Dafroza is a mother of 7 and a small-scale farmer. Her husband passed away in May 2019 and left her a three-room mud house for shelter. Her eldest is 30 years old and her youngest is in the seventh grade. Over 20 years ago, Dafroza began to experience troubling symptoms, including a small painless neck swelling. It gradually started increasing in size and she decided to use herbs but they did not help. She shared that did not bother seeking medical attention because she knew it was too expensive. Currently, she loses her voice whenever she talks or sings for a long time, she can no longer eat comfortably, and has trouble breathing while farming and sleeping. She came to our medical partner's care center Rushoroza Hospital for a review by the doctor. She was diagnosed with a non-toxic goiter and the doctor advised her to have surgery for which she is seeking financial support. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Dafroza receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 7th 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. Dafroza says, “I heard the news from a friend who had the same treatment from Rushoroza Hospital and is doing well and looking good currently. I pray that I may also be like my friend through surgery. I will be able to keep farming as soon as I get better.”

Askaw is a 47-year-old woman who lives with her father, husband, two sons and her daughter-in-law. Her husband is currently unemployed while her oldest son and her daughter-in-law are farmers. Her youngest son is a day labourer, finding work whenever he can. Askaw is a homemaker and looks after her father who is retired. In her free time, she loves to read, sing, and go to church every Sunday. Toward the end of 2018, Askaw noticed that the vision in both her eyes was blurred. In early 2019, unable to afford seeking treatment at a hospital or a clinic, she purchased eyeglasses for herself at a shop. Although the eyeglasses helped her see better at first, a year later her vision worsened and she could no longer see even with the eyeglasses. She purchased a new pair of glasses, but her vision worsened again. Finally in December she was able to go to an ophthalmologist's clinic with the help and financial support of her brother. After the ophthalmologist examined her eyes, she was told to go to a hospital for further investigation because she likely needed surgery. Askaw's brother knew of our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) which could help make her care possible even though it was out of reach financially for their family. Currently, Askaw can see very little in her left eye and she can only perceive light with her right eye. She cannot read anymore, and finds it difficult to pay for items when shopping since she cannot see the money. When she cooks, she will often mix-up the ingredients. She shared that sometimes, when she is alone, she will cry and feels sad about her symptoms. She said, “When I cook, I will mix-up the ingredients because I cannot see clearly. Now I am no longer able to cook and I have also stopped cleaning as it is so hard to clean with my poor vision."

Kem is a 54-year-old construction worker with one daughter and four sons. He lives with his wife who is a housewife and proudly shared that all of his children are students. He likes to listen to the news on the radio when he is home. Three years ago, Kem developed a pterygium in his right eye, causing him tearing, itchiness, and constant burning in the eye. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. When Kem learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. Kem needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of his procedure is $216. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for December 2nd. Kem told us, "I hope after surgery my eye feels good again so I can go back to work and not worry about my eye anymore."