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.

Can you imagine waiting hours in line for food at a grocery store? How about driving to your local pharmacy and finding out they don’t have the medicine you need for your sick child?

For the people of Venezuela, this has been their reality for years.  

Severe food shortages and hyperinflation have forced millions to flee the country. The Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela estimates the country is suffering from an 85 percent shortage of medicine.  

In Venezuela, there are no visits to the urgent care center if you are injured or sick. Any type of sickness or injury can carry devastating consequences.This has prompted a national health crisis. 

During this Holy week, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. It is a story of unimaginable pain and suffering resulting in rebirth and renewal. 

Rebirth and renewal were on our minds when we read the story of Marisol, a shy little girl from rural Honduras. Born with a severe club foot, Marisol was orphaned by her parents and left in the care of her grandmothers. At six-years-old, Marisol has never attended school – she rarely leaves her home. 

Worldwide, the need for medicines in resource-poor communities continues to grow. Combine this with an increasing number of natural disasters, and it's easy to understand why MAP’s outstanding performance in providing medicines and health supplies to people in need has earned us the highest levels of recognition: 

GuideStar 2019 Platinum Seal of Transparency 

MAP is honored to announce we have again earned GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for 2019. This is the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar who is the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. By sharing metrics that highlight the progress MAP is making toward its mission, GuideStar is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios.

To reach the Platinum level, MAP added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar including in-depth organizational and financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission.

By taking the time to provide this information, MAP has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate MAP.

Forbes Magazine

Once again, MAP made Forbes magazine list of “America’s Top Charities.” MAP ranks #23 on the list scoring 100 percent in fundraising efficiency (percent of private donations remaining after fundraising expenses) and 100 percent for its charitable commitment (charitable services as a percent of total expenses).

Good stewardship is a key tenet of our corporate beliefs. We are committed to the highest levels of transparency and accountability; we value every donation made to MAP.  Thank you for continuing to put your trust in MAP and our mission.  

To Albertina and her husband, every child is a gift from God. So even though her seven children were almost grown, she was thrilled to discover she was pregnant again.

And when her son was born with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, she continued to celebrate his birth, even though her family lives in a poor barrio outside Guatemala City.

“He’s my baby and I love him so much,” she says, as she kisses Froilan’s cheek. A teenager now, her son is never considered a burden, even though Albertina must carry him or push him in a makeshift wheelchair.

Today, in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, MAP International joins in support of children around the world who have autism and their families who provide special care for them.

For families living in poverty, caring for a disabled child can be difficult if not impossible. Without the necessary therapies, equipment or medicines, families are easily overwhelmed. And many developing countries provide little or no government support.

Sadly, unable to care for their disabled children, some families simply abandon them. In the Dominican Republic, some families leave their children at Casa de Luz (“House of Light”), a private facility that cares for children with a variety of disabilities.

Today is World Water Day – an international day to bring awareness of the need for clean water for all. Billions of people worldwide still live without safe water. Clean water – so abundantly available in the US – is not freely accessible in all parts of the globe. The theme of World Water Day is “Leaving No One Behind” designed to make progress against the Sustainable Development Goal 6: water for all by 2030.

Two months ago, MAP reported on the dire circumstances faced by Syrians residing in refugee camps along the Syrian border (see story below). 

This winter has been the worst anyone can remember. For many of the Syrian refugees living in Lebanon and elsewhere far from their home, it has been deadly. Snow collapsed their tents. Winds blew away their makeshift shelters. And then came the cold rain and sleet that flooded and washed away the meager goods they had left.

The weather has taken its toll on the young, old and everyone in between. Some have died from exposure and illness. Thousands continue to suffer the effects of untreated, serious illnesses.

They are in desperate need of medicine and medical supplies and our partners on the ground have come to MAP.

“We’re seeing respiratory infections and pneumonia,” said one doctor. “People are huddled together without adequate heat or nutrition for months. Those conditions take their toll. The babies are suffering some of the worst infections I’ve ever seen," said a pediatrician.

Read our blog from January 10 below - it has been a difficult winter for people who have suffered from this eight-year civil war. 

We need your help immediately to continue support for women and families who have already suffered the unimaginable.

With fewer than 50 employees around the world, how does MAP distribute the life-changing medicines and health supplies to 104 countries? The answer? Our partners.

MAP works tirelessly with 26 partners providing medicines and health supplies around the globe.

On a recent trip to El Salvador, I met with one of MAP’s long-standing partners in the field, the Salvadorian American Humanitarian Foundation (SAHF) and their sister organization, FUSAL.

Combined, our partnership with SAHF supplies more than 500 hospitals, clinics, health centers, orphanages, nursing homes, schools, and other non-government agencies throughout the country with medicines and health supplies. Together we play a critical role in medical distribution in El Salvador where MAP shipped more than $27.5 million in medicines and health supplies in 2018.

What’s amazing is that this partnership starts with supporters like you. We could not get such a large supply of medicine to people in need without your support.

While I was in El Salvador, I had the opportunity to witness the ongoing needs and successes of our partnership. SAHF  had received a large shipment of medicines and health supplies from MAP just before my arrival. Working with FUSAL, they immediately began distribution to over 500 small community clinics and large national hospitals.

One of the highlights from my visit occurred at one of El Salvador’s oldest hospitals, Rosales National built in 1902. The hospital, located in the heart of San Salvador, treats approximately one-third of El Salvador’s population of 6.4 million people. That’s nearly 1.9 million patients on an annual basis. It is the most specialized hospital in the country and treats a myriad of medical conditions from general illness to oncology.

As you can imagine, when we arrived, the emergency room and waiting areas were teeming with people. People wait hours, if not days, to see a doctor. Due to the limited beds, patients wait in the halls, and family members often sleep on the floors while their loved one receives treatment.

The hospital’s limited resources are consistently stretched thin. Basic needs often go unmet, and cleanliness is limited leading to further exposure to infection. A doctor from Rosales National visited partner’s warehouse while I was there.

 “We’re grateful for the help!”, the doctor shared with me. “These products are in such short supply at the hospital’s pharmacy.”

Can you imagine if your local hospital ran out of medicine? This is a dangerous reality at times at Rosales.

Working with our partners around the world, MAP provides medicines and supplies when healthcare providers need them most. It is a vital safety net whether in El Salvador, or any of the 104 countries where we work. Simply put, partnerships are at the core of how we achieve MAP’s mission.

Working together, we faithfully serve people in need worldwide.