Edina, a 41-year-old mother of seven, works as a vegetable seller, earning about $2.97 per day for her family's upkeep. She finds joy interacting with her customers and has a fondness for chicken and nsima, a Malawian staple porridge made from maize flour. Four years ago, Edina discovered a small, painless swelling on the right side of her neck. After seeking medical advice at a nearby hospital, she was diagnosed with goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. She was instructed to wait for an opportunity for surgery, but her condition has worsened, causing breathlessness, neck pain, and difficulty lifting heavy objects. This has affected her work capacity and resulted in a decrease in income. Inspired by a fellow community member's journey to seek help, Edina visited our medical partner's care facility, Partners in Hope Medical Centre, where a surgeon reconfirmed the need for a thyroidectomy, the surgical removal of all or part of your thyroid gland. Faced with financial hardships, Edina is seeking support for her surgery treatment. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Edina receive treatment. On March 20th, surgeons at PIH will perform a thyroidectomy to relieve her symptoms and help her resume her vegetable business at full capacity. Now, Edina needs help to fund this $1,015 procedure. Edina says, “I feel so fortunate to get the opportunity for support. Thank you so much, I believe surgery will help me get back to normal life."

Purity is is a young lady aged 18 years who resides in in Kiambu County. She is the last born in a family of four children. Purity completed secondary school in 2022 and scored well enough to join the university. Unfortunately, she has not yet joined due to a lack of school fees. Her parents, who are farmers, are not able to raise the fee required to attend the university. This makes Purity very sad because she focused all her effort into studying, though she understands her parents’ situation and hopes she can get help soon to pursue her education. In December 2023, Purity began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling. It was Purity’s elder sister who noted her neck was swollen. She was taken to the hospital, and a scan showed a multinodular goiter. She was referred to our medical partner's care center, Nazareth Hospital, for further tests and treatment. She was diagnosed with multinodular goiter. Her surgeon advised them to have a thyroidectomy to heal her condition, but due to their low income, her parents are not in a position to pay for this treatment. If not treated, the goiter may become very big, compressing the trachea and esophagus, leading to breathing and feeding difficulties. She may also have hyperthyroidism leading to palpitations, sweating and weight loss. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Purity receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 5th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $625, and she and her family need help raising money. “I am very much worried about this condition. I pray that someone will come to my aid so that I can be treated and be ready to go to university by the time my parents will manage to pay,” said Purity.

Wesley is a 30-year-old man from Kenya. While Wesley is not formally employed, he engages in occasional online work to sustain himself and to support his dependent parents. On April 7th, Wesley was involved in a motorbike accident while driving in rainy conditions. The accident resulted in an open fracture of the left tibia/fibula. Upon admission to the hospital, he underwent suturing of the wound and was placed in a plaster back slab to stabilize the fracture. However, he will still require surgery. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 18th, Wesley will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will alleviate the risks of permanent disability, potential infection, and malunion of the fractured leg. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund Wesley's treatment and care. “Kindly help me. I have a lot of pain and am also worried about my leg. I hope to get support so that my leg can be treated, and I can be able to go on with my life and get married,” said Wesley.