Nicholaus is a young boy from a family of five living in Tanzania. His parents are local farmers who practice subsistence farming. They try to provide for the family, but it has been hard for them to provide the basic needs. They sometimes live on one meal a day, and shared that buying clothes for their children is difficult. When Nicholaus was two years old, he fell into a pit of hot ashes, burning his right hand. The parents applied honey on the wound and left it to heal. They got rid of the open wound, but it left the boy with a burn scar contracture on his right hand. They live in a remote area where it is hard to access social services like medical care. The contractures tighten the area around the burn, and it is now hard for him to move the hand especially around the wrist and part of the fingers. Nicholaus' parents have tried seeking professional medical opinion for their son before, but have not been able to afford the recommended treatment. When they heard about Friends of the Plaster House (ALMC), they were hopeful, and travelled over 600 km to seek assistance for their son. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Nicholaus receive treatment. On October 12th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help him move his hand easily. Now, he needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Nicholaus’s mother says “We left home with hope that when he comes back, his hand will be okay."

Bros is a proud father of one son and one daughter. He and his wife grow vegetables and sell them at the local vegetable market. At home, Bros likes to play chess with his friends. For the past several years, Bros has had ear fullness and hearing loss in both ears, although the left ear is worse. He has not sought any treatment because they cannot afford expensive medicines from local pharmacies. He has difficulty communicating with his family and customers, and he feels embarrassed about his hearing loss. Bros was told about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, from relatives, where he went for a diagnosis and treatment of his hearing loss. Surgeons have diagnosed him with chronic otitis media, which is a recurrent infection of the middle ear and/or mastoid air cells in the presence of tympanic membrane perforation. There are no medicines that will cure this disease. On October 19th, Bros will undergo a left ear myringotomy to remove all of the infection to restore his hearing. He needs assistance to pay the $184 cost, which will cover medicines, surgery, and post-operative care. Bros said: "I hope after surgery I will not have ear fullness and pain and I will have my better hearing back again."

Tukwasibwe is a 45-year-old woman from Uganda and a mother to eight children. Four of her children are still in school, and the others are working. Tukwasibwe and her husband practice small-scale farming and sell their surplus produce to provide income for their family. Thirty-four years ago, Tukwasibwe began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty swallowing and breathing and an inability to speak for long periods. She visited the health center at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). The doctors diagnosed the condition as a goiter, which is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. Tukwasibwe needs to undergo surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. AMH is helping Tukwasibwe receive treatment. On November 29th, she will undergo a thyroidectomy, during which the surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $252 to fund Tukwasibwe's surgery. Tukwasibwe shared: “I will be grateful when my condition is relieved. I have been long-suffering with this. I beg for God's mercy over this condition and support over my surgery.”