The father’s love for his daughter was apparent from the moment he walked into the busy clinic. Despite the worry chiseled on his face, the clinic staff could tell that the larger-than-life man dearly loved his little Gladys. No matter how imperfect she may appear, he loved her unconditionally.

Born with a severe cleft lip, she habitually buried her face in her father’s chest. She didn’t want people to stare. At 12 months, Gladys already understood that she was different.

Born in the mountainous region of Santa Maria, Colombia, Gladys had been abandoned by her mother. Exasperated by the care required for a child with cleft lip, and embarrassed by her condition, her mother left Gladys in her father’s care. He was the only family she knew.

The Christmas season, now in full swing, is a time for giving and sharing the abundance of our lives with those we love and those in need.

We understand there are many worthy charities asking for your help this time of year. There are countless ways to give to help those less fortunate. Before you make a gift, we encourage you to do your homework to make sure your generosity does the most good.  

You can throw a rock from almost any street corner in America and hit a drugstore. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, finding a CVS, Walgreens, or other pharmacy isn’t difficult. In fact, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, 90 percent of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy.

But could you imagine if you didn’t live within 20 miles of a pharmacy? How about 100 miles? How about if there was no pharmacy at all within three days of your home?

The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season mercifully ended today.

Hopefully you were not among those severely impacted by the most destructive storms - Michael and Florence.  However, millions were left homeless or without power for weeks. Many may never return home.

Can you imagine losing everything? What if you couldn’t get to a pharmacy for a critically-needed prescription? Or to a store for basic health supplies? The fear and loss many residents experienced before, during, and after these events is unfathomable.

However, because of your support of MAP International, many of them now know someone cares about their well-being, someone they have never met. It is because of you, MAP was able to apply its years of experience in disaster relief and provide a ray of hope amidst such despair.

Good stewardship goes beyond just using donor gifts wisely today.

MAP views stewardship as multi-generational. As a critical source for medicines such as antibiotics in the poorest communities on earth, it is imperative that we safeguard the effectiveness of these life-changing medicines for future generations.

This week we are recognizing World Antibiotic Awareness Week.

This observance takes place every November to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers, prescribers, and policymakers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Growing up in South Georgia, Nicholas Booth was raised to believe it is always “better to give than to receive.” Throughout his life, Nick’s family taught him to appreciate God’s gifts, work hard and to give back to his community. He lived those virtues daily.

We are humbled by the stories we receive of health and hope from around the world. Daily we marvel at the power of life-changing medicine to bring healing to some of the poorest regions of the globe.

MAP recently received this letter from a hospital worker located in Soufriere, Haiti in the northern part of the country. Roads in this rural area are often unpaved and clogged with cars and motorbikes. They are considered dangerous to travel by and many opt to walk where they need to go.

This was the case with a young mother who, out of desperation, carried her sick 18-month old son to New Hope Hospital. This letter we received shares her story and the miracle of medicine to help the poorest of the poor:  

The little girl’s screams could be heard throughout the crowded clinic. In the seventeen days since her first visit, Tenzin Dolma’s cries penetrated many hearts.  

This five-year-old girl made daily visits with her parents who traveled for miles through the remote, mountainous area of India.

Each day Tenzin would arrive for treatment for severe burns to her left arm.  She was scalded by boiling water atop an indoor, open fire stove.

Her parents brought her to the heavily crowded clinic in Zanskar, where hundreds of residents signed up for care each day. They desperately hoped someone could help their daughter. 

Dulce Maria is an excellent student. She never misses school and at just 10 years old, she is mature beyond her years.

That’s why it surprised her teacher when she had a hard time paying attention in class and began to rest her head on her desk. Soon it became apparent that Dulce Maria was very ill.

“I touched her forehead and she was hot to the touch. She said her head and throat hurt,” said her teacher, Edna Galicia. “But despite her illness, she did not want to miss school.”

Dulce Maria lives in a rural area of the Guatemalan municipality of San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán.

During the week, her mother works in a nearby town processing sugar cane, so she lives with her grandmother. But her grandmother has no cell phone and the nearest clinic is a three-hour walk away. Her grandmother watched her growing more and more ill, but there was nothing she could do.

Finally, her teacher alerted Dr. Mayra Franco at the town clinic about Dulce Maria’s condition. Dr. Mayra, as she prefers to be called, spends most mornings in the clinic and then makes “house calls” during the afternoons to the citizens living in outlying rural areas. So Dr. Mayra made the long journey to check on Dulce Maria.

Edna Paz, her husband and five children, live in a poor rural area of Guatemala. Unemployment is high and her husband works whenever he can find an odd job. Edna feels fortunate to have regular employment as a domestic worker. She earns about $13/week—the only regular income her family can expect.

But recently Edna had to miss work and risk losing her job because her daughter, Karen, was seriously ill. Just six-years-old, Karen loves school and continued going to classes even when she had a fever. But every day she became more ill. Her head hurt and her ear ached so much that she cried out in her sleep.

One day she woke up with blood coming from her ear.