Grace is a 66-year-old small-scale farmer from Uganda. She works alongside her husband to support their family. Grace was unable to attend school due to lack of funds. Grace and her husband have two children. Their oldest is 37, and their youngest is 17. Both attended school but ended their education after the first and fourth grades respectively. In January, Grace began to experience troubling symptoms, including swelling on her neck that has been increasing in size progressively. At first, the swelling was painless and Grace opted to not seek medical attention. Now, Grace experiences neck pain, difficulty swallowing, chest pains, and airway obstruction. Due to these symptoms, Grace has stopped farming completely. After seeking treatment, Grace was diagnosed with endocervical goiter and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Grace receive treatment. Grace is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 7th at our AMH's care center to treat her endocervical goiter. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and Grace and her family need help to raise money. Grace says, “This condition has affected my productivity negatively. I pray for a successful surgery so that I may resume farming once again for the further development of my family.”

Paulo is a 17-year-old boy from Tanzania. He lives with his parents and his four siblings. His parents are farmers who grow food for their family and sell the excess to support their family. Due to limited funds, Paulo and his siblings had to stop attending school. Paulo experiences difficulty with his mobility. When Paulo was enrolled in school, he was often unable to walk the distance to class. Paulo's parents were inspired to seek treatment for Paulo after attending an outreach seminar held by our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Doctors at AMH's care center determined that Paulo's limited mobility is due to the shape of his legs, and Paulo was diagnosed with genu varus. Genu varus is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones which often stems from contaminated drinking water. Fortunately, AMH can help. AMH is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Paulo's legs. Paulo's procedure is scheduled to take place on June 6th, and will hopefully restore Paulo's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and decrease his risk of future complications. Paulo says, "I hope that one day I will be able to walk without feeling any discomfort."

Moe is 42-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his mother, sister, brother and nephew on the Thai-Burma border. They are all unemployed due to the difficulties of the local situation. In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton and designing t-shirts. On July 3rd, Moe was playing badminton with his friends when he slipped and fell. After he fell he could not move and experienced pain in his right leg. He received an x-ray at Mae Sot Hospital and was diagnosed with fractures in his right tibia and fibula (both bones in the lower leg). He experiences extreme pain in his right leg. He cannot move or lift it, nor can he comfortably sit up. Due to the pain, he cannot sleep well, and he has little appetite. He needs to rely on his brother for all personal care. With the help of our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Moe will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 20th and BCMF is requesting $1,500 to fund his treatment. This procedure will help Moe walk again and be free of pain. He will no longer have to rely on his brother to help him with personal care. Moe shared, “I feel so upset because I never thought that I would be like this [bed-bound]. I want to have my surgery soon because I feel a lot of pain in my right leg. I am really thankful for the donors who are paying for my treatment."