Evaristo is a 57-year-old small-scale farmer from Uganda, married with eight children. Five of his children are already married, while the remaining three are currently attending school. He and his wife are small-scale farmers, mostly growing beans, maize and a few coffee trees. Eight years ago, Evaristo was involved in a road traffic accident, which resulted in a leg injury that eventually healed. Despite the healing, the area surrounding the scar remained numb. In February of this year, while riding on a motorcycle taxi, the scar was injured by the starter pedal, causing it to start hurting again. As days passed, the site developed blisters that developed into a wound. Evaristo went to local clinics for treatment but did not experience any improvement even after receiving some injections. He has continued experiencing pain on the injured leg, unable to farm or perform other daily activities. As a result, his wife has become the sole breadwinner for their family, prompting them to take out short-term loans to cover school fees and medical costs at the different clinics they visited before going to Ibanda Hospital. Evaristo decided to seek help from a surgeon and visited Ibanda Hospital. Upon arrival, he was feeling extremely weak and in severe pain, fearful of the possibility of losing his leg. Due to his inability to walk unassisted, Evaristo relies on a wheelchair to navigate the hospital premises. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Evaristo receive treatment. On March 5th, surgeons at Ibanda Hospital will perform a debridement, which is a procedure to remove infected, damaged or dead tissue so a wound can heal properly. Now, Evaristo needs our help to fund this $207 procedure. Evaristo says, ‘’I was very worried that I may lose my leg, but I thank God for the counseling I have received. I now have hope that my surgery will be successful, and I will be able to stand again and do my usual farming activities.’’

Mary is ten years old and hails from Kayole in Nairobi County. She is the 3rd and last born in her family. She is in the fifth grade and she likes playing netball. Her mother says that she is very social when she is not in pain. Her mother works doing casual jobs washing clothes for her neighbors while her father stays at their rural home doing small-scale farming. For about three years now, Mary has been having recurrent tonsillitis accompanied by swelling of the tonsils, pain, fever, and chest congestion. Her condition has affected her studies since she misses school whenever she is sick, visiting different hospitals in search of treatment. Her mother decided to come and try Nazareth Hospital, where after a close follow-up, the ENT surgeon advised her to have a Tonsillectomy to solve the problem. Unfortunately, her parents are not in a position to raise the funds for this treatment, and they need support. If not treated, Mary will continue to experience adverse symptoms and may have complications like peritonsillar abscess and difficulty breathing. With surgery now scheduled for February 23rd, they are hopeful she will soon feel better. “I have gone up and down to different health facilities and her condition reoccurs. I ask for help and hope the operation will be successful so that she can have peace of mind and continue with her education. I will appreciate it,” said Mary’s mother.

Mey is a 5-year-old girl from Cambodia. Her father works in construction and her mother works in a clothes factory in Kampong Chhnang province. She enjoys playing with other children in the village and playing with her dolls. Mey was born with Sprengel's shoulder where her right shoulder is higher than her left one. It is a complicated condition causing asymmetry within the shoulder blade and chest area and restricting movement of her shoulder and arms. This has affected her confidence and ability to interact with other children. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. She and her parents traveled for four hours to the clinic. On March 1st, she will undergo a Woodward procedure, a surgery to improve symmetry in her torso and improve movement. CSC is requesting $572 to fund this procedure. After surgery, Mey's family hopes that she will have better movement of her shoulder, grow normally, and have no pain. Mey's mother shared, "I hope my daughter will have a normal shoulder and not be shy about starting school next year."