PARTNERS FOR MEDICAL RELIEF

THE 2023-2024 YEAR INCLUDED AN AMAZING OCTOBER OF 2023 SURGICAL TRIP TO COROZAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL IN BELIZE AND TWO WEEKS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY MEDICAL TRIPS IN 2024 TO COROZAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AND ORANGE WALKS NORTHERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL IN BELIZE. THE TEAMS ALSO SERVICED SURROUNDING AREA VILLAGES FOR THIS TWENTY FIRST YEAR OF PARTNERSHIP WITH BELIZE. THIS WAS WORKING WITH ENTITIES BOTH GOVERNMENTAL AND VOLUNTEER AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IN BELIZE. THIS CONTINUED OUR LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE AND ITS BELIZE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, AS WELL AS ALL THE NON- GOVERNMENT PARTNERS (NGOS) AND INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS AND VENDORS IN BELIZE. SOME 158 US VOLUNTEERS JOINED WITH 63 BELIZE VOLUNTEERS TO ACCOMPLISH A MULTITUDE OF TASKS. OVER 2,600 MEDICAL EVALUATIONS WERE DELIVERED ALONG WITH FREE PHARMACEUTICALS IN RURAL VILLAGES FOR CHILDREN OR ADULTS. OVER 190 SURGERY PROCEDURES WERE PERFORMED IN THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS BY OUR ENT, PLASTICS AND GENERAL SURGERY TEAMS. SURGERIES INCLUDED CLEFT SURGERIES AND TONSIL AND DEVIATED SEPTUM, AS WELL AS HERNIA REPAIRS AND CANCEROUS BREAST SURGERY TO NAME A FEW OF THE MOST FREQUENT SURGERIES. THE VALUE OF THIS TRIP IN MEDICAL SERVICES DONATED TO BELIZE WAS $1,876,000 USD. VOLUNTEERS WITH PARTNERS FOR MEDICAL RELIEF DONATED 7,825 HOURS FROM THE US TEAM AND 2,180 HOURS FROM OUR BELIZE VOLUNTEERS. ENCOURAGING BELIZE STUDENTS IS ALSO A HIGH VALUE. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, WE LOOKED FOR WAYS TO TRAIN AND EQUIP LOCAL MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS THROUGH CROSS TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION. A HIGHLIGHT WAS A TRAINING OF OVER FIFTY BELIZE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO GATHERED FOR A WORKSHOP ON HEART PROBES AS WELL AS PROBLEM PREGNANCIES USING WORLD RENOWNED EXPERTS WHO CAME WITH OUR TEAMS. AN IMPORTANT IMPACT BEYOND BELIZE IS THE NEW ENERGY AND SELFLESSNESS OUR VOLUNTEERS INSPIRE UPON THEIR RETURN FROM THE TRIPS THAT IMPACTS THEIR FAMILIES, THEIR INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITIES. THIS MATCHES WELL WITH OUT MISSION TO FILL MEDICAL GAPS AND BUILD MEDICAL CAPABILITY AND PROVIDE NEEDED SUPPORTING SERVICES VIA TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCES INSPIRED BY THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST. WHILE OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PASS A FAITH TEST OR PROMOTE FAITH TO BELIZE PATIENTS, THE OVERWHELMING FEEDBACK OF INSPIRATION FROM THE MORNING REFLECTIONS ON THE WORDS AND TEACHING AND LIFE OF CHRIST IS CONFIRMATION OF THE IMPACT ON OUR PARTICIPANTS. THIS GREATLY EXCEEDS THE VALUE OF A TRIP THAT MERELY PROVIDES NEEDED SERVICES ON A ONE- TIME BASIS, WITHOUT OFFERING INSPIRATIONAL TO PARTICIPANTS WHO RETURN WITH NEW ENERGY FOR THEIR LIVES BACK HOME. ONE OF OUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS FISCAL YEAR IS HELPING TO PROVIDE BOTH LAPAROSCOPIC EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING TO ENABLE YEAR- ROUND LAPAROSCOPIC GENERAL SURGERY IN THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN ORANGE WALK BELIZE. THIS IS A RADICAL IMPROVEMENT AND A UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THIS IN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS SERVING THE POOR AND NEEDY IN BELIZE. THIS WAS LEVERAGING YEARS OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING TRUST FOR BOTH THE ADMINISTRATION AND MEDICAL STAFF AT NORTHERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL. THIS LAPAROSCOPIC EFFORT WAS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL SURGICAL EXPEDITION IN RICHMOND VIRGINIA THAT BROUGHT THE MAJORITY OF THE NEEDED EQUIPMENT ($70,000 USD) AND A PORTION OF THE TRAINING COMPONENT. ENABLING YEAR- ROUND MEDICAL PROFICIENCY BY NATIVE BELIZE PROFESSIONALS IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. WE ARE NOW SENDING DOCTORS ON A REGULAR BASIS TO TRAIN AND DEVELOP LOCAL SURGEONS TO USE THIS EQUIPMENT. WE ALSO ENABLED AND PROVIDED NEEDED RESOURCES NURSES AND HEALTH PROMOTERS IN OVER A DOZEN REMOTE VILLAGES IN BELIZE. WE GATHERED OVER ONE HUNDRED ASPIRING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO INTERACT WITH OUR MEDICAL TEAM MEMBERS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY FOCUSED ON SCHOOL. THESE STUDENTS RECEIVE PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS FROM OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATION; COROZAL BELIZE MINISTRIES. WE ALSO PROMOTED STUDENT SUPPORT TO BELIZE STUDENTS VIA THESE SCHOLARSHIPS TO OUR PARTICIPANTS.