Lydia is a mother of seven and a small-scale farmer from Uganda. Her husband is a supermarket attendant at Mega Supermarket, a big supermarket in Kampala, but has recently returned home to take care of his ailing wife. For nine years, Lydia has been experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge associated with lower abdominal pains. She has sought treatment several times without any improvement. She recently developed severe backaches and the abdominal pains have worsened, forcing her to stop farming completely. She has been diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain due to chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 6th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lydia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lydia needs help raising $319 to fund her procedure. Lydia says, “I finally have hope of living a normal life once again through surgery. I believe that I will continue with farming comfortably after complete recovery.”

Varn is a 60-year-old retired rice farmer and loving grandmother. She and her husband- who is also a retired rice farmer- have one son, three daughters, and five grandchildren. Five years ago, Varn developed a pterygium in her right eye. As a result, she experiences itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. These growths occur when the conjunctiva is damaged because of excessive sun exposure, making the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. As a result, Varn's vision is impaired, negatively impacting her independence. Varn needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface, and to replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent a recurrence. With the help of our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, this procedure is now scheduled for April 24th at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. The total cost of Varn's treatment- including medications, supplies, and two days of inpatient care- is $225, and Varn needs your help to fund this procedure. Varn said: "I hope the irritation will stop and I can take care of myself and my grandchildren well."

Olosirian is a 13-month-old baby boy from Tanzania and the youngest child in a family of four children. His parents are from a small remote town. They breed and sell cattle to make a living, but unfortunately drought conditions have made their work difficult and they have lost most of their cattle. Olosirian has clubfoot of both feet, a condition in which his feet are twisted out of shape. In the future, this may cause him difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Olosirian receive treatment. On January 20th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery at AMH's care center. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily. Now, he and his family need help raising $935 to fund his procedure and care. Olosirian’s mother shared, "our lack of knowledge is what kept us from seeking treatment. I hope it is not too late."