Jacinta is a 45-year-old woman who works as a small-scale farmer and her husband is a private primary school teacher. They have been married for 26 years and together have five children. Their oldest child is 25 years old and has completed university, and their youngest is 11 years old and in primary school. They shared that they have struggled but managed to raise school fees for their children through farming. They own a four-room old mud house where the main source of energy is firewood. Three years ago, Jacinta began experiencing troubling symptoms, including a small painless swelling on her neck. The swelling has grown and has become painful. She visited Kabale Referral Hospital and surgery was recommended but she missed a couple of appointments, got discouraged, and gave up. A friend recently referred her to Rushoroza Hospital for help. Jacinta has been diagnosed with a nodular goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland with cells that have grown into a lump. In addition to the mild pain, Jacinta also experiences periodic airway obstruction which is very concerning for her and her family. Jacinta is worried about the future if she is not treated and has been told she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Jacinta to receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on August 25th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Jacinta says, “I pray for a successful surgery so that I may look and feel my normal self again. I will continue with my farming once I am recovered.”

Besufikad is an energetic 4-year-old boy from Ethiopia. He loves playing football with other children. He enjoys eating Shiro with injera, meat, and vegetables and loves drinking milk. He has one older sister; she is in grade three at a community school. Besufikad's mother used to work at a government office, but she had to stop working in order to care for him. People around her support her with food and house rent. They live with her sister, who is paralyzed. She and her family are dependent on unreliable support, thus they are unable to afford the recommended treatment for Besufikad. Besufikad was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Fortunately, Besufikad is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on May 2nd. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Besufikad's mother said, “If he gets the treatment and becomes well, I may be able to start working again. I will educate him. I hope he will become a doctor.”

Provia is a 52-year-old mother of three. She went to primary school but eventually had to drop out due to the cost of tuition, but now owns and runs her own retail shop to meet her family’s needs. Her children are all grown now with careers of their own, but her youngest child is currently pursuing a degree in nursing at the local University and Provia is trying to assist her with tuition. Since 2021, Provia has been experiencing severe backaches and abdominal pain. When the pains persisted, she visited a doctor's office and was given medication. This helped her for a while, however, in January and February of this year, she started experiencing more severe lower abdominal pains and other worrying symptoms. The abdominal pains have become so severe and unbearable that she is often forced to stay in bed and is unable to run her small shop. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), was able to diagnose Provia with Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease with endometritis. AMH determined that she needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which the surgeons at AMH will remove her uterus. The surgery is currently scheduled for April 14th. AMH is requesting $319 to fund Provia's surgery. Once recovered, Provia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Provia says, “I pray that I may have a successful surgery. I believe I will have another chance to live a normal life again after surgery and be able to continue running my and supporting my family.”