MAP International Winter 2023 Newsletter

medicine for the world

Your help means

help even more in

As we begin 2023, MAP International has a plan to expand our global reach through critical programs to more countries than ever before.

In this newsletter, we highlight several of those key initiatives along with firsthand accounts from health providers and beneficiaries so you may read in their

own words how your generosity touches — and in many cases — saves lives.

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

In 2023, MAP is expanding the program to provide more than 150,000 pediatric antibiotic treatments to children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

It was just a normal day — Marta had sent one of her daughters and her son, Joel, to help her mother and brother set up the food cart that her mother runs in Guatemala City.

But that afternoon a shooting occurred in the neighborhood, leaving 13 innocent people dead — including Marta’s mother and brother. Both of her children also suffered gunshot wounds. Thankfully, her daughter’s injuries were mild, but Joel was rushed by ambulance to the local ER.

“They sewed him up and released him, and they gave me a prescription for antibiotics,” Marta said. Already reeling from the shock of losing her mother and brother, Marta despaired over how she was going to find — let alone afford — antibiotics for Joel.

Fortunately, she found a medical clinic in their neighborhood that was supplied with medicine from MAP, and the doctor there not only was able to instruct Marta on how to care for Joel’s wounds, but she was also able to fill her prescription for antibiotics. For Joel, it was nothing short of a miracle.

Several months later, Joel is doing well. He pulls up his pant leg to show where he suffered the gunshot wounds. Most of his calf is missing, and the rest of his leg is a mess of scars, but he is alive! “We used that medicine,” Marta said. “He never got infected, and he’s doing fine now.”

Without the antibiotics from MAP, she could have easily lost her son as well. Thankfully, that gunshot wound was not the end of Joel’s story, and Marta is so grateful.

FOCUS: MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH PROGRAM

Many women in the developing world do not have access to prenatal care of any sort, increasing the risk of birth complications for mothers and babies. Anemia and malnutrition due to lack of prenatal vitamins can further increase the risk and impact the cognitive and physical development of infants.

Shortages of healthcare providers and supplies coupled with high maternal mortality rates make childbirth a gamble in Bangladesh. Barsha and her baby were almost two of those casualties.

Barsha knew something was wrong, so she made her way to the mission hospital. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the

baby’s neck twice, and he was in the breech position, making a vaginal birth dangerous for both mother and baby. The only option was to have a c-section — and quickly.

Caesarian deliveries are routinely performed all over the world, but not in Bangladesh. Surgical conditions are dangerous, and providers rarely have the necessary supplies. Thankfully, her surgeon was equipped with MAP medicine and sutures and safely performed the procedure and brought Barsha’s new baby into her arms for the first time. Thanks to God’s grace and MAP supporters, Barsha and her baby are doing well.

FOCUS: MALNUTRITION AND ORAL REHYDRATION SOLUTION PROGRAM

Malnutrition claims the lives of millions of people each year. In 2023, MAP is focusing on improving health outcomes for vulnerable people by expanding the provisions of Oral Rehydration Salts and essential vitamins to improve health outcomes.

Lisa is an 84-year-old woman in the Philippines. She likely didn’t know just how far-reaching the benefits of multivitamins and proper nutrition could be until she started having health issues.

Unfortunately, Lisa lives in a small village, where she has limited access to healthy food. As a result, she started suffering from malnutrition in adulthood and continued into her eighties.

FOCUS: MEDICAL MISSION PROGRAM

MAP’s Medical Mission Program works to equip doctors, surgeons, medical students, church teams, hospitals, non-profits, and other health organizations to address the medical needs of the world’s hardest to reach places.

Healthcare access is minimal in Ghana, and by the time many make it to the mission hospital run by Dr. James Murphy, patients are already in critical condition. Dr. Murphy works with patients struggling with severe infections that likely would have been treated sooner in a more developed nation.

In the many years of his career, Dr. Murphy has had a major impact on the lives of hundreds of people — many of whom would have likely succumbed to their conditions without his care.

One of his patient stories involves a 9-month-old girl who arrived at the hospital with a severely burned throat from being fed hot porridge. She had to have a breathing tube, a feeding tube, and came very close to death. It took 25 days of caring for her before she was fully back to health.

In nearly all of his medical procedures, Dr. Murphy relies on medicine and health supplies from MAP. While there are still many challenges, he knows that he will have the resources he needs, thanks to MAP International’s generous supporters.

Luckily, medical professionals equipped with MAP International vitamins and nutritionals were able to get to Lisa before malnutrition claimed her life. MAP provided her with the necessary multivitamins to restore her health.

Now, Lisa is eating and drinking the right foods and on a daily regimen of multivitamins. She has gone out of her way to express gratitude to MAP and the doctors who helped her.

Thanks to dedicated donors like you, Lisa feels healthier than ever, and it’s all because of multivitamins and a brief discussion about daily dietary needs. Now that she knows what to eat to stay healthy, Lisa is living a life of wellness with proper nutrition.

Chronic diseases — like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease to name just a few — are some of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. In 2022, the Chronic Disease Program provided 400% more treatments than the previous year. And in 2023, MAP plans to expand the program even further.

When Alejandro arrived at the hospital, he hoped to have surgery to repair the hernia interfering with his overall health.

Alejandro is from the Dominican Republic, where it’s not always easy to access medical care. Unfortunately, this means that Alejandro hadn’t been going to annual health checkups to monitor his blood pressure.

When he arrived at the hospital, his blood pressure was dangerously high — 178/138. To put it into perspective, typical blood pressure is around 120/80.

High blood pressure can cause severe risks such as heart attack or stroke. Unfortunately, Alejandro’s dangerously high blood pressure meant surgery was out of the question.

It is a blessing that Alejandro was able to even get to a healthcare facility, but facing yet another medical condition made the situation more stressful. Even after getting multiple medications from MAP to decrease his blood pressure, Alejandro’s pressure stayed dangerously high.

Slowly, and after prayer, the medicine began to take effect and his blood pressure went down. Eventually, it got low enough that he was able to have surgery to get the hernia repaired.

When we send medicine to our partners on the ground, we put our faith in God that it will reach the hands of those who need it most. We believe that each person on earth has a purpose, and MAP is fortunate that we could help Alejandro get well and share just how much God is part of our work.

MAKE AN IMPACT THROUGH A DONOR ADVISED FUND

A donor-advised fund (DAF) allows individuals, families and businesses to make tax-deductible gifts of cash, publicly-traded stock and in some cases, certain illiquid assets, to 501 (c)(3) MAP International.

Giving through your DAF is an easy way to have a maximum impact in getting lifesaving medicine and health supplies to those who need them most.

To schedule a gift from your DAF or to learn more, please visit map.org/ ways-to-give#DAF or call us at (800) 225-8550.

Because of you.

We dedicate our Winter 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 are chasing away tears for so many in forgotten places who now have health and hope because of your unwavering generosity.