Mwandu is a 5-year-old girl — the first born and the only child in her family. She lives with her parents in a small town called Msevya in the northwestern side of Tanzania. Her parents are subsistence farmers who rely on agriculture for food and money. Inflation has negatively affected their source of livelihood. As small-scale farmers, managing their crops has been more costly than purchasing crops from the market. One day when Mwandu was young, she was playing inside the house while her parents were working on the farm. Her mother had set a pot on the stove to prepare tea. Mwandu walked close to the stove and pulled the pot with her bare hands. Hot tea spilled on her arm and the right side of her body. She got burnt on her arm and armpit. Now burn contractures have developed, tightening the skin around her burn, limiting her arm extension and involvement in day-to-day activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mwandu receive treatment. On March 3rd, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help her increase extension of her right arm and allow her fully enjoy her childhood and school activities. Now, she needs help to fund this $639 procedure. Mwandu’s father says, “I hope she gets better because she will be starting school soon.”

Beatrice is a one-month-old baby from Kenya. She is the youngest in a family of nine children. Due to the ongoing rain shortage, the parents have had to go out of their way to do casual jobs to provide for the family. The family has no insurance and cannot raise the required funds for her surgery. Beatrice was born at home, and immediately, her mother noticed she had swelling on her back. Referred by a friend to BethanyKids, her family traveled for two days and brought her in for an examination. Beatrice was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Beatrice is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,151 to cover the cost of Beatrice's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 8th. This procedure will hopefully spare Beatrice from the risks associated with her condition, allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Beatrice’s mother says, “I was confused when I first saw the condition my child has, and I did not know what to do. I’m really looking forward to her surgery.”

29-year-old Salam is a construction worker from Cambodia. He is unmarried and lives with his parents, one brother, and one sister in Prey Veng province. His parents are retired, thus he is responsible for most of the financial support for the family. When he's not working, he likes to play football with his friends. In April 2021, a construction column rolled onto Salam's leg at work, fracturing several bones in his right leg. After the accident, he went to a government hospital, where he had an operation on his ankle and tibia. An external fixation was performed to keep the fractured bones stabilized and in alignment. Now that all of his fractures have healed, Salam would like to have the hardware removed from his leg. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On March 17th, Salam will undergo a hardware removal procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, which will cost $304. This procedure will allow him to heal completely and return to his life as it was before his accident. Salam needs your help to raise the money to cover the costs of his care. Salam shared: "After surgery, I hope the wound heals quickly and I can find work again to support my family."