MAP INTERNATIONAL'S HEALTH & HOPE BLOG

The pictures of the little girls who had suffered burns in the aftermath of the Fuego volcano moved members of our MAP staff to tears. With their heads wrapped in protective gauze for burn rehabilitation, one photo in particular stood out.

A little girl was smiling.

Despite losing everything in the lava and ash that buried her village, the young girl found a way to smile. She had likely had lost family members or friends. Her home was gone.

But she had survived.

The medicines and health supplies that MAP shipped to our partners on the ground immediately following the volcano eruption were distributed to local hospitals, clinics, and the disaster site.

These girls benefited from the MAP supplies brought by a medical mission team working with a hospital ministry in Guatemala. The mission team provided burn creams, oral and topical antibiotics, non-stick gauze, and anti-inflammatory medications – all a blessing following such a disaster.

The devastating eruptions of the Fuego volcano that started June 3 have left 112 people dead, thousands displaced and nearly 200 still missing. The medical needs of the survivors of the Guatemala volcano are expected to last for months.

Because of your generous support, MAP was able to provide immediate assistance to those in need in Guatemala.  

And this is why your continued support is greatly needed with our Matching Gift campaign.  Please consider a donation to MAP to help us replenish our supplies of vital medicines and health supplies.

When you make a gift to this special campaign, your gift will be matched. We’re close to achieving our goal of raising $100,000. Your gift might be the difference between MAP fully realizing this matching gift challenge and not. That’s how close we are.

In order for your gift to be matched, we have to receive it between now and June 30. This is such an easy way to double the impact of your gift.

Thank you for all you do for MAP and for people in need around the world. 

MAP International President Steve Stirling was honored with the 2018 Human Excellence Award on June 19 by the Hope Collaborative at Harvard University for his lifelong commitment of helping to heal children around the world.

You may never meet Dr. Jose Amezquita, unless you are in desperate need of medical care in Guatemala.

Dr. Amezquita works closely with MAP International’s partner, Vine International, who shared this story with us:

On Saturdays, after a week of work at his office, Dr. Amezquita opens his home as a clinic to patients who have no money to pay for medical care. 

All of the supplies and medicines he dispenses to his patients are made possible because of you and your generous support of MAP International.

Unfortunately, Dr Amezquita’s home is near Alotenango, a small community near the Fuego volcanic eruption that affected thousands of lives earlier this month.

Sadly, the tragic news from aftermath of the Guatemala Fuego volcano continues.

News reports indicate that 109 people have died as a result of the eruption. Hundreds of people are still missing and presumed dead. After two eruptions in three days, more than 12,000 people have been evacuated. The entire village of El Rodeo was covered by a river of boiling lava and ash.

A river of boiling volcanic lava and ash overwhelmed communities 30 miles outside Guatemala City, Guatemala, Sunday displacing thousands of people from their homes and leaving 1.7 million people at risk for respiratory illness and other short and long term illness.

The Fuego volcano is one of the most active in Latin America. Tragically, this eruption is Guatemala's deadliest such event in more than a century.

As of June 5, 69 deaths have been confirmed. Many are still missing and presumed buried in the ash. Thousands have been injured and burned.

For the people of Puerto Rico and Texas, the chance of any hurricane threat seems daunting. So many communities are still recovering from Maria and Harvey. Now this week, NOAA has released its predictions for 2018:

NOAA’s forecasters predict 10 to 16 named storms, of which five to nine could become hurricanes, including one to four major hurricanes.

One is too many for the hundreds of thousands of lives torn apart last fall. Thanks to thousands of MAP donors and supporters who helped send Disaster Health Kits and medicines, many were provided a ray of hope in the most desperate of conditions.

More than anything in the world, Mellisia wanted a child. So she was thrilled when God answered her prayers, and she became pregnant. But soon Mellisia’s joy turned to anguish; she became terribly sick. Her limbs swelled, she couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t keep any food down.

Unfortunately, Mellisia lives in Haiti, far from a hospital. She couldn’t afford the medicine that would have treated her condition, so she continued to suffer.

“I was helpless,” she says.

This summer, thousands of Americans will use precious vacation days to visit some of the neediest countries in the world. They will join volunteers from their church, school, hospital or community organization on a mission trip.

Mission trips provide much-needed volunteer help in some of the most resource-poor communities in the world.  But the focus of the modern mission trip has changed. Instead of Americans going to direct others how to live, most trips are led by local leaders who instruct the volunteers on where they are needed, and how theycan best help the community.

Mother’s Day is a time to honor the mothers in our lives who seem to keep the train running on time. Shuttling children to school, sports practices and games, doctor’s appointments, and more requires patience, attention to detail, and a lot of love. What would we do without our moms?

Universally, mothers around the world share the same concerns for their children, mainly their health. In many parts of the world, it is hard to find quality healthcare, if at all.

Below is a story of a mother who, thanks to antibiotics from MAP and a skilled doctor, was able to save her sick little boy in Thailand:

The second annual Bill Foege Global Health Awards will be presented by MAP International Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at the Delta Flight Museum.

To commend Bill Foege, a global hero best known for eradicating smallpox, the award honors individuals and organizations for their commitment to making advancements in global health.

This year’s award recognizes President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, co-founders of The Carter Center, for their contributions in combating diseases in Africa and Latin America and restoring global health.

The event will be emceed by multiple Emmy® award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.