Simwenda is a three-year-old boy from Tanzania. He resides in a village in the Mpanda district. His parents, hardworking farmers, work daily to provide for their family’s subsistence needs. Simwenda was born with a clubfoot - a birth abnormality in which the foot is twisted out of shape or position. The tissues connecting the muscles to the bone (tendons) are shorter than usual, causing the foot to twist and making walking and wearing shoes difficult. Simwenda’s parents, with limited resources and no access to medical insurance, could only watch their son’s condition worsen for three years. It broke their hearts to see him suffer. The nearest hospital could not provide the treatment he needed. Simwenda’s parents shared their son’s story with their community, hoping for help and learned that services would be available at the Plaster House, a care center of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). However, Simwenda's parents encountered a significant obstacle in obtaining care: transportation costs. Their village is hundreds of miles from Arusha, where the medical care center is located. Simwenda’s family organized a fundraising event to raise money for the transportation and additional expenses of the journey. Upon Simwenda’s arrival at the center, he received a warm welcome. The medical team will begin clubfoot treatment on September 15. AMH is requesting $935 to fund Simwenda's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk with less struggle. Simwende’s mother says: “Despite our financial situations, we have tried so hard to get him treatment. I hope this time around our son has a chance to get treatment.”

Adrine is a 47-year-old woman who resides in a village in southwestern Uganda, where she earns her livelihood as a farmer. A dedicated mother, Adrine raised four children: two daughters and two sons. Her elder son is a policeman, while the other is engaged in business ventures. Both of her daughters are married and work as farmers too. Despite her determination, Adrine faced insurmountable barriers in her education. Due to financial constraints, she could only complete the 7th grade. Her primary source of income is now derived from farming, and her husband supports the family working as a laborer, helping on other people's farms to make ends meet. Five years ago, Adrine began to experience troubling symptoms, including a persistent neck swelling. This condition has significantly impacted her daily life, causing shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, pain while swallowing, and hoarseness of voice during speech. Although Adrine did not visit a doctor when the symptoms were mild, they worsened over time, prompting her to seek medical help. She was diagnosed with bilateral goiter--an enlargement of both lobes of the thyroid gland. Adrine needs surgery to relieve her symptoms and prevent them from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Adrine receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on October 10th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Adrine says, “I am looking forward to being relieved from pain, all the symptoms it had always brought to me, and to having a good recovery after surgery.”

Sothany is a 23-year-old woman who lives with her mother and father in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia, where her parents are rice farmers. She has four brothers and four sisters. When Sothany was younger, her parents noticed that her spine was not straight; however, they could not afford proper healthcare for her. As she has grown up, she has had more noticeable changes, including uneven hips and shoulders, prominent ribs, and a shift of her waist and torso to the side. For the past few years, Sothany's disability has increasingly affected her breathing as her rib cage presses against the lungs, making it more difficult to breathe. Sothany is very self-conscious about her spinal deformity and limited mobility. As a result, she quit her job in a clothes factory and stays home with her mother. She makes homemade videos to sell lotions and creams on social media. Her parents first heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), in early 2020. However, they were unable to travel due to COVID pandemic travel restrictions. Today, Sothany's symptoms have greatly increased including muscle imbalance, pain, and difficulty breathing. Sothany and her parents traveled for two and a half hours to our medical partner to seek intervention for her disability. Sothany will undergo a posterior spinal fusion with implants at CSC's care center on August 1st. Sothany is contributing $100 to pay for her care, and CSC is requesting the remaining $1500 to fund the procedure. This will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-op physiotherapy care. Sothany said, "After surgery, I hope my spine will be straight. I want to walk with my friends and not have hard breathing, work to support myself, and not be ashamed of my back."