Angela is a 32-year-old woman from Kenya. She is a single mother to four children between the ages of 4 and 13 years old. Her husband left to marry another woman, and Angela works hard to provide for her children. She was fetching firewood to sell to hotels and homes but became too ill to carry out this work. She also worked in a hotel as a cleaner, but the income was insufficient for their needs. Now, after taking her children to school, Angela stays in the area to carry water and wash clothes for residents. She also receives some financial support from her family. Angela shared that life has been challenging, but she is thankful to be alive and raising support for her treatment needs. Angela first met our medical partner's surgical team during a medical camp they hosted in her hometown a few months ago. During that visit, she was diagnosed with a non-toxic multinodular goiter. Angela’s symptoms began a few years back, including experiencing swelling on her neck and difficulty eating, swallowing, and breathing. She cannot sleep at night and becomes fatigued quickly. Angela needs to undergo surgery to heal and prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Angela receive treatment. On March 16th, she will undergo a thyroidectomy at AMH’s care center. During this procedure, surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $936 to fund Angela’s surgery. Angela said: “Life is so hard, and sometimes I want to give up, but when I remember my children, I encourage myself to keep going only for their sake. When I get treated, I can work hard and provide for them without difficulty. Kindly help me.”

Negash, who is five years old, is the youngest of the six children in his family. Their family lives in rural Ethiopia, where his parents are farmers who grow wheat and barley. Additionally, they work as daily laborers on government construction projects to earn extra money to support their family. A few years ago, Negash's parents learned that he had been born with hypospadias, a congenital condition that causes urinary dysfunction. The doctors at the hospital in Sekota told the family that Negash would need to return for treatment when he turned four years old. As the hospital in Sekota could not perform the procedure required to address Negash's condition, a social worker accompanied the family to Addis Ababa, helping to cover all of their travel costs. However, the family needs money to pay for the surgery that Negash must have in order to prevent him from higher risk of cancer and infertility, and other worrying symptoms in the future. Fortunately, Negash is now scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on March 30th at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Negash's father said: “I want my son to be completely well. I hope he will be well educated and become a president.”

Song Heng is an 8-year-old student who lives with his parents and three siblings in Kampot province. His father works in construction and his mother is a homemaker. Song Heng is currently in grade two and enjoys going to school with his older siblings. He likes to eat Khmer soup and is learning to read books about Khmer history in school. At home, he plays basketball with his friends and wants to be a policeman when he grows up. For the past two years, Song Heng has been experiencing sore throats and difficulty swallowing. He has had fevers and a sore throat at least four times a year; medication purchased from the local pharmacy has not helped. Frequent illnesses cause him to miss school. In the past two weeks, he has had a bad sore throat and has not able to eat solid food. Song Heng was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. His family is able to contribute $100, and our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Song Heng, which is scheduled to take place on July 25th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Song Heng of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. His mother said, "I hope my son will get better after he has surgery, so he can eat food and grow strong."