Joshua is a 21-year-old man who works as a motorbike taxi driver. His parents are small-scale farmers. Joshua is the second of seven children and has just finished form four in school. Joshua had a traffic accident last month and severely injured his leg. He was taken to the hospital where he had popliteal bypass surgery—a surgical procedure used to treat damaged leg arteries above or below the knee and used to salvage limbs that are at risk of amputation. Fasciotomy—the cutting of tissue on his leg—was also necessary. Following that procedure, Joshua had surgery for external fixation to align his leg bones because his doctor identified that he had a drop foot. Joshua has been in the hospital for over a month and is doing well, but he has open wounds where fasciotomy was performed. He now needs skin grafting to close his open wounds, replace lost skin and improve the appearance of the damaged skin. He is appealing for help so that he may quickly heal and be able to go home. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Joshua with his medical needs. Joshua needs your help funding this $1,089 procedure. Joshua says, "To this point, I thank God and everyone who took part in making all this happen. I am looking forward to getting well so that I may walk again and be able to carry out some work. Please help me.”

Nyakek is a beautiful three-month-old baby from Sudan. She was born at home, and her mother immediately noticed a large, open swelling on the lower part of her back. The midwives recommended that Nyakek be brought to a nearby missionary hospital, where she was diagnosed with spina bifida. This is a neural tube defect, where the spine and spinal cord don't fully form, leading to infection, lower limb paralysis, and developmental delays. A missionary doctor at the hospital immediately linked them to our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH), which was able to refer them to our partner hospital in Kenya. Plans were put together for how she would travel to Kenya for treatment. Where their comes from in Sudan, the area has very poor roads and it would not have been possible for them to travel to Juba to be airlifted to Kenya. Instead, the missionary doctor organized for them to board a helicopter that visits the area once a week to deliver supplies. They were taken to Juba where they boarded another flight to Kenya. Upon arrival at our partner's care center, Nyakek was examined and they have started planning for the urgent surgery she needs. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,151 to cover the cost of Nyakek's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 9th at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. This procedure will hopefully spare Nyakek from the risks associated with her condition, allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Nyakek’s mother said: “When I saw the swelling, I was very stressed as I had not seen such a thing before. I immediately got worried about my daughter.”

Boeun is a 64-year-old rice farmer. He and his wife work as rice farmers and have two daughters, four sons, and one grandchild. When not working in the rice fields, Boeun earns extra income by collecting mango and jackfruit and selling to local market vendors. Due to his deteriorating vision, Boeun has not been able to work as much, and has been spending more time at home caring for his grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys listening to the news and Buddhist prayers on the radio. Around 6-7 months ago, Boeun developed a cataract in his left eye. When Boeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for across the country for eight hours seeking treatment. On October 18th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. He shared, "I hope after surgery my vision will improve. I want to go back to growing rice and see my family better."