Desire is a six-year-old girl from Uganda. She is the first born child in a family of three children and is currently enrolled in primary school. Both her parents are small-scale farmers on a limited income, barely enough to cover the family's needs. Three years ago, noticed a swelling develop in her umbilical region that grew in size and became painful. Concerned, her mother took her to our medical partner's care center, Rushoroza Hospital, for treatment. Upon review, Desire was diagnosed with umbilical hernia and surgery was recommended, but her parents are unable to afford the treatment costs. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Desire receive treatment. On April 10th, surgeons at Rushoroza Hospital will perform a hernia repair surgery to relive her of pain and allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Now, Desire's family needs help to fund this $170 procedure. Desire’s mother says, “I hope my daughter will have a successful surgery with positive results. After complete recovery, I believe she will live a more improved and comfortable life. May God bless you.”

Lillian is a 63-year-old farmer from Kenya. She is a mother of three children. She has been a widow for more than 12 years now, and since the passing of her husband, she has found it hard to make ends meet to raise her children. A few years back, she raised some chickens that lay eggs for sale to provide for the family. She also farms and sells arrow roots to get some extra cash. Two of her children have now finished school, and one has moved out. She shared that they are not well off financially and thus Lillian cannot afford for her treatment costs. She is appealing for financial assistance. A recent CT scan revealed a swelling in her uterus. After a biopsy test was done, Lillian was diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the uterus. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1260 to fund Lillian's surgery. In November, she will undergo surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lillian will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lillian says, “It has not been easy for me because I have had to change how I live. Thank you for your support.”

Aye is a 25-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her parents, grandfather, aunt, brother, sister and daughter. She and her sister are homemakers, while her father is a day labourer. Her brother works in a garment factory, and her mother and aunt are unemployed. Since Aye was 12 years old, she has experienced difficulty passing urine on and off. In October, this worsened and she now has blood in her urine and severe pain in her lower back. Doctors want Aye to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Aye's CT scan and care, scheduled for December 20th. Aye said, "I have been experiencing these symptoms for so many years but because of financial problems, I have never receive proper treatment."