Arabella is a 15-month-old baby from Kenya. Arabella’s mom is a stay-at-home mom and does a bit of farming at home. Her father is a caterer in a nearby school. Arabella underwent a colostomy, in which the end of her colon is brought through an opening in the abdominal wall. This surgery is often performed to bypass bowel malformations, but colostomies are usually temporary and may call for closure. In Arabella's case, her colostomy requires closure in order to restore bowel function and prevent future complications. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $619 to cover the cost of a colostomy closure for Arabella. The surgery is scheduled to take place on March 19th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. “Please help us. I look forward to see my daughter well,” says Arabella’s mother.

Geoffrey is a young boy from Kenya. Geoffrey has two other siblings and together with his parents, lives on their ancestral land. His father takes up casual labor in people’s farms to provide for their family, while his mother takes care of the house and children. Their income is quite limited to make ends meet. When Geoffrey was one-year-old, he fell on a basin with boiling water sustaining severe burns on his hands and scalp. He spent the next 6 weeks in the hospital receiving wound care. Fortunately, he healed, but with contractures on his left hand. This led to limited motion of his hand by the elbow. His fingers fused together, and he is not able to hold anything with his hand. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Geoffrey receive treatment. On June 10th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery. In the future, he will be able to hold things and to write using his hands. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,176 procedure. Geoffrey’s mother says, “My hope is to see Geoffrey being able to hold something with his hands.”

Mary is a young student from Kenya and the third born in her family of four children. She comes from a humble background, where her parents are small-scale farmers relying on subsistence farming to make ends meet. Their income is split between school fees for Mary’s elder siblings and feeding the family. Two days ago, Mary fell from a tree while attempting to harvest some fruits, landing on her hand. She sustained a closed left humerus fracture that was painful. She had first aid in a local hospital but due to the COVID-19 police curfew, they could not take her to a better-equipped facility for imaging. Mary had an x-ray the following day revealing the humerus fracture. She is in a lot of pain and cannot move or use her hand. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 21st, Mary will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help her hand heal correctly and he will no longer be in pain. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $704 to fund this procedure. Mary’s mother says, “My daughter is in pain and we are not able to raise the funds needed. Please help us.”