Health Promotion Motion: United Methodist Health Volunteers in the World

Camphor November Mission Report

2009-12-13T13:32:00.003-06:00

November 27, 2009

Transportation challenges

Grateful to Bishop Innis for letting us borrow his Land Cruiser for a month.
Buchanan Renewable Energy (BRE) donated an old ambulance that can be used as a truck. God is good! Turns out the head is cracked and it needs a new engine. We are not sure that we can afford this gift.
We brought car parts with us on the Mentor container to get the already existing Isuzu Trooper started again.

Clinic

Graduated 33 Traditional Birth Attendants from Training
Unloaded a proper exam table from the Mentor UMC container
Prepared vaccine program to return to viability
Established a system for buying medicine from clinic income using Monrovia distributor
Continue to teach graduate nurse and midwife classes
Lifewater Canada contact made, we hosted the assessment team on Nov. 28th.

Mentor, Ohio UMC Container Arrived - Big blessings as items are slowly unloaded.

Secure Warehouse established

Now able to store construction materials and other donated goods without fear of theft.
Developing a system of signing out and accountability

Peoria Container Arrival

Received Books, agriculture supplies, tools, roto-tiller, chainsaw, books, clothes, and clinic supplies.

Business Manager, Kathy Dickriede

Paid August salary, a good day at the mission, yes it is November!

Donations received through GBGM, thank you notes written and sent.

Reaching out to the Friends of Camphor for support and awareness of needs
Hoping to pay September and October salary soon. Relying on donors right now.

Thanksgiving

We are spending the holiday at the Carter Center in Monrovia with about 100 other Americans and a few turkeys.

St. John River District Conference

Camphor Mission is hosting over 1000 people for a week preparing for their Annual Conference in February. Kathy will be preaching a three day series on Jeremiah 23:1-6 “There is a hope.” Danny is teaching about HIV/AIDS and other health concerns.

Submitted by Danny and Kathy Dickriede kathyd@camphormission.org

www.camphormission.org

rosemarkafrica.blogspot.com

Wisconsin Seeks Health Volunteers for Peru Project

2009-12-07T13:10:00.004-06:00

United Methodist International Volunteers in Mission

Peru Mission 2010 July 29 - August 12, 2010

The Wisconsin Conference Peru Mission has been confirmed for July 29 – August 12, 2010. Volunteer medical and construction personnel are needed. We will be staying at the La Angostura Hostel in Ica, Peru. There are double and triple rooms available with bathrooms, hot water and cable.

The medical team will be working in Pisco. There are four churches where we will set up a clinic. I will check on the transportation regarding a local bus vs. rental. I will also inquire about a clinic for Ica. The economic situation in Ica and Pisco has deteriorated since the earthquake in August 2007. There is minimal government aid. Many habitants have lost their jobs. The medical campaign will be coupled to provide Christian counselors to help affected persons.

This Methodist mission will accommodate up to 30 people for the team. We have an opportunity to work with the children for Bible School or other educational training. The schools will be closed for a national holiday for one week while we are there.

The construction team will be assisting a bricklayer and helpers to add a second story on an existing building. This building is a church that is also used as a school and community center.

Estimated costs are: $850 plus airfare. Recently, the Kayak website showed Delta and Continental flights for $525 from Chicago to Lima. Costs for the mission include room, food, ground transportation, sight- seeing weekend, insurance, project costs and miscellaneous fees. A trip to Machu Picchu can be arranged at the end of the mission and will require one or two extra days. Estimated cost will be $600. Please call or email Judy Bruun for questions or information. A site visit is being planned for January. More details later.

Click here to access the IVIM Brochure for 2009. Please use the registration form to sign up for the Peru mission. Your deposit of $100 is non-refundable, but is tax deductible. If you choose to join a different mission in the Wisconsin Conference, your deposit will be applied to that mission.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Nancy Carmichael and Judy Bruun, Team Leaders
United Methodist International Volunteers in Mission,
Wisconsin Conference

jrbruun@sbcglobal.net
262-786-4120
414-530-1448 (cell)

Ginghamsburg UMC Ministry in Dafur Continues

2009-12-03T17:16:00.002-06:00

Watch the story, below, about the 5 year commitment that Ginghamsburg Church has made to people living in the Dafur region. This is what volunteers can do.

Remembering the World's Hungry

2009-11-29T21:14:00.004-06:00

As we in the U.S. begin this season of feasting and gift giving, it is appropriate that we take time to consider our brothers and sisters in the world who struggle to survive each day. Please take a moment to view the video, below and imagine ways that you can celebrate the holidays by supporting efforts to help those in need.

Missouri Conference UM Health Ministry in Ludhiana, India

2009-11-23T10:19:00.002-06:00

Neglected Tropical Diseases of Poverty

2009-11-16T09:54:00.005-06:00

Seven Most common Tropical Diseases as Identified by the Global Health Network:

1. Ascariasis - "Round worm" is an intestinal parasitic infection common in tropical and subtropical climates of the world.

2. Hookworm - an intestinal parasite found in tropical and sub-tropical Africa and Latin America.

3. Lymphatic Filiariasis - "Elephantiasis" is caused by a parasitic worm that invades the lymphatic system of humans causing extreme swelling of extremities and genitals. This condition is also found in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

4. Onchoceriasis "River Blindness" is common in sub-Saharan Africa. It is transmitted by Simuluim black flies that live near bodies of fast moving water. The flies carry larvae of a parasitic worm that multiplies in the skin of the host and travels throughout the body often causing blindness.

5. Schistosomiasis "Snail Fever" is caused by a parasite that lives within snails in streams. When the larvae are released from the snails into the water, they swim until they penetrate the skin of a host. Larvae may travel to body organs where they cause major pathology especially in the liver, kidneys, bladder, intestines, spleen and lungs.

6. Trachoma is caused by a bacteria, chlamydia trachomatis, and is transmitted from eye discharges of an infected person. It is common in poor communitieis in Africa and Asia.

7. Trichuriasis "Whip worm" is caused by the infestion of a parasite commonly found in humid, tropical climates. The worm lives in the intestinal tract of the host and results in anemia and stunted growth in children.

Update From Indigenous Mayan Organization in Guatemala

2009-11-13T14:34:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends,
As the year draws to a close, we are planning the 2010 projects for the Organization for the Development of Indigenous Mayans (ODIM). Guatemalans are feeling the same economic crunch that is felt worldwide. For the Tzu'tujil and Quiche' people we work with along the southwest border of Lake Atitlan, it is manifested in no jobs and no food for the family. The need for the clinic in San Juan has been obvious as we have had 1150 patient visits since we opened April 13. This represents 511 families, mostly from San Juan La Laguna and San Pablo La Laguna. Majority of our patients are women and children. On Tuesday, Nov 3 in San Pablo the medical team from Colorado saw Veronica, a seriously dehydrated and malnourished 2-year-old girl who weighed 15 pounds. On Monday morning the mother followed up at the clinic in San Juan, bringing all 4 of her children (ages 2-11) because she is afraid to leave them at home with their abusive father. We provided money for transportation, vitamins and shoes for all 5 of them, and more Carnation Instant Breakfast for Veronica. Mom will be coming back to the clinic to ensure health for her children. Please help us to continue the necessary services we are providing through ODIM by making a contribution. There are lots of Veronicas here who depend on us.

We believe that by working together, we can make a difference in the 2 small villages of San Juan and San Pablo La Laguna. You may send your check, payable to Interfaith Action International to Dale Conger-Cross Interfaith Action International 2850 Skyline Dr. Lemon Grove, CA 91945. Thank you in advance for your support..........and your prayers. With deep gratitude, JoAn Dwyer, Mary Micikas, Individual Volunteers in Mission United Methodist Church working in Guatemala.

News from UM Senegal Mission

2009-11-12T13:24:00.002-06:00

We send you greetings on behalf of the Senegal UMC

Links to Website, E-mail, and Missionary Paul Messer’s Blog
A new website for the Senegal Mission is available at www.senegalumc.com . Senegal consultant, Tony Fuller has moved to Senegal. He may be contacted at tony@yahoo.com for mail concerning the Senegal Mission. Missionary Paul Messer has started a Blog at http://revpaulmesser.wordpress.com . You can get up to date information about what is happening in the Senegal church at this site.

2010 Senegal Consultation
It is confirmed! The 2010 Senegal Consultation will be held at the Roscoe United Methodist
Church, in Roscoe, IL on November 12 and 13, 2010. Roscoe is about 10 minutes south of the Wisconsin -Illinois border on Interstate 90/39. This Consultation promises to be the best ever, so please plan to come and be inspired and hear first hand reports from our Senegal missionaries
Paul and Kittie, and a Senegalize pastor; In Mission Together Director, Patrick Friday, Dr. Carol Meynen, and the Roscoe Church folk who will visit Senegal this January. Please put
this event on your calendars now - November 12-13, 2010, Roscoe, IL.

Senegal Worship Blues - Update
Around August 21 a complaint was made to the Dakar police stating that the folks worshipping at Nord Foire were too loud. The police came and told worshippers to stop, confiscating the church's drums and microphones. The worship resumed the following Sunday anyway. Next Friday the police returned with another complaint filed by a neighbor about the noise. The police have stated that the church should not be in a residential area, but in their own church building in a commercial area. The saga continues. It appears that other residential area churches
have been subject to this “new Policy” also. UP-DATE! After much discussion between church representatives and various levels of government, a compromise has been reached. Worship can resume in the Nord Foire Church when the room is sound proofed. For now, members of the
Nord Foire congregation worship with the Grand Yoff folks at the Grand Yoff church (another
neighborhood in Dakar).

Illinois Rainbow Covenant White Band - Senegal Partnership
The Rainbow Covenant program has added another band to its rainbow of giving
for missions. It is our hope that you might consider a partnership with the Senegal Mission as your way of fulfilling the requirements for this White Band. $900 per year over three years will provide funds for pastoral support and church rent - a need of around $62,000 per year in Senegal for 10 pastors and 17 churches. Your help is needed in Senegal and much appreciated. Please let your mission committee know about this possibility
and help it along! Thanks.

Guatemala Medical Team Opportunity

2009-10-30T10:43:00.002-05:00

Organization for Development of the Indigenous Maya (ODIM)

(website link in Left column of this blog)

We are a small group of volunteers and paid local staff working at the grassroots level in the villages of San Juan La Laguna, San Pablo La Laguna, and surrounding rural areas on the shores of Lake Atitlan. We have been working in these villages since 2005 with the recovery effort after the devastation of Hurricaine Stan. Since 2005 our programs have evolved from disaster recovery to programs focused on education and health. Through meeting the root causes and necessities of education and health, people in the villages can strive for a positive future for themselves and their children.

ODIM volunteers also host various VIM teams who come to Guatemala to serve. Medical teams can conduct temporary clinics in the rural area around Lake Atitlan. Or please contact us about how your non-medical work team can help us build or refurbish our clinic, schools or other needed facilities around our village. Thank you for your interest in our mission. Please contact us if you would like more information on what we do or how you can help.

Red Bird Clinic in Kentucky Seeks Health Professionals

2009-10-23T08:56:00.004-05:00

Red Bird Clinic, a health ministry of the United Methodist Church, is seeking a full time Registered Nurse and a full time primary care Nurse Practitioner, or a primary care Physician Assistant for its outpatient clinic near Beverly, Kentucky. Located in the heart of Appalachia in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Red Bird Clinic has been providing care within a Christian environment for almost 100 years. Duties for the nurse include daily patient care as well as assistance with health education programs, policy review, care plans, immunization, & other clinical tasks. Duties for the NP or PA Candidates include diagnosing/prescribing for patients in the clinic, a few home visits, and some health education responsibilities (a Physician Assistant provides appropriate care under the direction of a physician.)must have or be license-eligible in Kentucky. Salary plus housing (with utilities), health insurance, and other benefits provided. For more information, contact:

Director of Human Resources
Red Bird Mission
70 Queendale Center
Beverly, KY 40913
606 598 3155
http://us.mc838.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=hr@rbmission.org
http://www.rbmission.org/

Doctors and Health Care Workers Needed for Honduras Trip

2009-10-21T08:12:00.003-05:00

Medical personnel are needed for a UMVIM trip to Honduras Feb. 6 - 19, 2010. Two nurses have signed up but at least two medical doctors and any other health care professionals are needed to staff a clinic in Danli, Honduras. Cost of the trip is $1425 from Des Moines but air arrangements can be adjusted as necessary. Sign up is immediate. The orientation is 10/31 but will work with anyone who might be interested in helping a rural area to have health care that is not generally available in the community. If intersted, please contact:

Beverly Nolte
5221 Village Run Ave. #604
Des Moines IA 50317
515 266 4186 home

Medical Volunteers Needed in Tin Mine Area of Congo

2009-10-20T14:57:00.003-05:00

The attached message comes via Our Family Adoptions, which is the UMC-affiliated adoption agency with Jamaa Letu orphanage in Congo. (the one we have worked with for years in PNW conference). It highlights efforts to raise awareness for peace with justice in the DRC. If you can share any of it with your UMVIM network, that would be awesome.

We just returned from there in September, looking at a new site for medical teams in partnership with the UMCOR Hospital Revitalization program. We'll be leading a medical team back in spring 2010. Our goal is to take folks who will commit to returning with a team from their region at a later date. But we are limited to 10 participants. If you have one (medical) person from your jurisdiction that might be interested in joining us (with the full intent of returning with a team in the future) please let us know. This person must have international experience, as the conditions are harsh. We currently have one or two spaces remaining. Thanks

Kurt and Jan Kaiser
Retired UMVIM,WJ coordinators
208-263-4094
love2trvl@imbris.com

RE: Breaking the Silence -- Congo Week 2009 October 18th-25th
The second annual Congo Week was started in 2008 to raise awareness of the chain of relationships causing the longstanding violent conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Wars in DRC have killed over 5.4 million people in the last decade, making it the deadliest conflict since WWII. It is a global embarrassment that most of these deaths were not caused by direct violence, but result from a lack of access to clean water and simple sanitation. Throughout eastern DRC, a confusing list of armed rebel groups vie for control of portions the landscape. Each commit horrific atrocities against civilians in campaigns of terror.
They gang-rape women, children and men. They burn villages. They force children to kill their own parents, then enslave the children, using girls for sex, and boys as soldiers and slave laborers.
Control of the region is the goal for these groups simply because it is profitable.

Eastern Congo contains huge quantities of ores of precious metals: cassiterite (tin), columbite-tantalite (coltan),and others. In particular, coltan is used to make the tiny tantalum capacitors that go into electronic devices such as cellphones, laptop computers, video games and DVD players.“Artisanal miners”, enslaved by the rebel forces, dig raw ore from the earth by hand, and 150-lb.
loads are smuggled by porters across poorly-guarded borders into the neighboring countries of Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. From there, materials are shipped to other countries for refinement, production and final assembly.
Western and European mining companies claim they do not source coltan from Congo, but the ore changes hands so many times throughout the manufacturing process that it is impossible to identify the metal’s true origin. Final manufacturers have plausible deniability, but one statistical analysis concluded it was impossible for Sony to have manufactured all its Playstation units without using Congolese coltan. Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King observed, "Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms.” Every time you upgrade your cellphone, every time you buy a new laptop, you are contributing to the crisis in Congo.
Congo Week (www.congoweek.com) is an effort to raise global awareness of the African War, and to bring daylight to its true causes. On Wednesday, October 21st 2009, from 12 to 1PM worldwide, the organization is promoting a “Cell-Out”; a voluntary boycott of cellphone use.
Our Family Adoptions
www.ourfamilyadoptions.org
Here are some simple actions that can turn the power of these electronics to good:
Educate yourself:
- War, Murder, Rape… All For Your Cellphone.
http://www.alternet.org/story/41477/
- Coltan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan
- The War the World Ignores
http://www.sundayindependent.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3245293
Raise Awareness.
- Put links to Congo Week on your blogs
- Write blog entries about coltan and mining in DRC
Action.- Don’t buy that new cellphone. Use the old one until it breaks.
- Recycle your old cellphone. Where? At your Zoo!
- Recycle all your old electronic devices.
- Write your senator to support SB 891: the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009;
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-891
- Participate in Congo Week events in your community.
- Turn your cellphone off, but change your voicemail message to explain why

Treating Malaria with Artemisinin: Successes and Concerns

2009-10-20T10:42:00.002-05:00

One of the significant recent breakthroughs in the management of falciparum malaria has been the use of the drug artemisinin as first line therapy for this potentially fatal disease. Artemisinin is derived from sweet wormwood, a plant that has been used by the Chinese to treat malaria for more than 500 years. Artemisinin acts more quickly than other antimalarials, but has a tendency for late recurrences, and requires the combination with another agent, usually lumifantrine, to be optimally effective. This combination of artemisinin and lumifantrine is currently marketed as Coartem, which has rapidly become the worldwide treatment of choice for falciparum malaria. Large plots of land, particularly in Africa have been given over to the cultivation of sweet wormwood, and small startup pharmaceutical companies in Africa and Asia are busy refining artemisinin compounds. Although there have been periodic shortages in the past, synthetic artemisinin has been developed, and should be available in 2010. The oral form is currently recommended only for moderate or uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Rectal and intravenous forms are available which compare favorably with intravenous quinine, the current standard for the treatment of severe, complicated malaria.
Several problems with artemisinin therapy have arisen recently.
1. Lack of product uniformity. It is estimated that up to 50% of artemisinin for sale in the private sector in Africa and SE Asia is substandard, and much is counterfeit.
2. Inadequate dosage. Even though relatively inexpensive in developing countries, the cost of a three day course is often far beyond the reach of many of the poor. Treatment with a single tablet is common, and is often not given in combination with another agent. This results in a high rate of recurrence, and a high risk of developing resistance.
3. Lack of availability in the US. Returning travelers with falciparum malaria were unable to obtain the drug. Fortunately in April 2009, the FDA approved the use of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for uncomplicated malaria. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive, $105 for a three-day course.
4. Resistance. Falciparum that is resistant to artemisinin has appeared in SE Asia, on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Experts feel that this is a harbinger of the development of more widespread resistance in other parts of the world.
Artemisinin is an important new weapon in the war against malaria. However, we need to be aware that in spite of intensive (and expensive) efforts to control malaria, we are not there yet. Hopefully the efforts to produce an effective vaccine will bear fruit. Meanwhile we need to support continued research, and an all out effort to contain this complicated devastating disease.
Ref: Campbell, C.C. Malaria Control----Addressing Challenges to Ambitious Goals. NEJM 361: 522-24, 2009
Roger Boe MD

The Global Crisis of Burns in Zambia

2009-10-14T09:34:00.003-05:00

This video tells the story of how Interplast sponosors a burn treatment program in Zambia. Definitely worth viewing, especially for surgical teams doing plastic surgery.

Unmet Global Mental Health Needs

2009-10-09T08:19:00.004-05:00

During this time of year in the U.S., we observe "National Depression Screening Day" to identify those among us who may be suffering torment in silence. It is also appropriate that as health volunteers we look beyond treating observable community and physical conditions to the signs of mental illness that often go untreated in the global communities where se serve. Please watch this short video clip from WHO and consider ways that your volunteer service can address some of the needs of millions suffering from some type of mental illness.

New Reference Books for Global Health Teams

2009-10-07T12:08:00.007-05:00

The third edition of the Handbook of Medicine in Developing Countries covers more diseases than previous editions, has the latest treatment recommendations, includes 16 pages of color pictures of common dermatological diseases, and the publishers claim it is easier to use. If you are planning to go on a mission trip, but have never worked overseas, this book is absolutely essential. Browse through it before you travel to prepare yourself for many of the common diseases and problems you will see. It will be as important to you as your airline tickets! Paperback with plastic coil binding. The book is available from The Christian Medical and Dental Asssociations, PO Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621. Or you can click on the book title, above.

For those interested in establishing community based health activities, the new U.S. version of Ted Lankester's book, Setting up Community Health Programmes is now available from the Hesperian Foundation web-site at http://www.hesperian.org/.

Senegal Hosts September HIV/AIDS Awareness Seminar

2009-10-01T08:55:00.006-05:00

Excerpted from a report submitted by Dr. Aly Bashir, physician in Senegal

Once again, the seminar for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention was held on the 23rd and 24th of September 2009 at the UMC parish at Grand Yoff. Participants included village Community Health Workers (CHWs) from the area and selected youths from all the UMC parishes of Senegal. Topics included: history, definition, mode of transmission, economic impact of the epidemic, stigmatization, marginalization, moral values and the Church's response. Also covered were data on the most infected and affected groups, counselling, prevention techniques, myths, misconceptions, statistics and treatments with ARTs.

Attendees participated openly without shame or self-consciousness. Topics related to sexuality and attitudes that discounted risk factors were hotly debated. Many youth were worried about the rate of infection per day and doubted their own safety. Some came out to confess and promised to abstain until marriage and do the testing and sensitize other youths to the risks.
The CHW’s volunteered to contact their respective village health committee leaders to see how best to sensitize villagers by sharing the experiences of the seminar.The cases of rape and domestic violence against women and children was also a big concern, ways to respect the rights and dignity of women was stressed.

In all, there were 37 participants that agreed that there was a need to visit other remote areas towards the borders between Senegal and other surrounding countries where this information has not reached the people.

Participants shed tears when they learned that in Sub-Saharan African whole communities are no more existing because of the disease. Everybody promised to put their hands together to help fight this battle because it is not a one man’s business.
The group proposed that frequent seminars should be organized in other regional capitals and villages. Certificates were issued to participants at the end of the seminar. Chiefs, elders, leaders and concerned people have expressed their sincere gratefulness to the GBGM (UMCOR) for such a philanthropic gesture which has helped to reduce the influx of the HIV/AIDS. The project has also helped to prevent one of the most alarming and dangerous diseases (Malaria) which has claimed and continue to claim many lives in Africa today through hygiene, proper preventive measures and timely interventions.
.

Haiti's Healthy Alternative to Fire and Smoke is Solar Ovens

2009-09-30T13:12:00.003-05:00

The World is My Parish - a reprint from "Interpreter On-Line"
Haitians conserve resources with solar cooking
By Joey Butler
In the impoverished nation of Haiti, people lack for many basic necessities. But a United Methodist missionary is helping the Haitians to harness something they have in abundance: sunlight.
Missionary Rick Jost directs Solar Oven Partners, an outreach of the Dakotas Conference Board of Global Ministries. The group provides inexpensive solar ovens, which tap the energy of the sun to prepare food.
One of the most deforested countries in the world, Haiti's economic woes and massive environmental destruction have led to the pillaging of virtually all its trees. They provide charcoal and cooking fuel. Solar ovens offer an alternative to cooking with charcoal, allowing the few remaining trees on the island to be saved and reforestation to begin.
By using solar ovens, Jost says, Haitians can save up to 30 percent of their food and cooking budget. The ovens can also be used to pasteurize water. Access to safe drinking water is another issue in Haiti.
"Whenever there is sunshine in this land of abundant sun, Haitians can cook their food with no cost for fuel, and without cutting trees, which pollutes the air and water, exposes the land to erosion and has tremendous health and economic fallout," Jost said.
Haitian Project Director Montas Joseph forms dough to bake French bread during the solar cooking seminar at Chomey, Haiti, November 2008. Photo courtesy of Rick JostThe project originated during a 1999 Volunteers in Mission trip to Haiti to build schools. Jost's team took along a few solar ovens as an experiment, and the concept was well received. Jost then presented the idea to the Dakotas Conference.
In 2000, the General Board of Global Ministries began its 10-10-10 missionary program, and Jost was invited to develop the solar oven project.
The nine-year-old project is now a project of The Advance, a designated giving program of global ministries, as well as a Dakotas Conference Advance ministry. In more than 30 trips, 2,400 ovens have been distributed. "We could provide many more ovens if we had the resources," Jost adds.
Jost acknowledges, "The support is outstanding. People experience the mission and bring that message home to their conferences, so we've had widespread support across the connection."
Each solar oven costs about $100 to produce. Through Solar Oven Partners, Haitians can buy one for $5 by attending a three-day course led by Montas and Raymonde Joseph, a Haitian husband-and-wife team employed by the organization.
"The solar oven is a miracle for Haiti," Montas Joseph said.
For more information, visit www.gbgm-umc.org/solarovenshaiti.
--Joey Butler, managing editor, Interpreter and Interpreter OnLine. Some information from United Methodist News Service reports.
How to give
Gifts to The Advance may be sent to:
General Advance #418812: Haiti Solar OvensAdvance GCFAPO Box 9068, GPONew York, NY 10087-9068
Donate by credit card by calling (888) 252-6174 or at http://www.advancinghope.org/.

Cambodia Consultation Yields Appeal for Medical Team

2009-09-22T08:41:00.005-05:00

The Cambodia Consultation held in Metarie, Louisiana has identified a need for healthcare volunteers. A team is now being organized for February 6-19, 2010. Medical and non medical team members are needed for this trip to Cambodia. Costs and other trip details are still in the planning stages. For more information please contact:
Beverly Dinnell LAVIM225.769.2200
800.468.8345
dinnels@bellsouth.net

New "Green" Technology Helps in Developing Countries

2009-09-20T16:07:00.003-05:00

Watch this video to learn how various green and economical technologies are being employed to help the poor in developing countries.

Operation Healing Hope: A UM Intitative to End Obstetric Fistula

2009-09-17T13:24:00.005-05:00

Birth Assistants Learn About Obstetric Fistula

Operation Healing Hope made a campaign stop in Liberia this summer! The aim was to find out what is happening on the ground to prevent and treat obstetric fistula and to rehabilitate fistula survivors. We visited UNFPA programs in the capital Monrovia as well as United Methodist fistula care programs at Camphor and Ganta United Methodist Missions. To read more about our West Africa adventure, check out the AUG 31 FAITH IN ACTION newsletter from the General Board of Church and Society
OHH Stories in new curriculum National Council of Churches study targets 18-30 age group
A newwebsite, fistulastories.org, was launched Fri. Sept. 11 by the Women's Ministries of the National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA). It features a curriculum for a fall study about obstetric fistula aimed toward college groups and younger women of faith. There are a range of personal stories including two contributions from the OHH summer mission to Liberia. One is the story of Rev. John Togba, who is the hospital chaplain at Ganta UMC Mission in northern Liberia. The other story relates an encounter Texas nurse Julie Warren had with a fistula patient at Ganta this past July.
Check out fistulastories.org

New Innovation to Fight Vector Borne Disease

2009-09-08T08:43:00.003-05:00

This News from Campaign for Fighting Diseases:

The innovation of getting mosquitoes to carry insecticides to their own larvae is proving hugely effective, according to an article in magazine SciDev.
Researchers spread an insecticide among adult mosquitoes who then transported it back to their breeding sites.
When the insecticide was placed in just - 5 per cent of mosquito resting areas, it resulted in 95 - 100 per cent of larvae dying in aquatic breeding sites.
The development offers great hope in the ongoing battles against vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, especially given the stifled markets for new insecticides.

Here is the URL for the above entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83459e2e769e20115712e4c9e970c

OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN HONDURAS MISSION TEAM

2009-09-03T17:07:00.002-05:00

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010

Our Lord’s United Methodist Church (OLUMC) in New Berlin, Wisconsin is once again assembling a Mission Team to serve in Honduras in 2010. We will be departing February 27th and returning March 7th (9 days). Our primary focus is on providing medical care and promoting on-going community health for several small, very poor mountain communities in Honduras. This includes not only immediate treatment of medical, dental, and optometric conditions, but preventative activities including improved hygiene and nutrition.
We welcome persons with any medical skills to consider joining us in serving the health needs of these communities.
We also provide instruction in sewing and knitting for the women in these communities. Anyone interested in teaching these or related skills would be a welcome addition to the mission team.
Another important component of our missions has been providing Vacation Bible School for the many children in these communities. This includes teaching and acting out Bible stories, singing, games, sports and coloring. Thus anyone with experience and a love for working with children of all ages is welcome to be a part of our mission team.
This is an ideal opportunity to get a taste of mission as we continue our participation in this outreach area. Estimated cost is $1,300.
Call us with questions or to express interest. We are planning several team orientation meetings during the fall.
Contacts at Our Lord’s include: Chuck Garrigues at (414) 708-5074 or http://us.mc838.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=chgarrigues@earthlink.net.
Jay McDowell at (414) 750-4238 or http://us.mc838.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jmcdowell5@wi.rr.com

Wisconsin Health Team In Laos

2009-09-03T11:20:00.003-05:00

In early February former Missionary and former WI Missions Coordinator, Billie LaBumbard took a risk and brought a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) team to Laos. The team included two NP nurses, a Pharmacist, and an English as a Second Language expert. The group worked with Lao Samphang MC and more than 2,000 non Christians in a number of districts in Northern Laos. This visit marked the first time a VIM team has volunteered and worked side by side with Lao authorities and the needy in the field.

The group was divided into three teams: Team 1 – The ESL team, located in the capital city of Laos was tasked with teaching English to children, women, and men in the church; Team 2 – A Medical team set up clinics in rural villages and Team 3 – A mobile medical team workied in the countryside and traveled from village to village. It was a tough and challenging but one of the most effective projects. It was so successful that the Lao authority has requested Lao Samphang MC to continue and expand the program to other villages on an annual basis if possible.

North Central Jurisdiction UMVIM Health Team List

2009-09-01T09:14:00.010-05:00

October:
1st-9th NICARAGUA - Teresa Miller/W MI Conference -mailto:-rbkids@yahoo.com -517-699-4116

5th-8th -MEXICO - Nuevo Progreso - Jo Powers/W OH - jspowers@gte.net - 419-825-2361

6th-? -SIERRA LEONE - "Op. Classroom" -Marilyn Griffith/IND -griffithmarilyn@aol.com
317-823-9390

12-23rd - NICARAGUA, Jalapa - John Kerr/ISLA/MN - info@isla.cc 612-819-8877

November:
5-8 - MEXICO - Nuevo Progreso - Stefan Densmore/W OH - Stefan.densmore@gmail.com
513-379-8992

5-17 -SIERRA LEONE, Manonkoh - Doris Acton/Minneapolis- doris.acton@nhylandsumc.org
952-835-7585 - $2,400

December:
1-15 -SIERRA LEONE, Manonkoh - Doris Acton/MN - doris.acton@nhylandsumc.org

January 2010
8-17 -SENEGAL, Dakkar CBPHC - Dr. Carol Meynen/N IL- c-meynen@northwestern.edu
847-501-3533

7-25 - TANZANIA, Ilula Orphan Prog - John Windell / Vincennes Dist/IN -
john.windell@insightbb.com - 812-753-4424 - $3100

14- 17 MEXICO, Nuevo Progreso -Margie Vogt/W OH - mvogt@otterbein.edu 740-363-5223

1/23-2/6 SIERRA LEONE, Op. Classroom - Marilyn/Don Griffith/IN -griffithmarilyn@aol.com

1/26-2/8 LIBERIA Bishops 3Cs Initiative - Matthew McClung/ E OH - tennisrev1174@aol.com
440-417-3887 - $3000

1/28-2/10 HONDURAS, Lempira- NCJ- Gloria Borgman/DAK ron.borgman@yahoo.com
605-642-5321

February, 2010
TBA NICARAGUA - Teresa Miller /W MI rbkids@yahoo.com 517-699-4116

2/11- 2/20 -HONDURAS, La Ceiba -Rx ConneXion -Gloria Borgman - ron.borgman@yahoo.com 605-642-5321

April, 2010
4/10-4/24 SIERRA LEONE , Kissy Hospital- Operation Classroom- Marilyn and Donald Griffith
Indianapolis griffithmarilyn@aol.com 317-823-9390

July, 2010
TBA HAITI, Carrefour-Rx ConneXion-Medical-Gloria Borgman DAKmailto:DAK-ron.borgman@yahoo.com
605-642-5321