Every day, people around the world wake up and greet the day with one goal in mind: to deliver loving, life-saving health care to people facing crisis. The best part? We’re blessed to work alongside them! That’s because they’re our colleagues in the 7 countries where Medical Teams has programs. Their commitment to the people we serve is an inspiration to all of us at Medical Teams. As Rachael Kyalikoba, a grants manager in Kampala, Uganda, knows, it’s not just work. “It’s a calling from God,” she says. In the midst of headline after headline of more bad news, it’s easy to lose sight of the good work that’s being done around the world. Take a tour of each of the 7 countries we work in to restore your faith in humanity. Read on to find out more about the incredible work happening in each of our country’s programs! 1. Colombia In Colombia, our work focuses on helping connect people — mostly Venezuelan people who left the desperate economic situation there — to health care and other basic services. In addition to many of our innovative and practical solutions, we’re also blessed to work alongside people from the communities we serve in supporting their neighbors. Of course, our staff are amazing. From nurses to providers to our communication officers, their dedication to the work is inspiring. But it’s also working hand-in-hand with our community health workers that makes our Colombia program so inspiring. Marimar found purpose and belonging with Medical Teams when she started to volunteer. They’re mothers like Marimar, who felt God’s call to serve the people around her after she herself had been helped. Medical Teams helped her find purpose and belonging. “I think we’ve all seen fictional movies at some point in our lives and wanted to be superheroes,” Marimar says. “I think Medical Teams gave me the opportunity to be one.” The reality is that our community health workers go above and beyond to reach people who might need health care. They do things like wade through calf-high water to help their neighbors in flooded houses. Our community health workers don’t shy away from places like the garbage dump, where families were forced to make their homes. They go armed with their skills, deep knowledge of health topics, and compassionate hearts. We care for a population of about 634,421 people, though that number will soon grow. In fact, thanks to grants from institutional funders, that number will actually double in the next year! We’re expanding our services and staff. Check out our Colombia page to read more about the incredible people we serve there! 2. Ethiopia A group of our team members in Ethiopia stand with Martha Holley Newsome, President and CEO of Medical Teams. At the end of 2020, while the pandemic raged, conflict erupted in northern Ethiopia. Millions of people were forced to leave home for their own safety. While some left Ethiopia and settled in Sudan, many people moved to safer regions in Ethiopia. Terrified and exhausted from their journeys, they needed loving, life-saving medical care. That’s where Medical Teams came in. We established our first of 10 locations according to the needs of people in Ethiopia. Now, we provide community-led health care for just under 200,000 people. They’re people like Yahya Ali, who needed help restoring his mental well-being after being forced to leave home by conflict. Our mobile health and nutrition team visited regularly at his house in the refugee settlement, offering counseling and medication to help him recover from depression. “Medical Teams has allowed me to regain hope,” Yahya says. “I am deeply grateful for all that they have done to help me.” In addition to mental health care services, Medical Teams provides mothers with prenatal care and helps them deliver their babies safely. We make sure children receive their vaccinations, among many other vital early childhood health services. We hold hands, listen to our patients, and provide life-saving care every day. Finally, we’re also responding to the recent cholera outbreak alongside our partners. Read more about our work in Ethiopia! 3. Sudan Our mobile medical team in Sudan, one of the 7 countries we serve in, cares for people displaced by conflict. You’ve probably seen Sudan in the headlines, and for good reason — the recent conflict has displaced more than 6 million people and cost thousands their lives. That said, our work in Sudan actually began in 2020, when civil war in Ethiopia forced millions to make the difficult decision to leave home for their own safety. Now, conflict in Sudan means that refugee settlements are overwhelmed as new people arrive every day. We’re responding by working hard to meet the needs of these courageous people, who have risked everything to keep themselves and their families safe. Our tireless staff and team of volunteers are working incredibly hard to care for the many people who come to us for help with love and compassion. Currently, we serve about 150 people each day with loving, life-saving health care. It’s important to remember that we’re not just caring for people with emergency health care needs or stereotypical “war wounds.” Conflict disrupts every aspect of health care. The reality is that most of the time, we’re helping mothers who are pregnant and haven’t been able to get prenatal care. Or children who have fevers, coughs, and colds. We help people with chronic health care conditions get access to regular medication. We make sure that when someone wants to see a provider, they can. In fact, the recent measles outbreak in Sudan emphasizes the importance of regular health care. Children who haven’t been vaccinated are at particular risk, and so are older adults. We’re responding accordingly, helping prevent and treat as many people as possible. Read more about our Sudan program! 4. Tanzania In Tanzania, we’re breaking barriers to health care for refugees in remote areas of Tanzania. Conflict in many of Tanzania’s neighboring countries forced thousands of people to leave home, but most settled in camps with little infrastructure and few resources. Medical Teams was called to serve beginning in 2018. Today, our programs support more than 200,000 of the resilient and determined people who sought safety in Tanzania. Working side-by-side with community members, we created programs that meet the needs of the people we serve. Our focus is on caring for women and children, who are the foundation of a healthy community, but we also offer a variety of health care services that support thousands. Our talented and dedicated team members are what make our work in Tanzania possible. They’re providers like Dr. Eddah Ndabila, who serves as a medical coordinator. Her passion and advocacy for her patients is an inspiration. She knew from the time she was a young woman that she wanted to care for refugees. Dr. Eddah is a compassionate provider in Tanzania, one of the 7 countries we serve in. “When I got this golden chance to work in a refugee camp, I met people who are sick inside and out,” Dr. Eddah says, referencing how her patients can struggle both emotionally and physically. But it’s her faith and belief in her patients’ strength that keeps her going. “My hope is to see these people happy,” she says. Our work in Tanzania is complex. As one of our oldest programs, we’re blessed to work alongside trusted partners to keep people living in Tanzania healthy. Read more about our incredible work serving people in Tanzania, then find out more about the 7 countries we serve in here! 5. Ukraine When Russia invaded Ukraine, Medical Teams jumped into action. We knew that the impact of the conflict would take an enormous toll on Ukrainians, especially their mental well-being. Alongside our trusted partners, we began compassionately caring for the courageous people of Ukraine. With help from donors like you, we began taking action — from sending generators to health facilities to distributing free medicine in pharmacies. Our focus was on helping the tenacious people in Ukraine, supporting them through this incredibly challenging time. Today, we have 4 offices and work in more than 20 villages across 3 regions in Ukraine. Though Ukraine is the newest of our programs in the 7 countries we serve in, it’s close to our hearts. We’re providing health services and mental health support to people affected by the conflict. One thing continues to stand out as we continue our work in Ukraine. The strength of the Ukrainian people is unmatched. From the dedication of our staff in Ukraine to the people we serve, we’ve heard thousands of stories of people facing impossible circumstances — and yet, coming through it with grace. Ukrainian psychologist Oxana Harbolinska, 37, sits with clients at the Refugee Accommodation Center in Basarabeasca, Moldova. She’s an MTI employee offering psychological counselling to Ukrainian refugees across Moldova. They’re women like Oxana, Aliona, and Natalia. They’re children like Dmitri and Andrej. And they’re all keeping up their hope for home. Oxana, a psychologist working with Medical Teams, encourages her patients to do the same. She says, “I tell them every day: don’t give up hope.” If our staff members and the people we serve are any indication, hope isn’t going anywhere. We’re proud to continue supporting people in Ukraine as conflict continues. Learn more about our work supporting Ukrainians. 6. Uganda In Uganda, nurse Solomon Ocweo tends to a young child whose worried mother brought him to a Medical Teams clinic. For nearly 20 years, Medical Teams has been working alongside people in Uganda to improve health care in their communities. When we first arrived in 2004, we were there to support people in Uganda who were fleeing from the violence brought on by the insurgency of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Today, our programs have expanded to care for a population of more than 1 million people. Our programs in Uganda are the largest of the 7 countries we serve in. From prenatal care to mental health counseling, the services we provide are expansive. Behind of every patient who leaves healthier, though, is a dedicated staff member. They’re psychiatrists like Dr. Salim, who helped his patient, Obedi, manage his bipolar disorder. Or nurses like Solomon, Esther, and Daphine, whose faithful hearts help them stay hopeful. Solomon Ocweo is a nurse in Uganda, one of the 7 countries we work in, finds fulfillment in his role with Medical Teams. Solomon, who sought out working for an organization like Medical Teams as an effort to give back, says it best. He says, “The people we serve are very vulnerable. The situations they go through are heartbreaking and sometimes hard. Being with Medical Teams has brought a lot of fulfillment to me.” Every time they interact with a patient, they bring their compassion and love — in addition to their extraordinary expertise — so that each person feels cared for. Find out more about our work in Uganda, our largest and oldest program! 7. United States Right outside our doors, families facing socio-economic challenges are often denied access to affordable dental care, which is why the U.S. is one of the 7 countries we serve in! Last but not least, we serve our neighbors right here in the Pacific Northwest! The U.S. is always considered one of the 7 countries we serve in. Often, people in the U.S. don’t have access to health care, and particularly dental care. Socioeconomic factors and a lack of insurance often mean people don’t get help until it’s an emergency. That’s where Medical Teams, and our incredible volunteers, steps up. With the help of volunteer dentists, our vans drive throughout the region to offer health clinics. In addition to emergency dental health, we also now provide a variety of screenings and referrals to the people we serve through our Care & Connect Mobile Health program. Because we’re there, people who might otherwise go without care — our veterans, unhoused neighbors, or people without insurance — get to see a provider. Mark Heiblim sits in the dentist’s chair waiting for a tooth extraction. They’re people like Mark Heiblim, who was visiting a Medical Teams Mobile Care & Connect clinic for the fourth time. Previously a realtor, Mark found the cost of dental care to be prohibitive in retirement. He was there to have a broken nub of tooth removed that had been leftover by a dentist elsewhere. “This is a great program for people who need it,” Mark says. “This helps a lot of people who are shut out of dental care.” Caring for our neighbors at home in the U.S. is an important part of our calling. Though it may not get as much attention, our work in the U.S. is just as important as it is anywhere else in the world! Read more about Care & Connect Mobile Health. Holding hands across 7 countries Though we serve in 7 countries, all very different from one another, one thing unites our programs — the incredible people who work to make the world a little healthier. Together, we’re daring to love like Jesus. Find out more about How We Heal. Previous Post « Nikki Lerner Shines at Healthy Women, Healthy World Luncheon Next Post IOM and Medical Teams in Ukraine »