Medical Missions 101

Standards and Guidelines to Support Human Dignity in Cross-Cultural Healthcare

The relief and development community has created a set of comprehensive minimum standards for humanitarian response, although they have been slow to make significant progress in the USA. These standards, known as the Sphere standards, are a set of principles and minimum standards created to improve quality and accountability of humanitarian response in four technical areas: Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene promotion (WASH), Food security and nutrition, Shelter, and settlement, and last but not least Health.

Asking the Right Questions: 12 Questions Medical Missionary Candidates Need to Ask Before Deciding on a Sending Organization

One thing that was always clear to me, was that sending a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional to serve in a mission hospital, or even a community health program, looks very different than sending a pastor.

Leading Change in Medical Missions

Community mobilization or facilitation is the highest form of leadership, and one of the most important skill sets for anyone working in global health and medical missions. It means we have learned to inspire communities to recognize, and own their problems, and then create their own lasting solutions.

Asking Myself the Right Questions About Becoming a Medical Missionary

Success is never something the Lord demands. Perhaps Mother Theresa defined the Lords perspective best. She said, “God does not require we be successful, only that we be faithful”. This is clearly the definition of success on the mission field, being faithful to the Lord’s call, following him in obedience, around the corner or around the world.

Why Do Medical Missionaries Leave the Field?

If medical missionaries are lumped in with church planters, bible college teachers and bible translators it is hard to see if they have different issues driving them to leave the field. You can read more about this in another recent post.

Asking the Right Questions Part 2: Questions medical missionary candidates should ask before selecting a place to serve

Experience has shown me that asking the wrong questions can lead to unnecessary failure on the mission field but what are the right questions? This set of questions deals with matching with a health facility or program as a medical missionary.

Choosing Where to Serve as a Medical Missionary: Finding the Right Fit

I have seen countless medical missionaries fail from different organizations because they landed a place that’s not a good fit. They land at a mission station where all attempts to thrive individually and/or as a family fail. They then revert to survival mode where it becomes difficult to sustain the joy in life or the joy in serving. It may take only a few months or sometimes a full three year term, but serving in a place that is not a good fit will inevitably wear people down and bring them home.

Childhood Malnutrition: Community-Based Care and Support – Part 2

Growing the Moringa Plant for Nutrition and Health There are a number of health initiatives that can help communities make permanent changes toward ending malnutrition. One such project centers on the moringa plant. Specifically, it provides seeds and training for people to cultivate moringa in communities with high levels of

Childhood Malnutrition: Community-Based Care and Support – Part 1

There is no greater challenge to child survival in the developing world than malnutrition. Managing malnutrition is outside the realm of normal practice for healthcare professionals trained in western countries. As such, it needs to be something health professionals planning to work in the developing world context need to review regularly.