Christine is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is married and blessed with four children aged between 17 years and 1 year who are all in school except the last one. Her husband is a builder, and they live with her parents in a two-room mud house for shelter. They combine efforts to develop and support their family. Eleven years ago, Christine began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling associated with pain, difficulty in swallowing, and loss of voice. She is also unable to carry heavy items and experiences headaches. She visited Rushoroza Hospital for treatment. She was diagnosed with a goiter and surgery was recommended to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Christine receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 24th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Christine says, ‘‘I believe and pray to have a successful surgery. I hope to continue with farming after my recovery to be able to support my husband and our family. May God bless you.’’

Srey Fa is a 7-year-old 2nd grader who lives in Svay Rieng province with her parents and two siblings. Her father works as a tuk tuk driver, and her mom sells groceries from a street side stall. Srey Fa is the youngest in the family and loves playing with her siblings and neighbors in the village. Her favorite subjects are Art and English. In the future, she would like to be an accountant or a teacher. Around four years ago, Srey Fa has been experiencing a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. She often misses school and skips meals due to the pain. Srey Fa was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Srey Fa, which is scheduled to take place on February 7th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Srey Fa of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Her mother said, "I hope my daughter can breathe easier and stop the infections so she can stay in school."

Angela is a 62-year-old woman with two grown sons. During her childhood, her dream was to be a teacher however she has to stop school at Primary 6 due to financial constraints. She is married and she and her husband farm for a living. They live in a traditional mud house in southwestern Uganda. Two years ago, Angela began experiencing lower abdominal pain and backache. Due to limited finances, Angela had never seen a doctor but when symptoms became severe, she decided to seek medical help and was diagnosed with premalignant cervical lesion. She needs to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 22nd, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Karoli Lwanga Hospital. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $219 to fund this procedure. Once she has recovered, Angela will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. She says, “I hope for a complete recovery and I have faith that I will get better.”