Catherine is a 43-year-old woman and mother of four children from Uganda. She and her husband are teachers. Together, they work hard to provide for their family, meet their children's educational needs, and ensure that the household has its necessities. Their teaching careers are an important source of livelihood, although the demands of raising four children and meeting other family responsibilities require careful financial planning. Five years ago, Catherine began to experience troubling symptoms, including persistent pain in her lower abdomen. Initially, she hoped that the discomfort would resolve with treatment, but unfortunately, the pain has continued over the years. She particularly experiences it during physical exertion, and despite receiving treatment, she has not obtained lasting relief. She was diagnosed with appendicitis. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Catherine receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo surgery that will address her symptoms and prevent future health complications on November 3rd. This procedure will cost $297, and Catherine and her family need your support. Catherine says, "For the past five years, I have lived with persistent pain in my lower abdomen. I have visited several health facilities and tried different treatments. This condition has caused me a lot of worry because I am a mother of four children and a teacher who still has many responsibilities to fulfil. I am afraid that if the problem is not properly treated, my condition may worsen and affect my ability to care for my family and continue working. I sincerely appeal to kind-hearted donors to support me in accessing the medical care I need. Your assistance would give me renewed hope of overcoming this pain, regaining my health, and returning to my normal life. I would be deeply grateful for your kindness and generosity."

Sha is a 56-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife, two daughters, and two sons in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. Sha and one of his sons are day laborers in a village near the camp. His wife and one of his daughters are homemakers, while his other daughter is a teacher in the camp. His other son is still a student in the camp. The family has a vegetable garden around their home, and they raise chickens and pigs to sell and for their own consumption. Their combined monthly income of 5,000 THB is often not enough to cover their daily needs. They currently have a loan of 3,000 THB, money borrowed due to Sha's illness. A few days ago, Sha began to experience troubling symptoms, including severe abdominal pain with the pain radiating to his back and a fever. He has been diagnosed with appendicitis, and now needs surgery to prevent his condition from worsening. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Sha receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo an appendectomy, a surgery to remove the appendix when it becomes infected, on May 14th at Mae Sariang Hospital. This procedure will cost $1500, and Sha and his family need your support. Sha says, “I never experienced pain like this before. When the pain is very severe, I can’t breathe easily. I would like for this pain to stop.”

Barkot is a nine-year-old boy from Ethiopia. He is in the second grade at school, and lives with his parents and brother. His mother is a police officer, and his father is a driver. Since birth, Barkot has suffered from persistent tonsillitis. The condition has been causing him pain and discomfort, difficulty in sleeping at night and snoring. This has worried his parents, especially since they both hold demanding jobs and it's challenging to have them stay home when he is sick. Additionally, frequent school absences have become a major barrier to both his academic progress and social development. Barkot was recently brought to our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, and diagnosed with enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. His family is seeking $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Barkot, which is scheduled to take place on June 6th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils, hopefully relieving Barkot of his symptoms and helping him live more comfortably. "We are fully committed to getting him healthier, to ensure that he consistently attends school and achieves academic growth," said Barkot's parents.