Morochata THV, Bolivia:

This year the community hero from Bolivia is the Children’s Team Advocators for healthy and productive Municipality.

3 years ago Bolivia got a new Constitution that gives the opportunity to Municipalities to develop “Cartas Organicas” a type of Municipality Constitution that sets the strategy directions in which the Municipality is moving. This Cartas Organicas” are the driving force that clearly establishes the direction in which the Municipality will move from the coming 20-30 years.  Most of the municipalities in the country already initiated the process of developing these documents or bylaws and the first step was to elect the representatives of the Municipality Assembly conformed by elected best prepared citizens to elaborate the document.. As result of MAP’s work in the previous years in the Municipality of Morochata, children, since 2 years ago,  got organized in a team to discuss the meaning and implication of this document and began to develop dreams and hope that they will be able to have political incidence for the future of their municipality. While they began to discuss what a healthy and productive municipality should be they also initiated and advocacy work demanding their citizen rights of participating in the process. Finally, this team of children and adolescents were invited to present their proposal to the Municipality Assembly on November 19, 2011. A team of 40 children got very well organized to intensively work in their proposal. Then, they democratically elected 12 representatives to go to the assembly and government authorities to present their proposal of “Carta Organica” from Children’s perspective. They attended the session of the assembly and local authorities having an incredible impact since the initiation of the program with the song that children have elaborated “we are from around this municipality” and other powerful drawings, diagrams, and documents presenting highly innovative type of policies and strategies to develop a healthy and productive Municipality based of five foundations:

Guarantee comprehensive education for children, protecting and promoting the stability and cohesion of the families, prioritizing health in the community, protecting the environment and guarantying food security – food sovereignty in the Municipality.

After the presentation the government authorities and the assembly members were deeply impressed by the clarity and by the power of the arguments children used. All tried to speak out the profound impression that this team of children and adolescents had on them. They strongly got committed to use the data and information the children presented in the document the assembly is working with.

Besides the profound impact in the future of the Municipality these children have had they clearly part the history of these communities in which children were object and passive recipients of parents and adults decisions to a new way of understanding children as citizens capable to think, capable to do analyses of the reality, capable o bring innovative and powerful dreams for the future of their families and communities, and as political subjects capable of richly contribute to the political processes of the communities. Children are clearly showing that the fully embody and can express God’s image and likeness becoming living good news to their families and communities bringing transformation, health and hope for all.

To all MAP friends and supporters:

Dr. Julien Ake, Regional Representative of MAP West Africa, Cynthia Blandford Nash Honorary Counselor General; Liberia and I are currently in Liberia where we have been tracking a special commemorative shipment of medicines.  The shipment represents MAP International reaching the milestone of distributing $4 billion in medicines since our founding.  At 10:30 am today, we documented the administration of that medicine to a “little patient” who represents the 2 billionth person who has benefitted from our aid through the years.

To the left, you will find a picture of 3-month old Wesley Jabbah of New Dolos Town, Margibi County, Liberia who was brought into the New Dolos Town Clinic  by his 16-year-old mother, Elena Jabbah. We are delighted to report that Wesley received some antibiotics, acetaminophen and vitamins to help with his respiratory infection.  You might say Wesley is our 2 billionth customer.  The Clinic’s Officer in Charge, Physician’s Assistant A. McFarland administered the medications.  Both he and his mother left the clinic in much higher spirits.

As you always do, please pray for Wesley and Elena and all the other people we have helped through the years. And thank you to all MAP’s supporters over the years who have made this milestone possible!

Sokrogbo THV, Cote d’Ivoire

MAP’s first Total Health Village is the Sokrogbo community in Cote d’Ivoire, located about 130 kilometers north of Abidjan in the sub-district of Taabo.  The people in this community have had an unfortunate history with past NGOs and poverty reduction programs.  The mismanagement of funds in past community development projects has affected their social cohesion and confidence and has made them skeptical of projects that require a community contribution.  They refused to put money together, whatever the reason, although they could see the importance of the project.

According his own words, Paul Kanga knew perfectly well what was awaiting him when he was appointed as the treasurer of the management committee set up for the construction of the water tower in Sokrogbo. The mission assigned to Paul Kanga in his new function, was to ask for a 10% contribution from the villagers for the construction of a much-needed community water tower.

Paul Kanga had a plan to overcome the feeling of suspicion which was undermining relationships in Sokrogbo. Formerly working as a rural development manager for a national agricultural company, his plan was based on the restoration of confidence among Sokrogbo people, counting on a transparent financial management.

After many meetings and discussions, Paul obtained an agreement from the villagers for a financial contribution of 10% each to build the water tower. The first signs of the work achieved by Paul Kanga could be seen by the unprecedented mobilization of villagers when the construction site opened. Whenever the water tower construction technicians needed six manual workers, three times more volunteered.

Paul Kanga was able to reach these results by making daily reports of the evolution of the construction of the water tower. At each stage, he held meetings with the people in the community to communicate the details of the construction, local manpower involved, purchases made, balance of funds, and even he showed the cash standing for the balance fund.

Today, one year after the completion of the water tower construction, Paul Kanga is still at work. It had been decided that each person in the village aged more than 5 years old would pay 5 cents per month to have the right to collect water from the water tower. According to the reports released by the water management committee, about 95% of families pay without any constraint this amount of money to sustain the water provision system. The electricity bills are regularly paid, the water tower has never broken down and the villagers are normally provided with potable water. The good results produced by the water tower management committee led by Paul Kanga also impacted the health of the villagers. Mister Gnakoua Lucien, the nurse working at the rural clinic, confessed during one visit we paid him that the diseases linked to the consumption of unsafe water have decreased in Sokrogbo.

“Transparency in fund management leads to increased community participation and successful community development project” is the lesson we learnt from this experience with Paul Kanga.

He states, “Transparency in management of community business is the only one way to face adversity and bad suspicion”.

About six months ago, a nodule developed beneath his armpit which Sahada, his mother, mistook for a boil. Herbs were applied on it but it yielded no results. It later became oedematous (filled with fluid) and broke into a large ulcer after three weeks. Several attempts were made by the parents for the ulcer to heal through the application of various herbs but all were to no avail. “This brought untold misery to us. My once playful baby became very dull and cried most of the time. All pleas to take my son to the hospital fell on deaf ears because my husband believed it was a spiritual attack on our son”, says Sahada, Jawel’s  mother.

Jawel’s pain continued until Sarah, a community health nurse in the community who had participated in a training on Buruli Ulcer identification and  management organized for health workers in the Nkoranza South district and supported by Map Ghana, chanced upon Jawel during one of her routine
visits and suspected it to be BU. She then convinced his father for his son to receive medical treatment. After dressing the ulcer at the health center in the community, Jawel was referred to the district hospital in Nkoranza.

Upon arrival at the hospital Jawel was admitted and samples for laboratory confirmation were taken and and the ulcer was confirmed to be BU. Jawel stayed in the hospital for about ten weeks where he was given antibiotic treatment and was discharged upon completion. His ulcer was continuously dressed at the health centre in the community for about three weeks.

Now, Jawel’s ulcer is completely healed and he is back to being the happy and playful baby he used to be.” I am very happy for allowing my son to be sent to the hospital. Now I know this disease is not a spiritual one and can affect anybody at anytime. We look forward to sending our son to school when he comes of age. Thank you MAP Ghana for the knowledge imparted into these nurses to help my baby and our community.” These were the heartfelt words of Issah, Jawel’s father.

Cote d’Ivoire

• Last month, two Assemblies of God churches involved in the HIV/AIDS project visited and provided food for people infected with HIV in order to show physical, psychological, and spiritual support.
• 48 villages in Bouna will compete for the Open Defecation Free certification in 2012.
• A total of 2,526 schoolchildren were provided with deworming tablets last month as part of a national program for which MAP provides medicines.

Kenya

• In the Kagwa THV, 15 Health Promoters have been selected for Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) training, which began with a walk through the community to help them acknowledge existing contamination.
• In the Burangi THV, a new leadership council was elected and community members worked for five days to continue construction of the health center.

Indonesia

• 46 people in the Tello Island THV received Sawyer water filters in exchange for cleaning the public facilities.
• The team conducted an initial assessment in 7 villages in Tanah Masa Island, a location that has potential to be incorporated into the Tello Mobile Clinic Program (TMC).

Ecuador

• Health Promoter Washington Chacha has finished his community hero project with 24 women in his community. The women successfully raised organic chard, spinach, radishes, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, and other produce.
• MAP Ecuador’s 3 Total Health Villages are part of 22 villages in “Project 350″, which includes training, education, and distribution of 350 Sawyer water filters. This month, the MAP team monitored the use of the filters. The initial families who received the filters are showing success and significant improvements in health.
• MAP Ecuador’s Community Hero nominee, Celia Montano, officially won the Community Heroes competition with 357,394 votes!

Ghana

• MAP Ghana organized and participated in a community meeting with leaders from the Kobedi community where the team carried out a needs assessment. This new THV is moving forward with positive support from the community as well as outside supporters.
• Visited communities in the Dormaa municipality to determine the need and impact of boreholes. MAP Ghana confirmed that boreholes will benefit 40 families and is moving forward to provide clean water for these families.

Honduras

• A three-day training was organized in partnership with TearFund UK to train leaders in the Garifuna community on strategic planning and organizational governance. Nine leaders from different communities were in attendance. Activities like this continue to create trust and confidence between MAP and the Garifuna community.

Bolivia

• 16 families in the Morochata Cluster THV are working on organic gardens to improve nutrition and food security.
• Through the CUBE program, four sex offenders were taken to trial last month for their crimes. Children and adolescents at CUBE continued healing through occupational therapy and therapeutic groups.

Uganda

• Farmers in the Abala THV were able to sell their sunflower seeds to a local company. In total the community made the equivalent of $355!
• 183 children were enrolled in the malnutrition program as part of the Horn of Africa drought crisis response in Northern Uganda. In addition to nutritional support, the children were screened for HIV and Malaria this month.
• Data collection continues in the Kacheri sub-district for the Karamoja Together Coalition program. Of the 22 villages, six have been reached through the end of February.

International Health Programs

• Sent 271 orders/shipments to 47 countries, supporting the programs of 10 incountry development partners and 194 US-based short-term mission teams.
• Utilized 159 volunteer hours, valued at $3,220, to pack or prepare product.
• Hosted Maria Antonieta Fernandez, Minister of the Women’s National Institute (Women’s Affairs), Honduras
• Demonstrated IHP ‘track and trace’, digital monitoring & evaluation and patient surveillance capacity with pilot partner Global Emergency Resources.
• Multiple new MOUs (Memorandum of Understandings) signed with Clinic 4AII, and developed GEMS external formulary bid for IHP Partner LifeNet.
• Followed up on IHP Relief Horn of Africa Interagency Emergency Health Kit (lEHK) to Turkana

Program Development

• Attended USAID/OFDA (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance) Workshop to develop MAP capacity in understanding the application and program guidelines for technical OFDA relief funding proposals.
• USAID FBO Family Planning grant was offiCially approved for a pilot project in Uganda called “Promoting
  Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies through an Integrated Development Approach”.

Annual Meetings

• In early March MAP Country Office leadership staff met in the US. The team traveled together down to Fort Myers, Florida, where they held their annual team meetings on the ECHO campus. (ECHO is an agricultural education organization partnering with MAP in Northern Uganda.) Later in the week the team met with MAP staff and board members in Brunswick.
• During the annual Vision Weekend, MAP staff, donors, and board members participated in a Total Health Village demonstration. Dr. Ravi Jayakaran and MAP country office staff led the group in participatory assessments and mock situations that often occur in the development process. The exercise was fun and informative for all.

Meet Kone Fanta.  Kone is 61 years old mother of 3 and grandmother of five She has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.  Kone is a MAP trained Community Health Worker in Cote d’Ivoire.  She works with the medical staff at the local health clinic, which MAP supported by strengthening the clinics capacity to deliver obstetrical care.

When Kone was a young girl, she worked alongside her grandmother and learned the art of midwifery.   This experience showed Kone the very real dangers involved in at home births.  She has committed herself to educating women about the benefits of visiting clinics for prenatal consultations and deliveries as well as encouraging families to bring newborns the clinic for immunizations.

Kone’s actions have helped increase the number of women coming to the community clinic for delivery by 30%.  This past year 600 came to the clinic for services at the referral of Kone.  Kone has increased the communities’ confidence in the clinics’ work and thereby saved countless lives of women and children in her village.

She has been given the nickname “Djuédjuéssi” meaning “fire” because of her frankness towards men who discourage women to follow her advice.

And for more information about International Women’s Day, go to: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

But hope eventually appeared. In December of 2010, MAP International Kenya began to work in the Burangi community to establish a Total Health Village program. Kanani heard of MAP’s work with Lymphatic Filariasis, and went to the medical camp for screening. After discussing his ailment with Dr. Kavuludi and Mr. Safari Ngowa of MAP Kenya, Kanani Ziro was promised that he would get treatment, and that he would live a normal life again. He was skeptical but agreed to the surgery. After the two-day surgery, it immediately became clear to him that he would soon has his life back. His body and spirit were healed and his faith was restored. Kanani and Kitsao became actively involved again in community life, with all fear and shame lifted from their shoulders.

Kanani’s experience compelled him to restore health and hope for others in his community. He has been active in community development projects, including the construction of the health center and a community road. Kanani bought a cell phone so that he can reach out to people in his community on a regular basis. He combs the village, with files under his arm, seeking to identify others afflicted with Lymphatic Filaraisis to educate them on treatment options. He is also active in establishing clean water projects and communicating important health messages as he visits with others in the community. Recently, he was unanimously selected by his peers to be the leader of the Neglected Tropical Diseases committee for the Burangi Total Health Village. Kanani Zito was transformed from a ‘dead’ man, to a man who lives abundantly, and shares all he can with his community. The people of Burangi consider him a real hero. If Kanani wins, he wishes that he is provided with more educational materials on Lymphatic Filariasis to distribute to families while also obtaining enough medicine and supplies to treat more men who are afflicted with this neglected tropical disease.

During the Community Heroes contest, we will be featuring stories of each of the heroes. Each one has overcome some overwhelming odds to make a difference for his or her community, and each one deserves a prize to help the community. Today we’re featuring Augustina Pokua from Ghana, who has been instrumental in helping to create and facilitate a microfinance program in her local community. Vote for Augustina by going to www.map.org/community-heroes!

Fifteen years ago, Augustina Pokua’s husband died, leaving her a young widow with five children. She struggled for years to cope with the loss while trying to care for her children, and while she has grown accustomed to her situation, she says that “the struggle continues even now.” Despite the challenges in her personal life, when health workers came to her village asking for volunteers willing to serve their community, Augustina readily joined. She believes that development comes from individuals investing self-effort and sacrifice, and she wants to see a change in her village, called Tumiamayenko. Even though much of her time is required to care for her children and tend to the crops she raises as a farmer, she freely gives herself to the community because she is passionate about bringing forth a better quality of life for all around her.

Augustina is especially passionate about seeing improved health in children and financial security in Tumiamayenko. As a health promoter, she administers vaccines and is the leader of the women’s savings and loans association. Augustina travels long distances to reach all the families in the area as families are scattered across large farms. She walks many miles to ensure that children are immunized and regularly monitored for weight and healthy development. She also teaches important health messages wherever she goes and helps families understand the proper use and care of malaria nets.

When MAP Ghana started the Village Savings and Loans Association there, the women readily nominated Augustina as their leader. Through her inspiring efforts, the women groups in the village have more funds than the men; mobilizing nearly $3,000 in seven months representing 71% of all contributions from the village. These savings have a huge impact for women in the community. Aside from the solidarity and shared responsibility the savings create, the micro-loans help community members to purchase necessities or business investments that were not available to them before. If Augustina wins, she wishes that more land, tools and plants could be procured to introduce a wider variety of fresh vegetables into
villagers’ diets and also to sell in the marketplace which would provide families with additional income.

ATLANTA (February 27, 2012) – The online public is invited to select the winner of MAP International’s Community Health Heroes campaign. Three finalists – one from Ghana, one from Ecuador and one from Kenya – will vie for the most votes in the contest which can be found at www.map.org/heroes. Voting will take place from Monday, February 27th to Saturday, March 10th. The winner of the contest will be granted their wish as to what could be provided to their community to help people live in healthier situations. Each of the three finalists is to be commended for the tireless efforts to help bring better health to their communities despite tremendous challenges.

Augustina Pokua, from Ghana, is especially passionate about improving the health of children while simultaneously working for financial security for mothers in her village. She travels long distances on foot visiting with families to administer vaccinations and educate families on healthy habits. She is also credited with starting a Village Savings and Loan Association where women in the village can access funds to grow crops to sell in the marketplace. If Augustina wins, she wishes that more land, tools and plants could be procured to introduce a wider variety of fresh vegetables into villagers’ diets and also to sell in the marketplace which would provide families with additional income.

Cote d’Ivoire

• 11 villages in Bouake and 14 in Bouna have been certified as Open Defecation Free (ODF) due to MAP’s encouragement and training in Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiatives. Ceremonies were held for the villages attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health and UNICEF Cote d’Ivoire.
• Tensions were reported at the Lberaian border after 70 people were arrested and suspected of preparing an attack against Cote d’Ivoire.

Kenya

• 300 community members from the Burangi Total Health Village gathered to break ground and begin construction of the Burangi health facility. All shared a meal after foundations had been dug. The community is very excited to be a part of this process.
• Community health workers in the Esonorua Total Health Village were trained on the use and maintenance of the lab equipment that was supplied to their ealth facility because of the efforts of Susan Nalepo, Community Heroes finalist.

Indonesia

• The Tello Mobile Clinic provided medical treatment for 254 patients, and health education for 304 villagers on Marid Island.
• Several livelihood security projects are successfully underway at the Tello Island Total Health Village, including fishing, small business, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
• Received new funding for THV Lahusa (locally arranged) through AME Brasil after their team visited.

Ecuador

• A health promoter in Ecuador noticed that fatigue was affecting many of the people in his community, and especially women and children. Recognizing that the fatigue was due to anemia, health promoters in the Napo region are now working to reduce anemia through education and home gardens.
• 19 water filters were distributed in the Apatug school. Now each classroom has a filter and can provide clean water for their students throughout the day.

Ghana

• It was clear through Buruli Ulcer follow-up visits that BU patients were recovering well, that nurses and community volunteers had been well-trained, and that MAP Ghana’s BU programs are making a significant difference.

Honduras

• Dr. Ravi Jayakaran visited the MAP Honduras programs and conducted training in data collection, and planning of a THV for MAP Honduras and MAP partners Growers First. MAP Honduras also explored the opportunity of working, in partnership with Growers First, with a coffee-growing community in Honduras, called La Germania-Uno.

Bolivia

• The Chilimarca clinic provided health services to 212 patients last month. 40 women received reproductive health services and 86 children received regular check-ups and health monitoring.
• Children in the Chilimarca school received dental health services and participated in a workshop about the importance of maintenance and care of teeth.

Uganda

• 156 malnourished children were enrolled in a new project as part of the Drought Crisis response program, which includes intensive health education at feeding centers so that mothers and children can have a better understanding of a child’s nutritional needs.
• In the Kacheri program community members are engaged in access road construction, building efficient stoves, microwatershed development, and watering 28,000 trees planted with World Food Programme support.

International Health Programs

• Utilized 212 volunteer hours, valued at $4,293, to pack or prepare product.
• Shipped 6 containers, 11 CAM large volume orders, 186 prepacks, and 121 custom orders.
• Accepted and received GEMS-donated antibiotics from EC-EU, London-based manufacturer Durbin Pharmaceuticals; received into Foreign Trade Zone.
• Prospected and developed new IHP partnerships, including Breast Cancer Relief.

Program Development

• A letter of intent was submitted to the Gates Foundation for an Integrated Buruli Control & Leprosy Elimination in West Africa Project.
• A proposal was submitted to USAID for Promoting Health Timing & Spacing of Pregnancies in Northern Uganda through an Integrated Development Approach.
• Three additional grant proposal opportunities for Global Programs are under review.

Transformational Missions

• The Transformational Missions program was promoted this month through an eblast sent out to 2,500 people.

Medicines Program

If you’re reading this, you probably know about MAP’s medicines program, the one that has allowed us to ship $4 billion worth of lifesaving medicines to 2 billion people in need. But what you probably don’t know is that this program went through some pretty significant changes in 2011. Chief among these is that our global distribution center is now a Foreign Trade Zone, which allows MAP to supplement medicines shipments with critically needed drugs from overseas suppliers. All these changes were in the midst of MAP securing one of the top 3 medicines donations in the organization’s history – 6 million tablets of de-worming medicines that were distributed throughout Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Disaster Relief

If you’re reading this, you also probably know that MAP typically responds to natural disasters with crucial medicines and supplies. Unlike in previous years, disasters in 2011 hit close to home for many MAP staff. In Cote d’Ivoire, post-election violence created a humanitarian disaster that saw a shipment of MAP medicines to the capital of Abidjan, as well as a water and sanitation program facilitated by staff from MAP Cote d’Ivoire.

The conflict in Libya also resulted in an urgent humanitarian crisis, and MAP shipped $3.1 million worth of medicines and supplies to the heart of the conflict in Benghazi. Lastly, the Horn of Africa drought and resulting famine prompted emergency shipments of medicines to affected MAP programs and surrounding villages.

Transformational Missions

MAP has long offered the MAP Medical Fellowship, a sponsored mission trip for fourth year medical students to experience medicine in the context of a developing country. And recognizing that many people in the US have a desire to give back in the form of similar mission trips, MAP created the transformational missions program to enable individuals and teams to create lasting change for people in need. The program connects those interested in mission work with meaningful opportunities to have an impact within communities where MAP works.

Community Heroes

The second year of our Community Heroes contest was our most successful, with 991,091 votes! The winner was Ina Rawati from Indonesia, who used her award to create better hygiene and sanitation in her community. Susan Nalepo from Kenya used her award to better her local health clinic, as well as to train community health workers. Washington Chacha from Ecuador is using his award to create vegetable gardens in his community so that families can have access to wholesome food, as well as a potential income source.

Country Programs

Of course, no mention of MAP program highlights would be complete without our country programs! While there are too many to mention them all here, (and you really should download the entire report and read it) here is a choice sampling:

• In Bolivia, the Community Health Service Clinic saw 3,218 patients, 39 Health promoters and 92 Health Guardians were trained
• In Cote d’Ivoire, 1,825,300 children from age 5 to 14 were treated for Soil Transmitted Helminthes to prevent anemia and low physical and cognitive growth
• In Ecuador, 95 health promoters were trained to serve the needs of over 6,250 people in surrounding regions
• In Ghana, 169 health care professionals were trained to properly deal with Buruli Ulcer
• In Honduras, 60 health promoters were trained to serve 16 communities
• In Indonesia, the Tello Mobile Clinic provided health care services to 1,457 people, and educated 1,736 more in basic health care
• In Kenya, MAP hosted a two week medical camp for Maternal and Child Health Services and saw a total of 1,763 patients
• In Uganda, addressed food security of 2,000 households by facilitating the production of important crops

Needless to say, 2011 was an exciting year, and here’s to hoping that 2012 is just as exciting! Help us thank our program staff for the wonderful work they do by reading this report, and sharing it with your friends and family. Only with your help can we bring awareness to the serious issues faced by the less fortunate, and only with your help can we hope to solve them.

Perhaps what I love most about traveling in Latin America (and in poorer less developed countries in general) is the strange and interesting people you meet and weird things you see along the road. I have a slight advantage in Spanish speaking countries since I can talk to them in their native tongue.

In warmer climates people are out and about more; on the streets, walking, riding bikes, hanging out in front of homes and stores, parks and plazas. Very few have cars, and no matter where you are, the roads are always full of people walking, riding bikes, or on horse or donkey. Night or day. Anytime of day.

Years ago a friend told me she was in a small village in Guatemala and saw a woman in a night gown and high heels walking a pig on a leash. At the time it sounded like something from a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel or a Fellini film. But now, having travelled extensively in many Latin American countries, I have seen equally bizarre and wonderful things countless times.

My recent trip to Honduras was no exception. Beside an expensive SUV with tinted windows will be a guy pulling a donkey loaded down with sugar cane. Or a man on a bike in the pouring rain with 100 pounds of bananas on his back. In Nueva Armenia (a 99% Black village) we met a little barefoot white guy with a big curly beard named Guillermo who learned English in London, England. With a little bottle of rum in the pocket of his ragged shorts, he withdrew the bottle, unscrewed the cap, drank it down, and in perfect English said, “Empty!” Not 100 paces beyond our adios with Guillermo was a circus-trapeze artist set up that looked like something out of a 1940s carnival. A man emerges out of nowhere with 4 or 5 young boys behind him and also speaks to us in English. “Come tonight for the big show!” Sadly, we had to leave…… How these guys ended up in Nueva Armenia is beyond improbable.

Then there was the retired engineer in Comayagua who proudly showed us his 3 sleek and impressive electric scooters he designed himself. I have a great photo of me on the back of his 2 seater design. Or the men at the gas station drinking beer at a picnic table(Salva Vida, Burst of Life or Life Saver!) who invited me to come over and chat with them and have a beer. Happy strong looking men with time on their hands and eager to make a new friend. Cheers to friendship! Cheers to a simpler more laid back life more spontaneous and less driven by calendars and the clock……

On a hill at the end of a dirt road in a tiny mountain village sitting on a plastic chair eating beans and tortillas cooked over a wood fire, the house with no running water or electricity, I suddenly receive a text from Greensboro from my friend Michael wondering about lunch on Wednesday. I text back. “You won’t believe where I am right now. Ok, lunch Wednesday at the Aztec Dragon on Lawndale.” A rooster crows. Hens cluck. Dogs bark and slink around hoping for a scrap of tortilla. A guy named Marco (el presidente of the village) hands me a note with his cell phone number on it. “Keep in touch.” I will.

It is a wonderful life, and the earth is a wonderful place full of wonderful people.

-Neil Dunnavant

Krupa mingles at the Atlanta CFC event

Are you or any of your family members federal employees? Do you have friends who are federal employees? If so, read on!

The employees of the US Federal Government run the largest and most successful workplace giving campaign in history, raising $281 million in 2010 alone! This campaign, called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), is a voluntary program designed to promote philanthropy among federal employees by providing a cost-efficient way for employees to give to deserving charities. The campaign is made up of 100 local campaigns, beginning each year on September 1st, and ending on December 15th. It is the only authorized solicitation of federal employees in their workplaces on behalf of approved charitable organizations.

MAP has been a part of the Combined Federal Campaign since the late 1990s. Through the generosity of federal employees and armed forces personnel, MAP has received well over $500,000 in total contributions from CFC! This year, we’re proud to say that MAP is one of only 27 nonprofits in the CFC category of ‘Charities Under 1% Overhead’, echoing similar rankings by Forbes.com, Charity Navigator, and the Better Business Bureau.

So if you participate in CFC or know someone who does, look for MAP under code # 11491, or find us in the Charities Under 1% Overhead section of the CFC brochure. Or if you know of a CFC event in your area, let us know!

Cote d’Ivoire

I love reading partner stories because they are always a powerful reminder of how much something small, like a simple bottle of Tylenol, can make such a big difference in a person’s life. In reading this story, I hope you will be inspired by the impact your contribution has made, no matter how small it seems.

July 12, 2011  Margibi County, Liberia

In Liberia, there are some good, paved roads. There is one very good road—RIA Highway—usually crowded with taxi cars, overloaded pickup trucks, sand trucks, and jeeps. This road runs to the capital of Liberia—Monrovia—a bottleneck of traffic and busting at the seams with people living in abject poverty. It was on this road, RIA, that we started, then we drove through miles and miles of rubber trees in the Firestone plantation on a semi-good road (which means a road that is paved, but narrow, no dotted yellow lines or white lines on the side, with deep potholes at any random spot.) Then, we travel on an entirely different road. In America, we might call it a bad lane in the country, like something you would find in the Ozarks of Arkansas (nothing against Arkansas, but you catch my meaning!). But to the Africans, this is a road. We left the coal tar (their term for paved road) and traveled for miles on this lane-road, so narrow that the rare occurrence of oncoming traffic necessitated a process of our Toyota Hilux and their little Nissan Sunny slowly edging past each other, with both our right tires off the road. We pass through mud holes, between miles of dense jungle forest, and clusters of stick-and-mud huts. In Liberia, a few huts equal a village. More than just a few, like maybe 8 or 10, make it a town. We arrive at just such a town—Zeewhorr—our destination.

CAM began sponsoring the Zeewhorr Community Clinic in 2006. The OIC and Doctor Gbarweah Toe gave us a warm welcome. We call him Doctor Toe, but in reality, his training is equivalent to an RN or LPN. But this is Africa, and he most likely is the highest medically educated man for miles and miles, and the only ‘doctor’ for hundreds of Liberians in the area. Dr. Toe gives us a tour of the clinic while their monthly supply of CAM medicine is unloaded. The clinic consisted of a waiting room, with about 10-15 people waiting to be seen,  a dispensary with a small window to the waiting room, a medicine store room, a tiny doctor’s office, a delivery room, short stay room, and examining room.

We were obviously a huge distraction while we were there—white people don’t often visit Zeewhorr—but clinic business went on even amidst the distractions. I saw a little girl limping her way to the examining room, her foot wrapped in a dirty bandage. She came for treatment, a cassava snake had bitten her a month ago. A mother with swollen feet lay in the short-stay room, an IV hanging close to her bed. Her tiny baby girl lay on the bed beside her.

We sat in the delivery room to interview the epilepsy patients. The only light in the room was through the windows…obviously a far cry from brightly lit doctor’s offices in America. Brown and blue curtains made of lapa (traditional African cloth) hang at the windows, and posters sporting slogans such as “No Woman Should Die While Giving Birth” and “Visit the Big Belly Clinic at Least Four Times Before Delivery” adorn the block walls.

After taking pictures and hearing the epilepsy patients’ stories and results, we left the clinic…with added riders to the back of the Hilux. Now they would not have to walk back to the coal tar! As we passed villages, they rapped on the window when they needed off, and we stopped to let them hop down from the truck.

“Thank you, may God bless you!” are words we often hear from patients, OIC’s, doctors, and nurses.

We pass this thanks on to you—our donors who make it possible for clinics like this to even exist. Many would be forced to shut down if they wouldn’t receive their monthly supply of medicine from CAM.

Ms. Piron is a senior vice president of APCO Worldwide, where she works with clients in the health case sector on policy development, government relations, strategic, and crisis communications. Prior to joining APCO, Ms. Piron served as a director in the economic & policy research group, a division of corporate affairs at Pfizer Inc. Ms. Piron has extensive knowledge about pharmaceutical and biotech policy issues, health care reform, Medicare coverage and reimbursement, disease management, and Food and Drug Administration regulatory policy. She was a frequent speaker on public policy issues facing the pharmaceutical industry and served as a source to the media on issues related to the field. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Dickinson College and a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy from the University of Pittsburgh.

“I’m delighted to join MAP as it celebrates the milestone of having provided more than $4 billion in medical supplies around the world and embarks on a new strategic plan to expand the organization’s innovative health delivery programs around the globe,” Ms. Piron said.

Ms. Piron’s insights into the U.S. pharmaceutical industry will be extremely helpful as MAP continues to build its global programs. “We are blessed at MAP to have a board comprised of very talented people who give their time to guide our global organization,” Michael, our CEO, said. “Courtney has already made an impact and we are grateful for her willingness to serve.”

It is truly an honor to have individuals such as Ms. Piron willing to volunteer her time and talents. We’re grateful to her and all of our board members for such dedicated and loyal service!

We will be taking pictures and video of the event, but in the meantime, see the official flyer below! You can also donate here to help us celebrate this milestone.

ATLANTA (Summer of 2011) – MAP International, the global Christian health organization (map.org), announced that it is celebrating a major milestone this summer by shipping enough medicines for 500,000 treatments to Liberia, valued at $2 million USD. The milestone being recognized is MAP’s distribution of $4 billion USD in medicines and medical equipment since its founding in 1954 which have helped improve the health of 2 billion people. The medicines are sent to some of the world’s least developed countries. For more than 20 years, MAP International has maintained its commitment to meeting the health needs of the people of Liberia. Since 1999, MAP has distributed $83.4 million USD in essential medicines and medical supplies to its partners on the ground in Liberia. In partnership with Christian Aid Ministries, the medicines will be distributed to 39 medical clinics in the counties of Nimba, Rivercess, Bassa, Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Grand Bassa, Bong, Gbarpolu and Cape Mount. The shipment will contain a wide assortment of medicines, including pain relievers, antibiotics, anti-fungals, vitamins and infant formula and medicines to address upper respiratory ailments, among others. The 20-foot container will leave MAP International’s distribution center located in Brunswick, GA and arrive in Liberia by October.

In recognition of this achievement and in anticipation of helping even more Liberians, MAP is encouraging Liberian-Americans to donate funds to the program. Funds raised will be used specifically to purchase low cost generic medicines as part of the Global Essential Medicines & Supplies program (GEMS).

MAP International is a global Christian health organization that partners with people living in conditions of poverty to save lives and develop healthier families and communities. Recognized for its 99% efficiency rating, MAP responds to the needs of those it serves by providing medicines, preventing disease, and promoting health to create real hope and lasting change.

“MAP International is excited to partner with the Liberian Diaspora to send millions of dollars worth of essential medicines there. Over the years, Liberia has found a special place in our heart as we have partnered with international and local NGOs, as well as critical access health facilities and short-term medical teams. We ask our friends who wish to join in our efforts in Liberia to donate to our campaign,” says Michael Nyenhuis, President and Chief Executive of MAP International.

“The Government of Liberia is very pleased and excited to partner with MAP International on this important occasion. We will work with MAP International’s leadership to help ensure a speedy and efficient process in the delivery of critical medicines to the various clinics throughout the Republic of Liberia. The Government of Liberia has agreed to provide resources and support to help celebrate this worthwhile effort,” says Cynthia Blandford Nash, the Liberian Honorary Consul General in Atlanta.

Donate to MAP Int’l online at www.map.org or by mail to MAP Int’l, 4700 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA 31525. CONTACT: Scott Walters, Chief Development Officer, (678) 756-1882 or swalters@map.org