Bintou is a three-year-old girl from Mali. She is the youngest of five children. Bintou has been experiencing pain and swelling in the right knee and left arm. This causes difficulty walking and moving. She was reviewed at our medical partner's care center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kati, and was diagnosed with septic arthritis, a painful joint infection. If left untreated, the condition can cause irreversible joint damage. Fortunately, on June 2nd, Bintou will undergo repair surgery with the help of our medical partner, Muso. They are requesting $619 to fund Bintou's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will prevent serious long-term complications and allow her to live a more active, healthier life. Bintou's family shared, "We hope to see Bintou fully healed so that she can walk properly again."

Phary is a six-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives in a small neighbourhood near Phnom Penh with her parents and her two-year-old younger sister. Her parents sell clothes to support the family and work hard to provide for their children. She is in Grade 1 and enjoys learning to read and write Khmer. In her free time, she likes playing with toys with her younger sister. Her favorite foods are caramelized pork and grilled fish, and she dreams of becoming a doctor when she grows up. Phary was born with an abnormality in her right leg. Three months ago, she underwent surgery to correct the position of her leg. Doctors implanted metal plates in her right leg to help repair the abnormal bone. Recently, the area around the metal plate became infected and swollen. This has caused her pain and made it difficult for her to walk comfortably. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On March 16th, Phary will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $378. This treatment will help remove the infection and allow her leg to heal so she can walk comfortably again and return to her normal activities as a child. Phary's mother shared, “I feel very worried seeing my child in pain and having difficulty walking. I hope the doctors can treat her so the infection will heal and she can walk comfortably again like other children.”

Robinah is a 57-year-old hard-working mother of two children from Uganda. Robinah is a widow, and both she and her adult children work as small-scale farmers in Rukiga District. For years, Robinah has been waking up each morning to tend her food crops, her hands and heart full of commitment and strength to work for her family. Despite her family's low income, Robinah has always worked hard to provide for them. Two years ago, Robinah started experiencing troubling symptoms, which started with abdominal pain. It was nothing sharp or urgent, just a quiet discomfort and occasional spotting. She thought the symptoms would go away, but the pain persisted. Sometimes she would be okay for a while, and then it would come back, even more intense. Robinah decided to seek medical care from a local health center, but was sent home with little more than pain medication. No diagnosis, no answers. Her condition worsened to the point that she could not go to her farm. Providing for the family was left to her children, who also had their own families. Desperate and running out of options, Robinah made her way to Rushoroza Hospital, borrowing transport money from her village cooperative. At Rushoroza Hospital, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, non-cancerous tumors that grow in the uterus. Doctors have recommended a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy (TAH), a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $319 to fund Robinah's surgery. On March 10th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Rushoroza Hospital. Once recovered, Robinah will be able to resume her daily activities free of her painful symptoms. Robinah says, "I feel like I have lost my self-esteem. What I wish is to heal, live a healthy life, and continue taking care of myself."