a beautiful two month old baby girl, who lives with her parents in Ethiopia. Both of her parents are quite young, and due to their having left school early, both work as day laborers, earning limited wages. Ruhama was born with an anorectal malformation, which is a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. She needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate her bowel dysfunction and help her grow up healthy. Ruhama is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on February 1st, at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Ruhama's procedure and care. After her recovery, Ruhama will no longer experience bowel dysfunction, or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Ruhama's mother said: “I will leave her at the hands of God. I can’t say she will heal or not, but it’s all God’s will."