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by Nancy Koziol
Click here for photos from the trip
Everyone involved in advancing the MedShare mission knows that their efforts to collect, sort and ship needed medical supplies and equipment to developing countries saves lives and helps to improve quality of life for those on the other end of the shipments. But only a few of these individuals have witnessed the impact of their efforts abroad.
This month, MedShare board and staff members traveled to Ecuador to see the MedShare mission in action. The trip was planned and led by Jill and Paul Paris and included board member Tom Asher and his wife Spring Asher, Angele Hawkins, MedShare's Director of Operations, Wills Moore and CEO, A.B. Short.
In the seven days, the group visited ten hospitals and clinics in cities that have all received MedShare supplies and equipment. They ranged from facilities with as many as 200 beds to clinics with only two or three beds. Two of the hospitals were exclusively maternity hospitals, one was for the Ecuador police and their families, several were neighborhood clinics, and two were new hospitals under construction. But the one thing they had in common was their need for medical supplies.
In addition to visiting these facilities, the group met with Ecuador's shipment facilitator, Marco Galarzo, who works for Latin Steps Services — an Atlanta-based non-profit doing humanitarian work in Latin America and who MedShare has a long-standing partnership with. His role is to work with customs to ensure that the shipments are received safely and are distributed to the intended hospitals and clinics.
Many communities in Ecuador live under challenging conditions unknown to us in America, such as lack of running water. Jill Paris described the experience of visiting these communities as extremely moving but also inspiring.
"I was passionate about the MedShare mission before, but now having seen the demand for medical equipment, I am even more committed to the work of MedShare," said Jill.
Since 2001, MedShare has shipped 24 medical aid containers to Ecuador, with eight shipments in 2008 alone. Tom Asher described the trip as an extremely unique experience. "It was a chance to see MedShare's mission fulfilled firsthand."
MedShare had a momentous closeout to 2008, when we shipped our first 40-foot container of medical supplies from the new distribution center in Northern California to Ecuador.
"Our innovative medical recycling program has been well received by the hospitals in Northern California, and it is because of their overwhelming response to our mission that these medical supplies are being sent to Ecuador," said Chuck Haupt, the Executive Director for MedShare West.
The container was sponsored by Latin Steps Services, a long-standing partner and who we just worked with on the recent Board trip to Ecuador. The container will be delivered to Saquisili in the province of Cotopaxi, which takes its name from one of the world’s highest active volcanoes. The public health municipality will distribute the supplies to selected health clinics in the area.
"This inaugural shipment is a significant milestone for MedShare, as it is the first of many that will go from our Western distribution center to needy healthcare recipients all over the world," said Haupt.
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