Elias is a 10-month-old baby boy from Kenya, and the first child born in his family. Elias and his parents live in their ancestral home and rely on his grandparents for support, as his mother is a homemaker and his father is still in college. Elias has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Elias has been living with an increasing head circumference since the age of four months. Without treatment, he may experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery to treat Elias' hydrocephalus. The procedure, which will drain excess fluid from Elias' brain and reduce the intracranial pressure, is scheduled to take place on February 22nd at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. With proper treatment, Elias should be able to develop into a strong and healthy young boy. Elias’ mother says: “I am really feeling bad because I have no way of helping him.”

Mary, who is 49 years old, lives with her husband and three children in a rural village in Kiambu County, Kenya. Mary hawks shoes for a living, while her husband, who is in poor health, is unable to work. About a month ago Mary came to the outpatient clinic because of a persistent, obstructive cough. Not long after, Mary began to experience troubling symptoms, including body weakness, coughing, and sweating. She also detected a swelling in her neck. She was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid gland; surgical intervention is required to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mary receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on April 4th at Nazareth Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland in a procedure that will cost $657. Mary and her family need your help to raise this money. Mary said, “My family is looking upon me for its sustainability, and yet I have no money to have this surgery. I kindly request for sponsorship so that at least I can be well to care for my sick husband and my children."

Simon is an 11-month-old baby and the second born in his family. He also has a twin sister. They all came together to our medical partner because the mother couldn’t leave Simon’s twin at home. Their family lives in a remote area in the western part of Tanzania. They are from a community that mainly depends on small-scale subsistence agriculture, depending on the rainy season as their major source of agriculture. They have had a good rice harvest that enables them to provide food for their family. And then they sell the little harvest surplus they have, to afford other basic needs. Simon has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, they visited our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery to heal his condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Simon's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to wear shoes and walk easily. Simon’s mother says, “I wish my son to be free from this disability so that he will be able to play with his twin sister as they grow old.”