Jacenta is a Ugandan mother of five young children. Her children are still in school and thus together with her husband, they have to put all their efforts to pay for their school fees and meet their day to day needs. She is a small scale farmer who has a small banana plantation and also grows maize and beans. For about six months now, Jacenta has been experiencing lower abdominal pain and bleeding. She tried managing the pain with oral medication, but that has not been successful. She has been diagnosed with multiple uterine myomas and needs surgery. She is not able to raise the funds needed for the surgery, yet is worried about her condition's progression. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $219 to fund Jacenta's surgery. On May 10th, she will undergo the surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Jacenta will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Jacenta says “I desire to be treated for this condition that has affected me for a long time now."

Blessed is a five-year-old boy. He is very jovial and was born with a condition called cerebral palsy. He's the second born in a family of three children, one of whom is his twin brother. His parents separated long ago leaving his mother solely responsible for raising the kids and earning an income. Blessed's family lives in a small rented house in Wangige, a town roughly 30 minutes outside of Nairobi, where his mother worked. In March however, she lost her teaching job at a small private school, and now does casual jobs like ploughing farms and ferrying manure to earn a living and support her family. In 2018, Blessed's mother took both him and his twin brother to the doctor after developing some concerns about their health. After examination, both boys were diagnosed with a condition called cryptorchidism which causes the testes to not descend properly. After taking them to another facility in Nairobi, she was referred to our medical partner's care center, BethanyKids Hospital for help. If left untreated, Blessed has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Thanks to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, Blessed and his mother will receive the help they need. Blessed is scheduled to undergo corrective orchidopexy surgery on June 21st. Our medical partner is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. After treatment, Blessed will be able to grow up without having to worry about his condition worsening or developing additional problems. Blessed’s mother says, “It is very sad for me as a parent to not be able to facilitate the treatment that my son requires.”

Thean is a 74-year-old retired rice farmer. She and her husband have two daughters, two sons, and nine grandchildren. All of her children work as farmers. Some of Thean's favorite activities are listening to the monks pray on the radio and visiting the pagoda. Five years ago, Thean developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing burning, irritation, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, which is the 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. As a result, Thean has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going outside. When Thean learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On May 4th, Thean will undergo surgery to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent a recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225, which includes medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Kech says, "After surgery, I hope my eye irritation stops and I can feel comfortable. I want to go outside by myself, and see and recognize things well."