Jovinah is a 63-year-old Kenyan farmer and mother of 3 children, all of them now working small jobs whenever they can. Jovinah lost her husband in 2004 and has been farming to make ends meet. Her farm does not produce enough to cover her day-to-day needs and other costs like the medical care she needs. For 16 years, Jovinah has lived with a mass on her left hand near the scapula. Recently, she has been experiencing pain and difficulty in using her hand especially with the mass growing in size. On October 18th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Jovinah needs help to raise $137 to fund this procedure. Jovinah says “My condition has been on for a long time but I had no money to get treatment. I will be grateful when am supported so that I can live a better life and have an easier time with my farming.”

Deb is a 78-year-old retired rice farmer from Cambodia. She and her husband have one daughter and five beautiful grandchildren. Deb enjoys listening to monks pray on the radio and walking with her husband to the local pagoda for worship and weekly ceremonies. Two years ago, Deb developed a cataract in her right eye that has greatly limited her vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she cannot go out independently. Deb is also unable to see in bright or low lights, and she can no longer watch her favorite Khmer movies on TV. When Deb learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On October 24th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund her procedure. Deb shared, "After surgery, I hope I will be more independent and see better. I want to recognize the faces of my grandchildren and cook for them again."

Annah is a farmer from Southwestern Uganda. Her four children are all in school, and her husband is a primary school teacher. For two years, Annah has had a swelling at the back of her head. The swell has been increasing in size. Recently, the swell has also become painful, and this has affected her negatively. She needs surgery but is struggling to raise the funds needed. Her family has had many loans that have drained their income. Annah traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On October 18th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Annah needs help to raise $137 to fund this procedure. Annah says “I look forward to being relieved of this condition through donor support so that I can live a better quality of life with no life’s worry that it will become cancerous.”

Busingye is a small retail shop owner. Busingye stays in a double-roomed rental house at a trading center where she uses the front room as a shop and the back room as her home with her husband and two children. She has great social skills and makes everyone laugh. Busingye holds a diploma in economics, but was unable to get a job in her profession so operates a small retail shop where she earns little profit. For some time now, Busingye has been experiencing bleeding, abdominal pain, backache, and other symptoms. She has been diagnosed with a premalignant cervical lesion and needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Busingye's surgery. On September 27th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Busingye will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Busingye shared, “My doctors say if I don’t undergo surgery, it will become cancerous. This gets me worried but I hope with your support, I will be able to succeed.”

Christine is a 47-year-old woman from Uganda who practices small-scale farming alongside her brother. She has a teenage daughter, who is in school studying. Christine shared that she lost her parents at a young age, which affected her education, and she works hard to ensure her daughter’s needs are met. Christine has been experiencing severe backache and other troubling symptoms for a while. She has been diagnosed with uterine myoma and experiences anemia. The doctors determined that Christine needs to undergo a hysterectomy to finally heal. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help Christine receive treatment. On October 13th, she will undergo surgery at AMH’s care center. Upon recovery, Christine will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. AMH is requesting $219 to fund this procedure. Christine says, “I have no one to help me with the money needed. I will be glad to be assisted since, without the treatment, I know I will suffer more.”

Samwel, a very social and hardworking Kenyan father of eight children, is an active maize farmer who likes spending most of his time on his farm. He works hard to meet the needs of his family. His wife takes care of their home and helps him in his daily farming activities. Samwel lives with his family in a semi-permanent house in their farm. His elder children are married, and they also work hard to meet their own families' basic needs. Samwel presented to the emergency department with cuts on his left wrist joint and on his knees after an assault with a machete by a person known to him. This was brought up by family conflicts due to land disputes. Doctors diagnosed that he had multiple tendon injuries with nerve injuries in his wrist and an open fracture of his left distal femur in his leg. He is in pain and cannot walk with ease. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help him heal and get active again. On September 5th, Samwel will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Samwel will no longer experience pain. He will go back to his family and continue with his farm activities. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,145 to fund this procedure. Samwel says, “I have so much pain, but I am happy to be alive. I hope to get treated, go back home and be with my family.”

Alogius is a tutor and loving father. His wife is a farmer and together they have three children, and also care for his late brother’s three children. Alogius shared that it’s challenging to provide for his family’s daily needs and school fees and still have enough money for their healthcare. As a result, he has to sell properties to meet the cost of medical care. Five years ago, Alogius developed a supraumbilical hernia. He could not receive treatment before due to limited funds, but when he learned about the Watsi program, he traveled to Nyakibale Hospital hoping to finally have treatment. Upon review, doctors determined that they could heal his condition through surgery. Alogius will undergo hernia repair surgery on April 12th and our medical partner is requesting $230 to fund his procedure, which will allow him to live more comfortably and confidently upon recovery. Alogius says, “I think I will regain my health back when I am operated with your support. I will be able to work well as I used to before and will be able to support my family and continue educating my children.”

Rebecca is a very talkative and friendly woman. In September 2020, she noticed that her belly had started to increase in size and she thought she was pregnant. During one of the clinic visits, the doctor wanted to listen to the baby’s heartbeat but found there was nothing to listen to so they sent her for an ultrasound. The results revealed an ovarian cyst and her doctor advised her to seek for urgent review in a different facility. At the time, Rebecca did not have money to go for checkup. Her belly grew bigger as time went by and in August, her brother offered her help to support some of her hospital visits. She started visiting different hospitals but could afford them. Her brother recommended she try visiting Kijabe Hospital and upon arrival, she was examined and later was scheduled for surgery. Rebecca was employed as a tailor, but lost her job due to her health last April. Since loosing her job, she works doing casual jobs, like laundry work and cleaning houses and shops for people. In her new line of work, it is still hard to make ends meet and she shared that she now relies on her friends for connections to put food on the table. Learning that she might be able to have financial support for her surgery, Rebecca has new hope for the future. She said, "I’m very happy that at least there is some hope that I can get treated.”

Yen is a 65-year-old widowed rice farmer. She has two sons and six grandchildren. She shared that her husband passed away many years ago, so she lives with her youngest son. Yen no longer works in the rice field and instead enjoys playing with her grandchildren and listening to monks on her radio. Two years ago, Yen developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her photophobia and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking. As a result, she is unable to go places on her own. When Yen learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three and half hours seeking treatment. On January 18th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Yen shared, "After surgery, I hope I will see well. I want to be able to go to the pagoda and take care of my grandchildren well."

Bancy shared with us that she has been a widow since 1990 when her husband passed on. She raised her children on her own and they are all adults now. Bancy does small-scale farming on her one-acre ancestral piece of land. Bancy looks uneasy and eager to get treatment. She's had stomach pains for the last ten years. She says the prolonged stomach upsets are making her uncomfortable and in pain. The pain has been on and off but worsened this year. She was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis, a condition in which the opening between the stomach and small intestine thickens. Last month before visiting Kijabe Hospital, she had a series of painful instances. She visited a national referral hospital in Nairobi where she was reviewed and an endoscopy requested. She was scheduled for surgery but the cost was too high. She opted to try our medical partner's care center Kijabe Hospital where the same surgical operation can be carried out. There she can undergo a procedure called gastric antiectomy to finally heal her condition. Bancy is appealing for financial assistance. She shared, "For the last ten years, I have had prolonged stomach pains that are so uncomfortable. I have sought several interventions but so far have not received any help. I'm hopeful this surgery is my likely solution to my decade-old problem."