Brenda, a single mother of two, is employed as a domestic worker, washing and ironing clothes. She makes just $19 per week, barely enough to feed her and her two children, a daughter age 2, and a son age 10. Her job offers no benefits. She has no vacation, no insurance, and no job security. If she misses work due to illness, she loses her job. Neither child is able to attend school because she cannot pay the school fees.

When fourth-grade teacher, Nafi Espana, from St. Simons Elementary located in St. Simons, Georgia wanted to conduct a school fundraiser with MAP to help survivors of Hurricane Dorian, we enthusiastically said yes. Moved by the images of destruction and devastation across Grand Bahama and Abaco islands, the students wanted to help those who lost everything. Dorian narrowly missed the Georgia coast and St. Simons Island; residents knew they had dodged a bullet.

Soon the student’s allowance money and dollars received for “extra chores” began pouring in. Ms. Espana was moved to help her students find an organization that was providing direct relief to people whose lives were devastated by Dorian. MAP’s immediate assistance to the people of the Bahamas was the ideal fit.

What started as a coin drive became a fundraiser where nearly $2,000 was raised to help provide Disaster Health Kits (DHK) to affected residents. Because of their generosity, 200 additional Disaster Health Kits were shipped to the Bahamas. Each kit contains basic hygiene items to help prevent the spread of illness and disease for one person for one week.  

But the elementary students gave more than their money; they showed a level of compassion and caring equal to adults. They proved even the youngest are moved by people who lost everything. God is truly visible everywhere and through everyone.

In addition to the 200 DHKs these children helped send to the Bahamas, MAP has provided:

• Nearly 14,000 DHKs to the survivors of Grand Bahama and Abaco islands
• Three Interagency Emergency Health Kits for Project Hope in the Bahamas. These three kits combined will provide enough medicines/supplies to meet the basic medical needs of 30,000 people for 90 days
• 400 Sawyers filters and 84 Uzima backpack filters were sent with partners Sol Relief and World Hope International due to the growing need for water filtration in the Bahamas. 

Thank you for your support of our efforts to help the people of the Bahamas. Together, we can continue to provide more medicines, relief aid, and Disaster Health Kits to those who still desperately need help.

“Extreme Destruction”     
“Historic Tragedy”     “Devastating”

These are the words being used to describe the Bahamas after they took a direct hit from Hurricane Dorian and remained in its grip for more than 36 hours.

Hitting the islands as a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian’s winds obliterated structures while the waters from the storm surge covered much of the land.

No one knows how many lives have been lost or how many are left without a home. But the early estimates are truly devastating.

Here is what MAP is doing:

• MAP has already airlifted 500 Disaster Health Kits (DHKs) to the hardest hit areas.
• Working with our partner, Sol Relief, another 1,840 DHKs and 200 Sawyer water filters are also on the way.
• Another 2,160 DHKs were packed and trucked for MAP partner, Project Hope. These will be airlifted to the Bahamas as soon as possible.

Turning 65 often brings thoughts of retirement. But here at MAP, we’re celebrating our 65^th birthday and we’re just getting started!

Thanks to your generous support, MAP has touched the lives of millions and millions of people, providing life-changing and life saving medicines when they were in greatest need. We’ve made incredible progress over the years…but there’s still so much more to do.

Have you ever wondered how MAP chooses which medicines to provide those in need?  

Great question! 

Although there are thousands of medicines available, the World Health Organization estimates that just 40 essential medicines can treat 90 percent of the illnesses in the world.

Fevers are a miserable part of any illness. Thankfully, for most of us, a simple aspirin or acetaminophen is never more than an arms-length away to relieve our symptoms. But imagine if it wasn’t. Imagine if you couldn’t get a fever reducer.

Today is World Refugee Day, a day dedicated to recognizing refugees who are living in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters. MAP partners with relief agencies around the world to help provide critical medicines and health supplies to support these vulnerable populations. Often MAP Disaster Health Kits (DHK) are provided to offer a simple, yet dramatic product for people living in the most desperate of conditions. 

Described as a perfect 'measure of dignity' by people who have lost everything in natural disasters, MAP's signature DHKs contain antiseptic wipes, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other essential items. 

MAP's partner ANERA, the American Near East Refugee Aid organization, has found another creative use for the disaster health kit. ANERA shared the following story about how women and girls living in refugee camps are being trained in disease prevention and hygiene awareness: 

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon lies Burj El Barajneh; the most overpopulated Palestinian refugee camp in the city and home to more than 17,000 registered refugees; all living within a mere 1 square kilometer area.

MAP International is honored to announce the support of the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort on a medical assistance mission departing Miami on June 18 (pictured below). The U.S. Navy hospital ship will begin a deployment to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean to begin a five-month mission as a result of the humanitarian crisis created by the ongoing political and economic instability in Venezuela.

The USNS Comfort will be carrying the work of more than 200 MAP International volunteers who packed 2,500 MAP Disaster Health Kits to aid refugees who have fled Venezuela.

MAP International’s signature Disaster Health Kits (DHK) provides antiseptic wipes, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other essential items to prevent the spread of illness for people caught up in disasters.

“This deployment responds directly to the man-made crisis Maduro’s regime has created,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, which will oversee the deployment. “Comfort medical teams will be working alongside host nation medical professionals who are absorbing thousands of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. The Venezuelan people are desperately fleeing their homeland for hope of a better way of life. We are committed to finding ways to support the Venezuelan people and our regional partners who share the goal of seeing a legitimate, democratic government reinstated in Venezuela.”

MAP International President and CEO, Steve Stirling said, “We are honored to support the efforts and individuals of the USNS Comfort. MAP Disaster Health Kits will be provided to refugees who have fled the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela which has forced millions to flee their beleaguered country.”

It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your child is sick and you’re powerless to help them.

This was the case for the parents of seven-year-old, Keza from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Keza unfortunately developed premature cataracts which unknowingly robbed her of her eyesight. What started as infrequent headaches and sensitivity to light progressed to cloudy vision and near complete blindness. She was unable to attend school because of her inability to see the chalkboard or read books clearly. Not knowing what would happen to their precious child, Keza's parents were experiencing their worst fears – who would help them?

MAP International's mission of providing medicines and health supplies to people in need extends to all corners of the globe.

We recently received this story from a US mission team who believed they were traveling to the Dominican Republic to help with construction and Vacation Bible School. They ended up performing these duties and extending grace in ways they never imagined:

People began to line up just as the sun was rising. By 8 am, the line circled the entire block with the small church in the center.