St. Joseph Clinic
The St. Joseph Clinic in Haiti continues to provide essential healthcare for over 150,000 people in its region. Junior Charles Saint-Fleur, the clinic manager, recently shared some photos with us, which we’re featuring here and will be adding more to our website in the coming days – be sure to check them out!
Junior reports that Haiti remains deeply affected by violence and political instability. Despite the presence of a UN-backed force for the past four months, there hasn’t been a significant impact on the gangs terrorizing the country. Junior recently shared news that the Haitian government is now contracting Blackwater to combat these gangs. He hopes this new approach will succeed in pushing the gangs out of the country, allowing the government to begin rebuilding and restoring order.
The resilience of Junior and the entire team at St. Joseph Clinic is truly inspiring as they continue their vital work under such difficult circumstances. In the beginning of the year there was an outbreak of cholera, and recently an outbreak of tuberculosis. In between, the clinic is managing hundreds of patients per month and over 50 children in a malnutrition program among other items.
At St. Joseph Clinic in Thomassique, Haiti, one of our most impactful programs is the Mother and Infant Care Program (MIC). The clinic staff provides pre- and post- natal care for all the mothers-to-be, either at the clinic itself or at home with the assistance of trained Matwons. Some of the mothers arrive on foot, on the back of a motorcycle, or any way they can.
The Clinic has enjoyed an ongoing partnership with Partners in Health, who authored an article on Matwons around the world.
Rolling to Grundy
Medical Missionaries completed another impactful trip to Grundy, Virginia in early June, delivering essential supplies and food to the community. Our dedicated volunteer, George, initiated the journey, loading our trailer with food and other necessities from the office. He met up with other volunteers Dr. Bazaco and Greg. They took the reins, switching the trailer to their truck for the long drive to Grundy.
A massive thank you to Dr. Bazaco and Greg for their incredible gift of a brand-new trailer — truly a game-changer for our future trips! We’re also immensely grateful to everyone who generously donates food and other supplies to this vital project. Your contributions make these missions possible!
Nigeria: Welcoming New Partnerships
We recently hosted a wonderful group from Nigeria at our Manassas office. They’re exploring the possibility of receiving a container of supplies from Medical Missionaries in the near future.
To move forward with such a significant request, Dr. Irwin interviews their team to understand their specific needs. Medical Missionaries researches the organization requesting the supplies to make sure that the supplies will be used in support of hospitals or clinics that help the poor.
If their request aligns with our values and what we can provide, we then move to the planning stage. This involves setting dates and helping them develop a financial budget to cover the container’s associated fees. Once those steps are underway, we begin collecting and earmarking items, especially specialized machines or supplies, specifically for their project.
None of this crucial work would be possible without your continued generosity. Every donation received at our office makes these vital missions a reality. Thank you for your incredible support!
Local Donations
Local Office: Medical Missionaries often hears from local doctors’ offices, and we recently received a fantastic donation! A doctor’s office that closed its doors on June 30th offered us five boxes of valuable medical supplies and equipment. These boxes are packed with essential items, including wound care supplies, braces for knees, wrists, and elbows, along with syringes and needles. This generous contribution will be a huge help in our ongoing missions!
DC Practice: Medical Missionaries team received a visit from Dr. Brown, who provides medical care for patients in the DC area. His patients donated medical supplies and equipment after they researched our work on our website. We are very grateful to Dr. Brown and his patients for their thoughtful donations.
Specialized Donation: Our team at the office recently shared a heartwarming story that truly highlights the power of your donations! We received an incredible gift: an electronic aid designed to help children who are non-verbal communicate.
Our team quickly did some research and identified a special needs school in New York where this remarkable device could make a real difference. The impact was immediate and profound. Many children are now able to communicate more effectively thanks to this machine. The teachers and staff at the school were overjoyed, telling our team that this donation was “better than gold!”
This story is a beautiful example of how your contributions, big or small, directly transform lives. Thank you for making these moments possible!
Our collaboration with Not Just Tourists (NJT) began with a special request from Julia in early 2024. She was traveling to Cuba and wanted her trip to be more meaningful by bringing a medical donation. We were thrilled to help, filling a suitcase with supplies and even donating a wheelchair for her to take. At the airport, Julia was met by representatives from a medical clinic who gratefully accepted the much-needed items.
Since then, Julia has opened her own NJT office right here in Northern Virginia! She recently stopped by our office to pick up more supplies. While we don’t always have a surplus, we’re always happy to contribute what we can to an organization like Not Just Tourists, helping travelers make a real difference wherever they go.
Here are some photos from Julia of a trip a traveler made to Cuba recently. She shared that the items went to a birthing hospital there.
The Traveling Colonels: Medical Missionaries is very proud of its work with the Traveling Colonels, working with Ret. Col. Monte Dunard and his team. Monte stopped by the office recently to present Dr. Irwin and Carolyn Jeans, RN with a certificate honoring Medical Missionaries’ work with the Traveling Colonels. The work we are doing with the TCs has grown and is receiving nationwide interest.
Col Monte flew back to Kyiv earlier this week. Please keep the Traveling Colonels in your thoughts and prayers for their continued safety.
Thank You!
Medical Missionaries received this lovely thank you from Rocklick Food Pantry. It is meant for all the folks who donate food every month for this vital project. Fill a bag for Grundy – our door is open everyday!
We here in Grundy want to thank all involved in helping us help others in our community. Special thanks to Dr. Irwin and his staff of volunteers.
And thanks to Dr. George and Greg for what they do, bringing much needed food to our community.”
We love you all.
Jerry and Pat at Rocklick Food Pantry
Local Donations: Our doors are open to collect or distribute in-person donations Monday thru Saturday, 8am to noon. Every donation goes to someone in need.
Please consult our updated list of items we can accept. Any questions, call the office at 703-335-1800. It is helpful if we know you are coming!
In June, Medical Missionaries had 110 donors visit our office and helped 55 clients.
