Patience is a primary school teacher from Uganda. Her husband also works as a teacher, and they have four children. Their oldest child is sixteen and in secondary class four, while their youngest is four and in the baby junior class at school. Patience shared that their combined income covers their children’s school fees but is limited in providing for their family’s needs. In addition to teaching, during her time off from the school year, Patience prepares and sells local sorghum porridge. Two years ago, Patience began to experience troubling symptoms, including swelling on her neck. While the swelling was initially painless, she started feeling neck pains as time went on. Currently, she experiences airway obstruction when she sleeps or raises her arms, and she can no longer carry heavy loads. Fortunately, Patience had a friend undergo thyroidectomy surgery at our medical partner’s care center, and they referred her for treatment. Patience’s condition was diagnosed as a non-toxic multinodular goiter. She needs to undergo surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Patience receive treatment. On January 3rd, she will undergo a thyroidectomy, during which surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $333 to fund this surgery. Patience shared: “I hope to get well and look normal again through surgery. I will resume teaching as soon as possible after complete recovery.”

Vireach is a three-year-old toddler who lives with his parents and his older brother in Kampong Cham province. His mother sells groceries from the front of their home and his father is a rice farmer. At home, he and his brother like to play with toy cars. His favorite meal is fresh fried fish from the Mekong River, which flows through Kampong Cham province. Vireach has strabismus in both eyes. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye caused by injury or dysfunction in the associated nerves and muscles. The condition is called exotropia, where he uses only one eye to look at an object while the other eye turns outward. His eyes do not aim at the same place accurately or simultaneously. If left untreated, Vireach may have difficulty reading and suffer from permanent poor vision as he grows older. Vireach and his parents traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 2nd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to align his eyes. Now, Vireach's family needs help to raise $331 to fund his eye procedure. Vireach's mother said: "I hope after the surgery his eye looks straight like other children so he doesn’t feel shy."

Hosiana is a three-year-old Tanzanian girl, with two loving parents and three siblings. Hosiana's parents are cattle breeders. Sadly, most of their cattle have died as a result of a persistent drought, and the few remaining cattle aren't healthy enough to attract buyers, so they are sold off at a loss for their family. In October 2021, Hosiana fell into a pit of flaming goat manure when she was playing with her friends. Her hands and the skin around her thighs were burned. Hosiana was given first aid at a local clinic, and received further treatment for her wounds at a hospital. After she had healed and returned home, Hosiana's mother noticed that Hosiana didn't have full range of motion of her hands. They were advised to return to the hospital, but lacked the funds to do so. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is stepping in to help. Hosiana requires several procedures, including burn contracture release of her right wrist and the third finger on her right hand, a skin graft, and the amputation of her pinkie finger. She will also need additional surgery on the rest of her body. All told, the family is seeking $1,088 to fund these procedures, which are scheduled for February 28th, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Hosiana’s mother says: “My daughter has never talked. Sometimes I wonder if the fire accident is what caused this. I hope that she gets treatment to make her feel better.”