Mary is a 45-year-old small-scale farmer, living in Uganda. She is a single mother of five, with her first-born 30 years old and her last-born 14. She owns a two-room mud house for shelter and grows sweet potatoes, sorghum, and cabbage on her small piece of land. Six years ago, Mary began to experience troubling symptoms, including pain and swelling in her neck. She recently visited Rushoroza Hospital after being referred by a friend and was diagnosed with a nodular goiter. The neck swelling has continued to increase in size. She experiences fatigue quickly, affecting her ability to work. Additionally, she has experienced airway obstruction and has been told that she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mary receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 9th at Rushoroza Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland, a procedure that will cost $333. Mary needs your help to raise the funds to cover the cost of her care. Mary says: “I had lost hope of living a normal life again until a well-wisher referred me to Rushoroza hospital for surgical help under the donor fund. I hope to resume farming comfortably after surgery.”

Stephen is a young man from Kenya. He is the firstborn in a family of 3 children. Their family has relied on their mother to provide for them as his father passed away when he was young boy. His mother does deliveries for different shop owners around their town. Stephen had to drop out from college do to inability to pay his school fees, and he now helps around the house and helps his mother with the deliveries, which is the how the family makes ends meet. Stephen has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Stephen has been experiencing severe headaches since this past July. He visited a hospital where a CT scan was done that revealed that he had a cyst that was obstructing the normal flow of fluid in and out of the head. An urgent surgery was recommended to remove the cyst, but he did not undergo it due to not having the funds for the procedure. A shunt insertion surgery has been recommended along with a craniotomy that will be performed later to remove the cyst. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Stephen that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 23rd and will drain the excess fluid from Stephen's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Stephen will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy man. Stephen says, “I really want to be treated so that I can help my mom provide for us.”

Rosette is a confident and outspoken 36-year-old housewife from Uganda. She is married and has two children who were both delivered by Caesarean section. She also has a history of one ectopic pregnancy. Rosette holds a degree in public administration, but due to a highly competitive job market, she has had difficulty getting a job. Now, she stays home taking care of her family and doing the cooking and washing. Her children are both in school studying, and her husband works as a private teacher. During her free time, Rosette enjoys spending time with her family. Rosette is currently expecting another child. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a Caesarean section because of her previous scars. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Rosette deliver her baby safely. On March 21st, she will undergo a C-Section at AMH's care center. Now, she and her husband need help raising $252 to fund the procedure and care. Rosette shared, "I am really in a bad financial crisis, without your support, am not sure whether I can make this on my own. I need your support."