Medical Teams Worldwide Newsletter

Our Mission

Medical Teams Worldwide visited Nicaragua in 1999, 2000, and in 2002 when teams were sent in and around Managua, the capital, central Nicaragua and a team visited the Eastern Coastal area where the Mesquito Indians reside. This return trip, Dr. Alan Kelley and Dawn Jefferson RN spent 4 days in Nicaragua and visited the city dump in Managua the capital and 2 villages providing medical care for over 300 local residents. This outreach was made possible by Medical Teams Worldwide co-laboring with Open Hearts Ministry operated by Michael and Susan Buzby and their daughter, Elizabeth. On our first day we went on “after delivery infant rounds” with Elizabeth Buzby, a nurse, where we helped her visit the residents of the city dump who recently had delivered a child and needed vitamins and a check up. Dr Kelley also did a few home visits when were there with some of the patients. The rest of the day was spent getting the equipment and medicines ready for the next few days of clinic as the team would not have a lot of time available to see patients in the villages we wanted to visit.

	The living conditions for the families who live at the city dump
	The school operated by Open Hearts Ministry for children who live at the city dump

A child visited by the team with Elizabeth Buzby

On the second day Dr. Kelley, Dawn Jefferson RN, Elizabeth Buzby and 2 hired translators drove to Los Cedros village about an hour drive outside Managua. The population surrounding the rural village was about 7,000 people. On arriving the local pastor had all the patients lined up and waiting for the team with tables set up. The team got right to work with Dawn working along side Dr. Kelley while Elizabeth worked as the pharmacist. The team saw about 80% children and 20% adults. The many illness seen were: respiratory infections, ear infections, diarrhea, fungal skin infections, would infections, abdominal pain, and some gastritis. Many adults complained of neck and back ailments, not unexpected from the hard life they lead in such an impoverished country. The team was able to see over 180 patients that day.

The small church of Los Cedros village where the team set up clinic	Over 150 people were waiting when the team arrived
Dawn listens to a mother’s concerns	Dr. Kelley listens for bronchitis in a boy

Dawn looks at a girl’s sore throat

Dr. Kelley cleans out a 4 week old infected wound that is down to the tendons in a 14 year old girl’s foot. She received 2 weeks of antibiotics after the procedure.

The third day the team arose and left early with the translators to the smaller village of Calle Nueva whose surrounding population numbered about 2,000. There was no building available in which the team could work. The local pastor set up tables under a nice pair of trees that kept the team very cool throughout the day. As our teams are trained to be flexible the “facilities” worked very well. Dawn and Dr. Kelley and Elizabeth saw similar illness to the Los Cedros village patients, respiratory infections, skin infections, rashes, gastroenteritis, and muscle and joint complaints. The group helped over 120 children and adults that day. The residents were very thankful to MTWW for visiting their village. Medical Teams Worldwide is also very thankful to Open Heart’s Ministry for their valuable help in this outreach.

The team gets ready “under the trees”	Dr. Kelley and Dawn were able to work well and effectively together
Dawn checks a child for abdominal pain	Dr. Kelley examines a baby for infection

Tanzania Aids Teaching Project

This July Medical Teams Worldwide worked with the organization Support for International Change on an AIDS Educational Project. MTWW donated 300 AIDS teaching CUBES to the project in Tanzania, Africa. Amanjot Singh, a University of Washington student, spent 6 weeks in the village of Kiseria-Chni. The cubes use illustrations to tell the concepts of what AIDS is and how it is treated and prevented. The Cubes were distributed after 6 weeks of oral lectures. They were given out in the villages and to every teacher, medical dispensary and some older children left in place to continue the teaching among their friends.

AIDS Teaching Cube	A.J. Singh with some of his students and their AIDS Cubes	A.J. with his host family’s children

Famamine Relief and Mosquito Nets: A Holiday Project for the Blue Nile

Medical Teams Worldwide recently learned of the death of over 1,000 infants and children in the village of Wadega in the Blue Nile Region of Sudan due to malaria. Many of the families do not have mosquito netting needed to avoid malaria. Also, since the rainy season the situation has worsened with an absence of rainfall leading to the start of Famine Conditions. Many of the planted crops died from lack of water. $70.00 will purchase ten mosquito nets. Medical Teams Worldwide wants to purchase between 1,000 to 2,000 nets for the children of the region. We also want to purchase $3000 worth of food to truck in from Ethiopia, 20 miles away. We are told 1000 mosquito nets will save the lives of 700 children next year. Medical Teams Worldwide is planning to send its Director and a small team in February with the Nets and funds for the purchase of the seeds and food for the residents of Wadega village. Any donations for this project would be greatly appreciated by the people of Wadega, Sudan. (Please mention the “Project Mosquito Nets” on the donation so the funds will be directed appropriately.)

6 year old child suffering with malaria	Wadega Village children who need the mosquito nets	A bundle of 10 mosquito nets costing $ 70.00

Back to Sudan

Medical Teams Worldwide shortly after the mosquito net distribution trip, is planning to send a team of 6-8 to the Blue Nile area for another Medical Relief trip. The village of Timpoli, 12 miles north of Wadega, has never had a medical team reach them and asked for a team to visit last year. we plan to see 700-900 patients during our visit and to make sure all the mosquito nets were properly distributed.

Photographs by Medical Teams Worldwide

For those interested in making a tax deductible donation, our address is: Medical Teams Worldwide, 16541 Redmond Way #133C, Redmond, WA 98052

Please visit our web site: www.mtww.net