In June, we wished all our fathers a Happy Father’s Day and celebrated families around the world. We also observed World Refugee Day and the strength, resilience, and courage of refugees around the globe.
In this month’s newsletter, we spotlight one of our long running projects, which recently was published in the Journal of Global Health Reports. We also want you to save the date (October 16) to join us for our 25th Anniversary event at Doukénie Winery.
Spotlight: The Breadfruit Project
Medical Missionaries is proud to announce a new published paper that highlights work done by the St. Joseph Clinic staff, our Global Health Fellows and others. The paper “Addressing malnutrition and food insecurity with Breadfruit in a rural, developing country: a case study and lessons learned in Thomassique, Haiti” is authored by John M Klyver, Inga Haugen, Logan Schulz, Wiscard-Kardin LaPais, Charles Saint-Fleur, Samuel J Starke, Jason Piersaint, Anael S Rizzo, and Kyra M Sarazen.
The paper details the hardship of Haiti’s Central Plateau in dealing with food insecurity. For example, one in five children of the Central Plateau suffers from malnutrition, and the region exhibits a devastating 30% rate of child stunting. Medical Missionaries Global Health Fellows partnered with local Haitian leadership, a local agronomist, and Trees That Feed Foundation to introduce breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and an innovative development model to combat local malnutrition.
Read the rest of this peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Global Health Reports. We also have articles and pictures on our website.
Fundraising News
Save the Date – 25th Anniversary Celebration at Doukénie Winery – Join us as we celebrate Medical Missionaries 25th Anniversary with wine, food, and entertainment at Doukénie Winery on Sunday, October 16, 2022. It will be a fun day to meet up with old friends, make new ones and share stories about your time with Medical Missionaries over the years.
Request – Newborn Clothes and Diapers for Mommy & Baby Packs
Request “newborn” clothes and diapers for the Mommy & Baby Packs. The packs contain several items for the new moms who have just gone through childbirth in addition to newborn outfits and diapers. We also include bibs, booties, hats and blankets, many of them lovingly handmade by our volunteers. If you have new “newborn” size clothes, diapers, baby blankets, or accessories, please drop them off or mail them to our office at 9590 Surveyor Court, Manassas, VA 20110. Thank you
Request – Food Pantry Donations
Our pantry continues to need food items to support the Rocklick Pantry program in Grundy, Appalachia. Any items you can donate are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the Manassas office or can be purchased online through our Amazon Smile list. If you do send items to the office, please give the office a heads up so they can be on the lookout for the packages. The office can be reached at 703-335-1800. Thank you!
We always need more of the following canned goods:
- Meat (chicken, corned beef, etc)
- Fish (tuna, salmon, etc)
- Stew
- Chili
- Soup
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Peanut butter Cereal Rice
- Pasta
- Grain products
- Powdered milk
Supplies and Equipment On the Move
Mother of Mercy Medical Clinic/Catholic Charities donated four brand new play pens and a car seat. We are thankful for their collaboration.
ECHO Delivery: The ECHO team delivered a load of medical supplies and items. Tom, one of their volunteers has been driving the donations to Medical Missionaries for years and is moving on. We appreciate all his work and look forward to continuing the collaboration with his team at ECHO. We wish Tom all the best!
Sierra Leone: Our team along with other volunteers loaded a 40 foot sea container on June 3rd that was sent to Sierra Leone. Curious about our sea containers and the journey they take? Check out our blog.
