Our Mission

To demonstrate the love of Christ to people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty around the world.

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This Week in the Field

  • Teams in the Field

    DENTAL: Liberia

    DISASTER RELIEF: Haiti

    EMS: Sri Lanka, Uganda

    MEDICAL: Haiti (3), Guatemala (2), Moldova, Niger (2), Uzbekistan

    WORK: Mexico

    Learn more »
  • Shipments en Route

    Afghanistan

    Cameroon

    Haiti

    Moldova

    Pakistan (4)

    Sudan

    Uzbekistan

    Learn more »
  • Mobile Dental Clinics

    There are 26 dental clinics scheduled in Oregon, Minnesota and Washington.

    Learn more »
    
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Stories about our work



  • Success Story: A Life of Courage

    Friday, June 18, 2010

    Amigo, a 13-year old boy (his name has been changed for privacy), grew up in an impoverished family in Mutarara with his three older siblings. In 2008, when Amigo was eight years old, both parents died of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) within two months of each other. The memory of their painful death without treatment still haunts him today.

    Full story

  • A Life Transformed

    Monday, June 07, 2010

    On the day she was born, Nhau’s father was buried. Before another year passed, Nhau’s mother also died – leaving the infant, still breastfeeding, and her two siblings as orphans.

    Full story

  • HONDURAS Dec 22, 2009 - Paying It Forward in this Season of Giving

    Tuesday, December 22, 2009

    Honduras is considered one of the poorest countries in Central America. More than 50 percent of the Honduran population lives below the national poverty line. About 35 percent of the population lives on less that $2 per day. Medical Teams International has been in Honduras since 1998 implementing a variety of projects that helps save lives and increase the capacity of the local communities. More than 13,000 people will benefit from our HIV and AIDS Program.

    Full story

  • SOUTHEAST ASIA Oct 14, 2009 - It's Been Five Years...and We Haven't Stopped

    Wednesday, October 14, 2009

    Almost five years ago, the biggest tsunami of our generation hit the shores of the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka, along with Indonesia, India and Thailand, was hit with wave surges, some as high as 45 feet. The tsunami killed over 40,000 people as it destroyed homes, businesses and hospitals. Across Asia, millions were left homeless. Since 2004, we have been responding with over $30 million in medical supplies, emergency relief and development programs.

    Full story

  • Sticker Shock: Food Prices Rise, Poor Families Face Shortages

    Tuesday, September 23, 2008

    Embet Alemu is a 35-year-old Ethiopian mother of six who knows rising food prices are just one factor taking a toll on her family’s health.

    Full story

  • Sri Lankan Scuba Dive Master Puts EMT Training to Use

    Wednesday, September 17, 2008

    SRI LANKA - "As I was running to the ocean my mind was racing--airway, breathing, circulation--CPR, that is all I was thinking. I shouted for someone to call for the Hikkaduwa Ambulance as I dove into the water." The man would not be able to save this life--but he would prove that the system could work.

    Full story

  • Volunteers - Answering the Call

    Wednesday, August 20, 2008

    Worldwide - Marie Davis, RN, vividly remembers her first volunteer team with Medical Teams International. The year: 1984. The place: Ethiopia. "It was my first time overseas," she says. "Talk about shock." Davis lived in a tent infested with fleas and worked intensely as the camp grew from 3,500 people to 35,000 in just weeks.

    Full story

  • Grassroots Health and Hygiene in Sri Lanka

    Monday, August 18, 2008

    Sri Lanka - As a volunteer health promoter in her hometown, Lalitha Ranjini cares for the families she knows most about--her own and those in her village. "Working with Medical Teams International changed my life," says this 33-year-old wife and mother of two.

    Full story

  • MYANMAR - July 30, 2008 - Almost Three Months Later the Needs Are Still Shocking

    Wednesday, July 30, 2008

    MYANMAR - Cyclone Nargis swept through Myanmar May 2-4, 2008, killing an estimated 140,000 people and severely affecting 2.4 million. Dr. Wendy Dyment, Medical Teams International’s emergency health specialist, recently returned from six weeks in the country.

    Full story

  • Obstetrician Delivers Babies and Hope in Niger

    Monday, July 07, 2008

    Dr. Hal Vick, an OB/GYN from Oregon, served the women and children at Galmi Hospital (Medical Teams International's partner) for three weeks. His blog brings to life the intense needs of the Nigerien people and also supports the notion that one person can make a difference in the lives of others.

    Full story

  • From Antibiotics to Hospital Supplies

    Monday, July 07, 2008

    USA - The Medical Teams International distribution center in Portland, Oregon, is a 21,000-square-foot warehouse that can house more than 550 pallets on 11 floor-to-ceiling rows. Four staff members and hundreds of volunteers examine the incoming supplies weekly--checking expiration dates and tossing damaged goods. Their quality control is meticulous and necessary for the hundreds of thousands of people these supplies will help

    Full story

  • Upfront With Bill Massaquoi

    Wednesday, June 18, 2008

    Senior staff writer, Maribeth Martin, sat down with Bill Massaquoi, Medical Teams International's Liberia country director, to talk about our work in Grant Cape Mount County, Liberia.

    Full story

  • Kids Fight Malaria

    Tuesday, April 15, 2008

    Don't tell Preston (16) and Gracie (13) Altree they can't change the world. This brother and sister from Tigard, Ore., have already raised thousands of dollars for tsunami survivors and most recently, for malaria prevention and awareness

    Full story

  • Three Decades of Friendship and a Decade of Service Change Lives on Both Sides of the Border

    Thursday, April 10, 2008

    MEXICO - As night approached the Tultitlan dump, Dick Saulsbury met a man along the road. "My Spanish is poor but I managed to say something about the chilly air." A few seconds later, Saulsbury heard, 'Senor, senor,' behind him. The man had taken off his sweater and was offering it to him.

    Full story

  • New Pots and Pans? No Way

    Friday, April 04, 2008

    In the growing trend to focus on others, brides, grooms and birthday celebrants bid people to donate to causes rather than buy gifts

    Full story

  • Bringing Hope to a Desolate Place

    Tuesday, March 11, 2008

    SUDAN - A Sudanese mother brings her malnourished and dehydrated child to our medical clinic.

    Full story

  • He's Got Service in His Blood

    Friday, February 29, 2008

    Some people are born to serve others. Their jobs, hobbies and friends all reflect their innate desire to help other people. Ian Yocum, lieutenant firefighter and paramedic with Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue from Keizer, Ore., is one of these people.

    Full story

  • Medical Teams International and CHAL Train Health Promoters

    Wednesday, February 27, 2008

    Medical Teams International, in collaboration with the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL), recently began the training of 20 community health promoters (CHPs) selected from towns and villages in all five districts of Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia. The trainees are all residents of the County.

    Full story

  • Medical Teams International, CHAL Train Health Promoters

    Wednesday, February 27, 2008

    Medical Teams International, in collaboration with the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL), recently began the training of 20 community health promoters (CHPs) selected from towns and villages in all five districts of Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia. The trainees are all residents of the County.

    Full story

  • Mobile Dental Clinics: Caring For Families in Need

    Wednesday, February 20, 2008

    WASHINGTON - It was Dr. Jack Ehlen's first time as a volunteer on our Mobile Dental clinic. But he says, "Not my last."

    Full story

  • Youth Information and Care Center Opens Its Doors in Northern Uganda

    Wednesday, February 20, 2008

    UGANDA - "There is nothing else like it in the country," said one Ugandan official at the opening ceremony. All other centers for youth are located in the major cities. For the first time, young people from the rural areas can access state-of-the-art care in their own backyard

    Full story

  • Volunteer Focus: Dr. Stephen Knoff

    Wednesday, February 20, 2008

    WASHINGTON - Dr. Stephen Knoff, in his work as an oral surgeon in Kirkland, Wash., loves to help people in acute need. A priority for him and for his staff is to help desperately needy people who cannot afford care.

    Full story

  • When There are No Ambulances

    Friday, February 08, 2008

    SRI LANKA - Donnie Woodyard is Medical Teams International’s EMS manager in Sri Lanka. He recently sat down with staff writer Tracey Goldner to talk about how this program began in Sri Lanka, why it is needed—and what makes it sustainable.

    Full story

  • Mobile Dental Program Gives Kids a Smile

    Tuesday, February 05, 2008

    OREGON - Vose Elementary is bursting with potential--and with need. Bright, inquisitive eyes at this school are often matched with deep cavities and cracked teeth. Pain threatens to overshadow potential. The dentists volunteering with Medical Teams International's Mobile Dental program don't want that to happen, but they need help to meet a growing need.

    Full story

  • Reporting From the Field: Brenda Maldonado in Kenya

    Monday, February 04, 2008

    Our volunteers are working in Nakuru District [red dot] in partnership with MAP International.

    Full story

  • PACIFIC NORTHWEST Jan 3, 2008 - Sorting Through the Mud and Muck This Christmas

    Thursday, January 03, 2008

    PACIFIC NORTHWEST - When flood waters rose to catastrophic levels in early December, many families lost everything--their homes, businesses and possessions. Engorged rivers and streams overflowed into the streets and eventually made their way up through the floorboards, coating everything with a thick layer of mud.

    Full story

  • Volunteers Become the “Hands and Feet” of Christ at Christmas

    Thursday, January 03, 2008

    After Cyclone Sidr, families made homes from what materials they could gather. BANGLADESH - While other families marked Christ’s birth this past Christmas at home with friends and loved ones, four volunteers with Medical Teams International spent the season bringing medical care to villagers in Bangladesh.

    Full story

  • Training Teams Change the Face of Health Care in Rural Honduras

    Wednesday, October 10, 2007

    HONDURAS - Born with a life-threatening heart condition, Keydi, a young girl from a poor Honduran family, has survived despite the odds. Her mother, Glenda, had little hope of finding help for her little girl. But this year, Keydi received the heart surgery she needs to live a full and productive life.

    Full story

  • Training Vietnam’s Emergency Medical System from the Ground Up

    Friday, April 27, 2007

    VIETNAM - Dao Thi Lien runs a small convenient store on the 5. "Emergency Medical Services chapter," declared on a prominent sign in her window, alerts her neighborhood that she is also a first aid station. First aid--and the only aid. Medical Teams International is training volunteers like Lien in First Responder skills that will prevent further injuries after accidents...and even save lives.

    Full story