Elifa is a small business owner from Malawi. She is 41 years old and a mother of six children. Together with her husband, she relies on vegetable farming to support their family and provide for their children's needs. For 24 years, Elifa has had an incisional hernia. In 2002, after giving birth to her first child by Caesarean section, she began experiencing severe pain around the surgical incision. For many years, she managed the pain with painkillers and continued with her daily responsibilities despite the discomfort. Over time, she developed a mass around the incision site, which caused ongoing discomfort and gradually became part of her daily life. This year, however, her condition became much more difficult to manage. For about a month, Elifa experienced severe pain from the mass, prompting her to seek medical attention. She was referred to our medical partner's care center, Nkhoma Hospital, for specialized treatment. Fortunately, on October 7th, Elifa will undergo hernia repair with mesh surgery, and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $500 to fund Elifa's surgery and care. Elifa said, "I am thankful that I have finally been referred to Nkhoma, but the cost of surgery is more than my family can afford. I am asking for help so that I can have this surgery, recover well, and return to my family and my work without the pain I have carried for so long. I will be deeply grateful to everyone willing to support me.”

Maurine is a 36-year-old widowed mother of two children. In 2022, she experienced a sudden and unexpected change that would alter her life. Without warning, she lost the ability to hear. At first, Maurine struggled to understand what was happening. Simple conversations became difficult, and communicating with her children was no longer easy. She could not hear when they spoke to her, and responding to their needs became increasingly challenging. In December 2022, she went to AIC Kijabe Hospital for a medical review. After assessment, the doctors recommended hearing aids to help her regain the ability to hear and communicate. A well-wisher paid for one hearing aid, which made communication easier, including with her children. Sadly, in 2025, the hearing aid stopped working. Gradually, Maurine began withdrawing from those close to her. She works as a house help, but her hearing loss also began to affect her ability to earn a living. In January this year, she returned to the hospital, where she was advised to obtain new hearing aids, but the cost was far beyond what she could afford. Still hoping for a solution, she returned to hospital in August, hoping she would find help. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping her find treatment. On Sept 9th, Maurine will be fitted with hearing aids. For Maurine, this would mean much more than the ability to hear sounds again. It would mean being able to communicate with her children. It would mean understanding her employer, and it would mean reconnecting with family and friends, regaining her confidence, and no longer living in isolation. Now, Maurine needs help to fund this $1,171 procedure. She says: “I wish to hear again, so I can communicate more confidently with my family and friends."

Sophy is a 36-year-old woman from Battambang Province in Cambodia. She is married and has two children: a daughter in 11th grade and a son in 8th grade. Sophy and her husband are rice farmers. Sophy also sells breakfast to support her family, and in her free time, she enjoys going to the market to buy ingredients. In 2018, Sophy was in a motorcycle accident. Although there was no bone fracture at the time, she later developed bruising on her right ankle. The wound has not healed since. Due to the chronic infection on her ankle, Sophy been experiencing pain for years and has difficulty carrying out her work and daily activities. When Sophy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for four hours seeking treatment. On May 12th, surgeons at CSC will perform a debridement procedure to help remove infected tissue and support proper healing of the chronic wound. Sophy contributed $50 toward her care and needs assistance raising $367 to fund the remaining cost of her procedure. Sophy said, "After the surgery, I hope that my wound will heal completely so I can walk comfortably and take care of my family again."