Wishes is a 5-year-old who hails from a village in Lilongwe District. She is the last born in a family of 3 children and is a bright young student in primary school. Wishes’ parents depend on small-scale farming where they grow maize and groundnuts for their family to eat and for commercial purposes to support the family. Since she was born, Wishes has been experiencing a painful abdomen, vomiting, frequent diarrhea, and feeling weak. Her mother has been taking her to Nkhoma Hospital where she was advised to come back to meet a surgeon for assessment. Wishes was diagnosed with a periumbilical hernia, and she was scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery at Nkhoma Hospital. However, her parents cannot afford the surgery although they hope to have their daughter undergo surgery. This condition has had a negative impact on Wishes’s life as she feels abdominal pain and cannot go to school when this happens, therefore, affecting her school performance. If the condition is left untreated, it may lead to strangulation which can be life-threatening. Wishes is scheduled for hernia repair surgery on February 13th. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $421 to fund surgery. After surgery, Wishes will be relived of pain and she will be able to attend school without any hindrances from the condition. Wishes’ mother says, “Thank you for this opportunity that has brought new hope to my daughter.”

Annet is a confident, social and interactive woman. She is a mother to two daughters and lives in southwestern Uganda. Growing up, she had an ambition of being a teacher but was unable to achieve this dream. Her husband died in 1990, and she raised her daughters independently. She farms for a living and mostly grows enough to feed her family and then sells off the surplus to generate income. She lives in a two roomed house with two of her grandchildren. For over 2 years, Annet has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, bleeding, and persistent backache. She has been diagnosed with premalignant cervical lesion, which if left untreated could turn into cancer. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. When symptoms became severe, she was seen by a doctor and was recommended for a total abdominal hysterectomy. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $219 to fund Annet's surgery. On February 20th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Karoli Lwanga Hospital. Once recovered, Annet will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. She says, “I have faith that when given your support, I will be worked on, will be able to regain my health and continue farming in good health.”

Angela is a 62-year-old woman with two grown sons. During her childhood, her dream was to be a teacher however she has to stop school at Primary 6 due to financial constraints. She is married and she and her husband farm for a living. They live in a traditional mud house in southwestern Uganda. Two years ago, Angela began experiencing lower abdominal pain and backache. Due to limited finances, Angela had never seen a doctor but when symptoms became severe, she decided to seek medical help and was diagnosed with premalignant cervical lesion. She needs to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 22nd, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Karoli Lwanga Hospital. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $219 to fund this procedure. Once she has recovered, Angela will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. She says, “I hope for a complete recovery and I have faith that I will get better.”