Anderson is 62 years old and a farmer from Malawi. He had hoped to spend his days tending his fields and enjoying the company of his wife and grandchild. Living in a village in Dedza District, Malawi, he and his wife have watched their six children grow up, marry, and build lives of their own. However, nine months ago, Anderson started experiencing troubling symptoms that affected his ability to farm and do his daily tasks. He was diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia. He started using a catheter and was given medications, but these only brought temporary relief. Physicians at our medical partner's care center, Nkhoma Hospital, determined that Anderson should undergo a prostatectomy, surgery to remove part or all of the prostate. For Anderson, the possibility of treatment has brought renewed hope. Yet the cost of surgery remains beyond what he and his family can afford. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, can help. Anderson is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 11th, and needs help raising $530 to fund this procedure. Once completed, it will hopefully improve Anderson's quality of life. More than anything, Anderson wants to regain his health, return to his farm, and once again provide for his household without the burden of constant illness. He says, “This condition has kept me away from my fields and changed my life. I hope that after treatment, I can get back on my feet and live freely again.”

Meseret is a brave 24-year-old woman from Ethiopia who is independent and works hard in the flower industry to make a living. Since she was two years old, she has lived with the effects of a serious burn accident. Because her family could only provide basic care at home when it happened, her scars have become very tight over the years. This tightness has pulled her skin so much that she can no longer move her arm or hand freely, making her daily manual labor much more difficult. Twenty-two years ago, as a young child, Meseret suffered a traumatic burn after falling into a fire. Due to a lack of immediate medical access at the time, the injury was managed exclusively with traditional home remedies rather than clinical hospital care. Working in the flower industry is physically demanding for Meseret. It requires constant reaching, careful sorting, and a steady hand needed to pluck petals or apply protective chemicals. For this young woman, the tightness in her skin is a major daily hurdle that affects her speed and physical comfort. Even though Meseret has struggled to move easily for a long time, she is incredibly determined. She consistently pushes herself to do extra work, hoping to show her supervisors that she is a hardworking staff member and to ensure her job is secure every single day. When Meseret learned about our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, she traveled for many hours to seek treatment. Fortunately, Meseret will receive treatment on March 19th. The surgeons will perform a burn contracture release surgery to restore a natural range of motion, which will be a life-changing milestone, marking the first time since she was a toddler that her limb has moved without restriction. This change will allow Meseret to fulfill her duties in the flower field without the persistent physical strain caused by the contractures. For her, this surgery is the key to finally working with comfort and moving her body the way it was meant to move. Now, our medical partner is requesting $500 to fund this procedure. "I have lived so long with these struggles that I forgot what it feels like to be whole. I am so excited to finally do the things that used to be impossible for me. I want to work in the fields and move my arm freely, leaving behind the pain and the limits that have defined my life since I was a child," said Meseret.

Amon is a 28-year-old man from Zambia. He lost his mother at a young age and was raised by his maternal grandmother. His father, a businessman in Malawi, later remarried, and Amon's stepmother works as a farmer. Amon dropped out of secondary school some years back due to illness. In 2015, Amon was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, a condition that occurs when abdominal tissue protrudes through a weak spot in the lower abdominal muscles, causing a bulge in the groin area. At the time, Amon needed his guardian's consent to proceed with surgery. His primary caregiver, his grandmother, was hesitant about the treatment and believed that it should be Amon's father’s decision. Over time, Amon continued to experience increasing pain, and decided to travel to Malawi to look for his father, and a sister who was also married in the country. They finally got reunited a year later, and soon after, Amon was referred to our medical partner's care center, Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) for treatment. Amon has been scheduled for hernia repair surgery on May 6th. He remains hopeful for a brighter future following surgery, now that he's reunited with his family, and has gained access to the care he needs. Amon's family is contributing to his surgery, but need help in raising $575 for the procedure. Amon says: "Your support will help me to resume school, and enjoy life with my father, with whom I have just been reunited."