Emmanuel is a baby from Uganda. He is the last born in a family of three children. His mother is a housewife, and his father is a small-scale farmer. Their firstborn is 8 years old and in primary school class two, while the second is 5 years old and in middle junior class. They rent a single room for shelter, located within walking distance from Rushoroza hospital. One month after birth, Emmanuel has since had a right inguinal hernia. He was born via a C-section at Rushoroza Hospital under the SAFE fund. His mother reports that her son developed a small inguinal swelling and an umbilical swelling (hernia) that later disappeared. She was told to wait until he was one year old so that surgery could be done. The hernia makes him uncomfortable and irritable, and the herbs the mother has been using as treatment are no longer working. Fortunately, on March 7th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $170 to fund Emmanuel's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Emmanuel’s mother says, “I pray that my son may have a successful surgery so that he may live a comfortable life and grow into a big man in the future."

Malaika lives on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in Haiti with her parents and four siblings; she is in the third grade and likes her science and reading classes. She was both with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. The surgery she needs is not available in Haiti, but fortunately for Malaika, doctors at the Clinica Corominas in the Dominican Republic will be able to perform an interventional heart catherization procedure to fix her condition. During the procedure, doctors will insert a catheter into her heart to plug the hole with a device. Now, her family needs $1,500 to help pay the costs of the procedure and travel. Another organization Gift of Life International is also contributing to her life-saving care. Malaika's mother says: "Our family is very hopeful that our daughter will be healthier and happier after her heart is fixed."

67-year-old Sikora is a small-scale farmer and mother of seven, living in Uganda. While Sikora was never able to attend school, she and her husband, who farms and does casual labor around the village, struggle to raise the money necessary to ensure their children's education. For the past 15 years, Sikora has been experiencing lower abdominal pains, accompanied by an abnormal vaginal discharge. These symptoms started four months after the delivery of her seventh child, during which she experienced complications and prolonged labor. Over the past five years, the pains have worsened, and she has been unable to find relief, despite taking various medications. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain due to pelvic inflammatory disease, and doctors have recommended surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $319 to fund the hysterectomy that Sikora needs to enable her to resume her daily activities without pain. On February 6th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Rushoroza Hospital. Now she needs your help to cover the costs of this procedure. Sikora says: “I have been in pain for a long period of time. I pray that I may get well through surgery so that I may continue to practice farming for the well-being of my family.”