Doreen is a 45-year-old woman from Uganda. She has three children, with whom she shares a room in her parent's home. Doreen farms, focusing her efforts on cultivating crops for domestic consumption. In an effort to support her family, she also manages a small tearoom. For two months, Doreen has been experiencing continuous bleeding in a sensitive area. This condition, accompanied by a two year history of abnormal bleeding episodes, lower abdominal pain, backache, and unusual discharge, has taken a toll on her health. Her symptoms have not improved, despite Doreen's visits to the doctor. Initially, she was misdiagnosed as having a urinary tract infection. However, Doreen sought the expertise of a specialist when her symptoms persisted, and it was determined that she suffers from adenomyosis: a gynecologic condition that causes endometrial tissue in the lining of the uterus to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus. She will need to undergo surgery in order to resolve her condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $219 to fund Doreen's surgery. On August 8th, she will undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. Once she has recovered, Doreen will be able to resume her daily activities free of symptoms. Doreen says: “I am the breadwinner to my family but with such poor health, I am limited, because I have no energy to work. But I hope with your support, I will be treated and will surely get better.”

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.”

Alex is a small-scale farmer and a middle-aged, determined gentleman who undertook a four-hour journey to seek treatment here at our facility. He is a father to three children who are all studying. He loves grazing and taking care of animals, mostly goats and sheep. He wished to be a teacher, but after his own father and mother died, he was left with no one to pay for his school, so he dropped out at the fifth grade. However, being the firstborn, he decided to support his family and managed to fund the education of all his siblings. Two of his brothers are now teachers, and one is a nurse. He earns a living from growing crops like groundnuts and maize. His wife is also a farmer like him. Alex came in to the hospital with a swelling on his shoulders which he has had for over 12 years. It started small but kept increasing in size over time. He experiences a piercing pain and paralysis due to this mass. His quality of life has been affected too, as he is no longer able to work in the farm as he used to do before. He had never seen the doctor due to limited finances, but when symptoms became severe, he decided to come to visit a doctor. On May 23rd, surgeons will remove the mass to help him heal and get back to his day-to-day life. Now, Alex needs help to raise $137 to fund this procedure. Alex says, “I think the burden I have been having will be relieved once I am given your support and operated.”