Christina is a 12-year-old student and the fifth born in a family of nine children. She is currently in grade four and her best subjects in school are mathematics and science. Christina has been diagnosed with left genu valgus, meaning that her left knee is bent inward so that her knees touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, walking is difficult and painful, and it has been more challenging for Christina to attend school. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Christina to receive treatment. On December 10th, she will undergo corrective surgery at AMH's care center. Treatment will hopefully restore Christina's mobility, allowing her to participate in a variety of activities and greatly decreasing her risk of future complications. Now, AMH is requesting $880 to Christina's procedure and care. Christina shared, "walking to school is really tiring and painful. I can’t walk as fast as my school mates."

Clement is a small-scale farmer from Kenya. He was born and raised in a small village called Bugar where most of the people living in the area are farmers or find other casual jobs. He is married and has six children: two girls, and four boys. He did not attend school and communicates only in his mother tongue, called Keiyo. His family lives in a small mud house with a thatched roof and grows their food from their small farm, which mostly consists of maize and beans. Last week, Clement sustained a severe injury on his right leg after he was involved in a road traffic accident while going to the market. He was a passenger on a motorcycle that lost control and fell into a ditch leaving him and the rider with severe injuries. They were rushed to a nearby hospital where they received first aid and were later referred to our medical partner's care center for treatment. An X-ray revealed an open right tibia fibula fracture. Quickly Clement was rushed to the operating theatre for surgical debridement of wounds and casting. He was admitted to the hospital and is awaiting fracture surgery. He is unable to walk and is in great pain. Clement likes spending his days on his farm and as the breadwinner of the family, he's now feeling distressed because he can’t provide for them due to his condition. He is worried about the obstacles his family would face if his leg is not treated, having also been diagnosed with arthritis. The family doesn’t have funds to pay for his surgery and he's appealing for support. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On January 6th, Clement will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will reduce his pain and help him walk easily again. After complete recovery, he will be able to resume his work and support his family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,145 to fund his treatment to help him heal. Clement says, “I want to be pain-free and healthy. I hope to be happy again and have a good life. My family needs me the most.”

Mary is a quiet and hardworking farmer. Mary and her husband plant maize on their one-acre farm and have four children aged between 33 and 24 years old. Their family is having a hard time financially due to the high bills needed to cater for their grandmother's hospital bills and she undergoes chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her children do not have sustainable jobs and are unable to pay for the treatment that Mary now needs. One evening, while Mary was listening to the radio , she heard about a medical camp that was organized by our medical partner's Kapsowar Mission Hospital in their area. She decided to seek medical advice from the doctors. After being seen, the doctors diagnosed her with a multinodular goiter that needed to be removed surgically. Before Mary sought medical care, she resorted to herbal medicine as she could not afford to go to a hospital. Years later, her condition did not improve and her general well-being has not been getting any better. She's become weak and cannot perform her daily duties of farming and house chores. Mary is unable to raise money for her surgery and is seeking financial assistance to get the surgery and lead a normal and painless life. Mary has had a long journey with her condition. In 2008, Mary began to experience troubling symptoms, including a mass on the neck, rapid heartbeat, increased sensitivity to heat and sweating. She visited the nearest healthcare facility where there were no diagnoses made. They advised her to go to a better facility for further investigations. But still many years later she hasn't been able to undergo the treatment she needs to heal. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Mary receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 17th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $936, and she and her family need help raising money. Mary says, “I want this mass to be removed for two reasons; so that I can continue with my daily chores and also, for my community to learn from my experience that herbalists cannot cure and should seek medical care at a hospital.”