MAP International

MAP International is a Christian organization to promote global health.

History

Establishment

Medical Assistance Programs International (MAP International), an organization that provides medical supplies abroad, encourages community health development, prevents disease, and responds to disasters, was founded in 1954 by J. Raymond Knighton, the first Executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Society (CMDS). MAP International is a member of Integral, an international cooperation of 19 Christian aid organizations.

Early programs

MAP International’s first project was to supply Shering Corporation and Eli Lilly’s donation of 11 tons of medicines abroad in developing areas. Since then, MAP International has instituted numerous projects including but not limited to emergency relief efforts after Typhoon Gloria in Taiwan, civilian casualties in Panama, the fall of the Soviet Union, Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, the fall of the Taliban, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. MAP International also started Fellowship programs to train medical students, opened offices in developing areas such as Ecuador, Kenya, and West Africa, and donated billions of dollars in medicines and supplies to people in need.

Mission statement

MAP International’s mission is to collaborate with people existing in conditions of penury to salvage lives and to promote healthier families and societies. More specifically, MAP International is interested in increasing Total Health, which the organization defines as “the capacity of individuals, families and communities to work together to transform the conditions that promote, in a sustainable way, their physical, emotional, economic, social, environmental and spiritual well being.” MAP International works to empower individuals of all ages who live in the developing communities receiving their aid to invent their own solutions and create their own future in an effort to promote long-term health development spearheaded by the local community members. Although MAP International is a Christian organization, it has a policy against discrimination based on religion, gender, race, and other aspects of an individual’s background, and will not refuse help to anyone based on these classifications.^[1]

Credibility

MAP International’s status as a highly credible organization is well attested to by multiple well-known sources. Forbes, Inc. recognizes MAP International as the #44 Largest U.S. Charity.^[2] This shows that the MAP International program is very well recognized and generates a large amount of revenue. It illuminates important aspects of the program such as its donor dependency, total revenue, amount spent on charitable work, and fundraising efficiency. BBB lists MAP International as an accredited charity, meaning it meets the standards in terms of governance, measuring effectiveness, finances, and fund raising and information.^[3] Charity Navigator rates MAP International as 62.34 out of 70, or four out of four stars, and includes information about the program’s accountability and transparency.^[4] Popline points out that some health workers have biases against working with faith-based programs, but that the merits of the MAP International program should dispel these biases. It also discusses the financial benefits of FBOs in relation to “their ability to leverage volunteer work with minimal effort.^[5]” In a post on the First Presbyterian Church (Greensboro, NC) website, Neil-Dunnavant recounts a trip he took with MAP International members to the Caribbean during which they were warmly welcomed by community members, saw conditions of extreme poverty, and brainstormed ways to implement better health care.^[6]

Current projects

Disaster relief

MAP International works to respond to both natural and conflict related emergencies. MAP International provides medical relief shipments to those in need and monitors the health of those in need, if an emergency occurs in a country MAP International has instituted a country presence it implements a country office response in which MAP International staff mobilize to provide health care, and utilizes community based disaster mitigation to train community members to manage the effects of the disaster and promote health in the wake of the disaster on a long-term scale.^[7] Current MAP International disaster relief programs include Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines, Cyclone Phailin, Oklahoma Tornado, and Syrian Refugee relief. MAP International has responded to Typhoon Haiyan by shipping $4.2 million in medicines and supplies, and is still in the process of responding by providing emergency health care kits to victims. MAP International recognizes its partners for their integral role in efficiently distributing donated medicines and supplies, and states the difficulties they have encountered in getting the medicines to the victims. For example, all of the medicine shipments in Leyte Island were washed away when the typhoon hit that area.^[8] In response to the detrimental effects of Cyclone Phailin, MAP International is providing India with temporary shelter structures, food, medicine, and cooking utensils.^[9] MAP International has responded to the Oklahoma Tornado by donating over $127,000 of supplies to their partner, Convoy of Hope, in Oklahoma.^[10] The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation also mentions MAP International's affiliation with Abbott in response to the tornado.^[11] In response to the civil war in Syria, MAP International has sent two shipments to refugees, and is still responding by preparing a third shipment to send when sufficient funding is acquired.^[12] The Saporta Report outlines MAP International's involvement in Syrian Refugee Crisis relief efforts, and briefly describes the cost of these emergency aid kits.^[13]

Transformational missions

A program to turn short-term missions into long-term local health programs.^[14]

Short-term missions

Medical or non-medical volunteers from the United States help with an existing program in a Total Health Village, assisted by members of MAP International.

Curriculum-based field study

Short-term field study for students integrated into the curriculum of a scholastic establishment for credit within the degree areas of health or international development.

MAP fellowship

Opportunity for fourth year medical students to work during an 8-week program in a MAP-approved hospital or clinic, usually in Kenya, Uganda, Ecuador, Honduras, Bolivia, Indonesia, Liberia, Cote d’Ivore, or Ghana.

Partnership opportunities

Volunteers are educated about a MAP Internal program and work with members of an underserved community to explore ways to collaborate with MAP International programs.

Disaster relief response

Emergency aid teams from the United States respond quickly to help affected communities by implementing disaster management strategies and training community members to sustain these programs on a long-term basis.

Global essential medicines and supplies (GEMS)

MAP International contributes over $250 million inexpensive bought and donated medicines and supplies to philanthropic relief organizations helping underserved communities each year. The medicines provided are from the Essential Drug List (EDL).^[15]

Maternal and child health

MAP International has implemented programs in Ecuador, Uganda, Kenya, and Bolivia. These programs focus on a plethora of different topics including perinatal care, training health promoters, preventing sexual abuse, providing rehabilitation for victims of sexual abuse, and education.^[16]

Neglected tropical diseases

MAP International has implemented programs in Kenya, Uganda, Ecuador, Honduras, Bolivia, Indonesia, Liberia, Cote d’Ivore, and Ghana to treat and prevent Guinea worm, Buruli ulcer, Leprosy, Yaws, Lymphatic filariasis, Chagas Disease, Soil-transmitted Helminthes, and Rabies. Programs to eradicate these diseases include vaccinations, education, water and sanitation efforts, awareness building, community mobilization, and operations.^[17]

Total health village

MAP International has implemented programs in 65 villages throughout Kenya, Uganda, Ecuador, Honduras, Bolivia, Indonesia, Liberia, Cote d’Ivore, and Ghana to encourage and equip underserved communities to come up with their own innovative solutions to the daily challenges they face. This program focuses on local solutions to problems within the cultural context of the community and is designed to give the community command of the improvement plan. Community members take part in many aspects of other current projects listed such as water and sanitation efforts and disease treatment, as well as working to settle conflict, train local health promoters, and facilitate economic security.^[18]

Water and sanitation

Water and Sanitation are aspects assimilated into all MAP International programs because of the significant impact they have on preventing disease and promoting other facets of Total Health. Water and Sanitation efforts involve building separate waste and clean drinking structures, providing water filters to communities, and establishing Community Led Total Sanitation programs. MAP International utilizes a sweat equity design to implement Sawyer water filters in underserved communities and implements a small-scale demonstration with the help of a few members in the community before introducing water sanitation efforts on a large-scale throughout the village. Sawyer attests to the integral role MAP International has played in distributing hundreds water filters to communities.^[19] Community Led Total Sanitation programs are designed to educate and empower local community members to make their village a more sanitary and healthy environment through education about the negative health effects of drinking unclean water and the importance of separating human waste structures and drinking water structures.^[20]

References

External links

• Official website