Allen is a 53-year-old mother of nine. She lost her husband in 2015. Upon his passing, she received a small plot of land and managed to create a three-room mud house in order to shelter her family. While Allen did not attend school as a child, she can read and write her name. She became a small-scale farmer to provide for her family. Her children range in age from 11 years old to 35. Since 2020, Allen has been experiencing swollen knees, with consistent pain radiating toward her lower abdomen. More recently, her lower abdominal pains became persistent. She decided to visit a nearby healthcare provider, where she was informed that was developing uterine complications. She was sent home with medicine that did not help her pain at all. She resorted to using herbs but those did not help either, she shared. She often becomes very weak while walking, and can only walk slowly for short distances. She can no longer sleep comfortably and has had to stop farming due to the pain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), diagnosed Allen with Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. On April 14th, she will undergo surgery at AMH's care center. Once recovered, Allen can resume her daily activities free of pain. AMH is requesting $319 to fund the procedure. Allen says, “I have hope of living a normal and comfortable life once again through surgery. I want to continue with farming after my recovery.”

Wine is a two-year-old boy living with his family in Burma. Wine was born with hydrocephalus and nasal encephalocele. Nasal encephalocele is a rare birth defect that occurs when the skull does not close completely during fetal development. However, his treatment was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As he grew, the lump on the bridge of his nose and his head both increased in size. Wine also experiences occasional seizures, watery eyes, and cannot fully open his eyes due to the lump on his nose. Doctors want Wine to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan should help doctors in fully diagnosing Wine's condition and enable them to formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Wine's CT scan, which is scheduled to take place on April 26th at Mae Sot General Hospital. Wine's mother said: "I want my kid to get treated and become healthy. I used to cry a lot whenever I see my baby crying but now I feel relieved. Thank you [BCMF] for helping us."

Shallot is a 28-year-old female farmer living in Southwestern Uganda. Her husband and three stepsons live on a small piece of land, where they raise crops to support themselves. The income generated from their farm helps pay for school tuition from her stepsons. Ten years ago, Shallot began to experience troubling symptoms, including substantial swelling around her neck. The village where Shallot lives is very remote, taking over two weeks for her to travel in order to seek medical care. However, six months ago, her symptoms worsened. She started experiencing neck stiffness and numbness and began having difficulty speaking and breathing. She visited several different health facilities. After multiple tests, she was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid gland with nodules within it. Surgery was recommended, but Shallot was unable to move forward with the procedure due to a lack of funds. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Shallot receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 24th at AMH's care center, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The procedure will cost $252 and dramatically improve Shallot's life. Shallot says, “I need your support, and I hope my health will get better after surgery.”