Sebastiana, who is eight years old, lives with her mother and four siblings in Tanzania. Because she is separated from her husband, Sebastiana's mother works many different jobs in order to support her children. One day, when their mother was away, Sebastiana and her siblings were busy helping out with household chores. Sebastiana got into an accident, and hot water spilled all over her arm. She received treatment for her burns - which healed - but they have left her with scars that limit the use of her arm. Sebastiana and her mother traveled a long way to meet with doctors from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. As a result of their visit, Sebastiana is now scheduled to undergo contracture release surgery, and the amputation of her left thumb, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre on October 13th. After her surgery, Sebastiana should regain full use of her hand and arm, which will be a big relief to her mother. Now we need your help to fund the $1,088 required for the surgery. Sebastiana’s mother says: “When we were leaving home, she was so happy knowing that she is going to get treatment.”

Kaung is a 16-year-old student from Thailand. He lives with his parents, two aunts and his brother on the border of Thailand and Burma. His parents are retired, while his brother and his aunts work in a factory. Kaung is in grade 10. In his free time he likes to play cane ball and football. On November 25th, Kaung was playing cane ball during gym class. While jumping to kick the ball in the air, he slipped and fell on his left arm, breaking both bones in his forearm. Currently, he cannot hold anything with his left hand and is in a lot of pain. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Kaung will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for November 25th and will cost $1,500. This procedure will help his arm heal properly and allow him to use his left arm again. "I feel very sad and I am also worried that I will never be able to use my left arm," said Kaung. "I also feel bad for not listening to my mother because she doesn't allow me to play football as she is always worried that I will hurt myself. And now I have. Thank you to the donors for supporting my treatment. Without their help I could never receive treatment."

Agatha is a 54-year-old woman from Uganda. She practices small-scale farming and primarily grows beans and potatoes for her family’s consumption. Agatha's husband passed away in 2005. She has five children, with her eldest child married and her youngest aged six and in the junior class at school. Three years ago, Agatha began to experience troubling symptoms, including minor swelling on her neck. The mass was initially painless but began increasing in size over time. After learning about our medical partner from a friend, she visited the hospital for review. The doctors diagnosed her condition as a non-toxic nodular goiter. Currently, Agatha has difficulty breathing while she sleeps due to obstruction of her airway, and the swelling is causing her pain. As a result, she cannot continue farming or carrying heavy loads, such as water, for her family’s use. Agatha needs to undergo surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Agatha receive treatment. On December 3rd, she will undergo a thyroidectomy, during which surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $333 to cover the cost of this procedure. Agatha says: “I pray that I may get well through surgery because I am in pain, and I can no longer do any productive activity. I will continue with farming after recovery.”