MAP International Fall 2023 Newsletter

medicine for all people

medicine for all people

Our mission: To provide medicine and health supplies to those in need around the world so they might experience life to the fullest.

You’re helping bring lifesaving medicine and health supplies to a world in need.

MAP International is committed to expanding our global reach. In December 2023, we will be opening our new Global Distribution Center, through which we hope to double our capacity and expand critical programs that include Bringing Children Health, Vitamins and Nutritionals, Malnutrition and Oral Rehydration Solutions and Medical Mission programs. Thanks to friends like you, so far this year we have already achieved so much, including:

Providing more than 57,000,000 patient treatments of prescription and over-thecounter medicine and health supplies

Shipping nearly 1 million treatments of lifesaving vitamins and nutritionals to more than 43 countries

Providing more than 275,000 treatments for some of the world’s most vulnerable children and adults through the Malnutrition and Oral Rehydration Solutions program

Our new Global Distribution Center, which is being built next to the current Global Health Distribution Center in Brunswick, GA, is scheduled to open in December 2023. The new center will allow us to double the amount of lifesaving medicine and health supplies we are able to ship by 2025.

In this newsletter, we highlight several key initiatives along with firsthand accounts from healthcare professionals so that you may read in their own words how the generosity of MAP partners touches the lives of so many.

With your help and God’s grace, MAP will bring more health and hope in Jesus’ name to those who would otherwise be forgotten.

Vitamins and Nutritionals Program Saves Lives

Parents all want the best for their children. And in circumstances where we can’t afford to give them every opportunity we would like to, we take comfort in the fact that at least we are meeting their basic needs for food, shelter, and love.

But imagine the desperation you would feel if all you had to offer your child were love and shelter, but not enough food. This is the painful situation that many parents in Venezuela find themselves in.

The severe economic crisis in their country has plunged many families into poverty and caused widespread shortages of even the most basic resources, leaving many children suffering from severe malnutrition and a lack of basic medical care.

Recently, a MAP-supported medical mission team traveled to Venezuela to serve children and their families who have been suffering from a lack of access to clean water and proper nutrition. Their team leader, Pablo Torres, reports treating child after child whose parents brought them to the clinic for help — their small frames and fragile bodies evidence of how malnourished they were.

“We were able to administer MAP-donated products such as nutrient-rich supplements and vitamins to help

them regain strength and improve their overall health,” says Torres. The team also provided the children with basic medical care, treating skin infections and other ailments that often come with a weakened immune system — another result of malnutrition.

“Seeing the transformation in the children is a powerful reminder of the impact that access to basic medical care and proper nutrition can have on a person’s life,” says Torres. “Thanks to the support of organizations like MAP, we were able to help the children of Venezuela and give them a chance at a brighter future.”

To help restore the health of more children around the world, visit map.org. Your gift can mean the difference between a child fighting to survive and having the chance to thrive.

Equipping Medical Mission Teams to Reach Millions of People

Every year, MAP equips hundreds of medical mission teams with lifesaving medicine and health supplies that they then carry with them to some of the world’s poorest, most remote regions. Here is a firsthand account from a mission team who headed to Papua New Guinea:

“I just wanted to thank MAP for the medications they donated so that this trip would be possible. We treated hundreds of patients that would not have been able to heal physically had it not been for the medications MAP provided.

“One of the first stories that comes to mind is a two-year-old child who came through the clinic. We were in a remote village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, and they brought this child to us. Just by looking at this child you could see that he was

very sick, and after assessing him we found that he had bilateral pneumonia, a double ear infection, and tonsillitis. He was also malnourished, and we suspected intestinal parasites. We were able to treat him for all of his ailments and health problems with the medication provided, and I truly believe this child will have a chance of survival because of the medication that was given. I was told by one of the missionaries there that 30-50% of children in that village do not survive their 5th birthday due to sickness and diseases. I truly believe the medication MAP provided will have not only a physical impact on this village, but a spiritual impact as well.

“Throughout the course of the week we were able to treat hundreds of people for upper respiratory infections, skin abscesses, and much more. Thank you for your kindness and donations.”

Bringing Children Health Program Reaches 40 Countries

Anyone who has ever traveled to Central America, whether for business or for pleasure, knows the rule: don’t drink the tap water. All it takes is one rinse of your toothbrush under the faucet and you risk at minimum a nasty case of diarrhea — worst case scenario, you could pick up an intestinal parasite. The water simply isn’t safe.

For those living in rural parts of Central America, like *Magdalena’s family in Guatemala, clean water is nearly impossible to come by and bottled water is far too expensive to buy on a regular basis. They make do, of course, boiling their water daily before drinking or cooking with it.

Except one day Magdalena’s mother forgot. It didn’t take long for Magdalena’s mother to realize her mistake. Soon, her poor baby was inconsolable, her stomach distended from the intestinal parasites that were now ravaging her little body. She immediately began boiling the water before

mixing in the formula, but by then it was too late — nothing could ease the pain that her daughter was experiencing.

The results were nearly immediate. When the mission team visited Magdalena at home to check on her, they found the baby sleeping peacefully — the medicine had worked. What a relief! Magdalena’s mother was so grateful to have her happy baby back again.

As Magdalena’s mother sat trying to think of what to do, a mobile mission brigade happened to come by their village. The mission team took one look at Magdalena and sent the girl and her mother to the mission clinic nearby. There, a pediatrician gave baby Magdalena medicine from MAP to remedy the problem.

Had the medical team not arrived when they did, or if they didn’t have medicine from MAP, Magdalena’s story could easily have ended in tragedy. Intestinal parasites, if left untreated, can lead to malnutrition and other life-threatening infections. Thanks to MAP, Magdalena’s health was quickly restored, and she is growing and developing normally, like all babies deserve to do.

To make a transformative difference in the lives of other children around the world like Magdalena, visit map.org to find out how your best gift could give health and hope to those in need.

*Name has been changed for privacy.

Oral Rehydration Solution Saves a Baby’s Life in Liberia

For those of us who live in the U.S., we can easily buy a sports drink to rehydrate if we catch a nasty stomach bug. But for those living in Liberia and other developing countries in the world, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under the age of five. The solution is simple, but without access to it, the consequences can be devastating.

A team from MAP visited Liberia recently with a goal to deliver oral rehydration solution (ORS), a simple yet incredibly effective treatment for dehydration and diarrheal diseases. In fact, 93% of diarrheal deaths could be prevented if ORS were available as a treatment.

As the team was unloading the medicines, a young Liberian woman walked up to them. She

was hot and exhausted, clearly having walked for many hours to get to the clinic carrying a baby on her back.

where she could find the medicine. And after paying for the doctor, she honestly wasn’t sure that she could afford the medicine if she found it.

“When we looked at the prescription, we couldn’t believe our eyes,” said a team member. “She was showing up for ORS, the exact product we were there to deliver.”

The baby was sick. The young mother had somehow managed to find a doctor elsewhere, who had written her a prescription for the baby, but she didn’t know

Ways You Can Help MAP

Thanks to the medicine from MAP, the team was able to fill her prescription at no cost, so that her baby could recover from the dehydration and prevent malnutrition that could follow. For that young woman, provision showed up in the form of medicine, from strangers she likely will never see again. Because of your generosity, her baby’s life was saved, and she was given the gift of hope.

International Have Even More Impact

MAP prides itself on being good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us by God and our supporters. As you start planning your year-end giving around this time, we wanted to share a few additional giving options.

Schedule a gift from a Donor Advised Fund (DAF): Giving through your donor advised fund is an easy way to have a maximum impact in getting lifesaving medicine and health supplies to those who need them most.

Donate stock or other non-cash assets: If you have appreciated stocks, you can transfer them to MAP International and avoid paying capital gains tax. You can also deduct the full value on your taxes! This is the smartest way to donate and can make a difference on your tax-return next year. Transfer stocks today.

Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution and save on taxes by giving from your IRA. If you are 70.5 or older, giving to MAP International directly from your IRA allows you to support our critical work without dipping into your taxable income.

To learn more about these and other great ways you can support MAP International’s mission, please visit www.map.org/ways_to_give or contact us at 1-800-225-8550.

Because of you.

are chasing away tears

We dedicate our Fall 2023 Newsletter to our faithful supporters who make it possible for MAP International to carry out our calling to provide lifesaving medicines and health supplies for a world in desperate need. We hope you’ve been encouraged by what you’ve read. Please know, a gift in any amount will help ensure we have even more inspiring stories of redemption to share.

Today, smiles

for so many in forgotten places who now have health and hope because of your unwavering generosity.