Throughout this hot, sunny summer, most young undergrads are hitting up one of the many beaches in the Hampton Roads Area, enjoying the rays and cooling off by catching some waves. On the contrary, Erin Godbout and Grayson Orsini are embracing this heat from within Physicians for Peace’s warehouse in Norfolk. Outfitted in Physicians for Peace T-shirts and plenty of water, these college students are spending their hot summer sorting, counting, and lifting all of the wonderful donations that are sent to locations in need throughout the globe.
Surrounded by prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and eye glasses, Erin, going into her 2nd year at the University of Virginia explains that she really wanted to volunteer somewhere for the summer. In a roundabout way, she heard that Physicians for Peace was in need for summer warehouse volunteers and as an aspiring pre-med student, she jumped at the opportunity. As did Grayson, an International Relations major at William and Mary, he had previously helped organize several fundraisers for Physicians for Peace within the last year at his college.
After the earthquake in Haiti, he told us several different clubs came together to put on a variety show entitled “Helping Haiti” where they raised a significant amount of money for Physicians for Peace’s program. When asked about his future plans, Grayson explained that he wants to go into non-profit work after college.
A bit cooler perspective from within the air conditioned Physicians for Peace Headquarters, Amy Edler is also volunteering her summer as the Global Health Programs intern. A recent graduate from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Women’s Studies, Amy is gaining valuable experience as she learns the inner workings of non-profit work. She aids in administrative tasks, researches for country plans and composes manuals for the upcoming missions.
“This entire experience has taught me so much already,” she says. “I will use the skills I learn at PFP throughout my career in non-profit work.”
Overall, Physicians for Peace values everyone from the warehouse volunteers to our devoted physicians. Their ability to donate their time in helping improve health conditions worldwide, solidifies our mission of using medicine as a peace-building tool. We can spread peace as long as there are caring volunteers to help make that message possible.
“Running is my personal time. I run as fast as I want. I run where my feet lead me. I run to clear my head. But, running for a cause gives extra motivation, even on the hottest of days." – Anne Klinkhammer, Team Physicians for Peace
Super turn out yesterday for our FUN{run}RAISER. The four runners from the previous training day were joined by three additional Physicians for Peace staff, a staff daughter, and a friend! The team split into two groups; one led by Mary for the team run/walkers and the other led by Laura for the “hard core” runners. Mary did ask Laura if she had her map of the route. Laura, pointing to her head, claimed she didn’t need it. Needless to say, we got off track in the twisting roads of Ghent. Luckily, two “Ghentinites” – both runners – were able to lead the team back on track.
This particular run marked a special day for our “flip-flop” runner, Anne, who enjoyed celebrating her birthday with the ladies on a particularly hot and humid day. Arriving fully prepped in socks and sneakers today, she was grinning to herself during the entire run. I think she was thinking flip flops would have been a bit cooler.
Hope to see you on our heels for the next run, September 7th at 5:00pm.
Hitting the Pavement for Charity with Team Physicians for Peace "This is a great way to motivate myself, while at the same time remind me that running long distances requires a certain type of discipline. This race also gives me a chance to raise money for my favorite charity. Although I am not guaranteeing to finish in [my] record time, I wan
t people to know that I am serious about my challenge, more importantly I want to raise awareness for those who haven't even heard about the amazing work we do at Physicians for Peace." - Ellen Libby, Runner, Team Physicians for Peace
Just trying to get out of the office is pretty tough. But this 105 degree weather is making it tougher to get the motivation to run this evening. Mary was able to convince four out of the eight runners/walkers to join the run today. Eventually, we will get a day when the entire running team can meet and take over an entire lane... just kidding commuters.
You may notice in the photo below, Anne (Director of Global Health Programs) is running in a pair of flip flops. Talk about dedication...her feet are in pain from an old injury and wearing sneakers seems to aggravate the flair ups. Will she be running in flip flops for the half marathon? You'll have to come to the Outer Banks to find out.
As you know, Physicians for Peace not only provides primary and specialty patient care, but promotes sustainable health programs in our partner countries through education and training. Our hope to continue developing these programs in need can be met through your support.
Click here to help us meet our FUN{run}RAISER goal today.
Team Run Schedule:
Tuesday, June 22nd: 5pm- 2 mile run/walk here in downtown Norfolk. Leaving from the office and ending at Baxters. (completed)
Thursday, July 8th: 5pm- 3 mile run/walk here in downtown Norfolk. Leaving from the office and ending at Baxters.
Monday, September 7th: 5pm - run/walk downtown Norfolk. Leaving from the office and ending at Baxters.
Sunday, October 10th: 1pm- 7mile run – Cape Henry Trail (Meet at First Landing Park)
Friday night I slept well. Saturday I was called to the office for a Skype chat with Dr. Sonia Sachs from Columbia University. She asked that I teach newborn resuscitation while I am here. The latestest studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that 80% of newborn deaths can be prevented with very simple maneuvers- suction the baby, dry it well, keep it warm and, if needed provide a few ventilations to jump start it. So that will definitely be on the agenda.
It is still hazy but today the sunlight is penetrating the haze. The air is thick with dust. So far it hasn't been too hot, but that can change at any time.
I started my walking after arriving on Friday. 21 laps around the compound is 1.5 miles. Yesterday I bumped it up to 2 miles. The goats are gone! I think maybe they were just here temporarily. They were just starting to get used to me!
Saturday night, Hannah-Dr. Woje's wife, dropped by to visit. She had a friend with her who was in Kaduna working on her pension paperwork. She is a retired nurse-midwife. Currently she is working in a rural area about 12 hours drive from here. We talked about the need in Pampaida of 24/7 Maternity Services. She says she is ready for a change and will seriously consider relocating and working in the village. I believe that is our greatest need right now. Until we have continuous services, the women won't come to the clinic for delivery. We also want to encourage women to have a "Birth Plan". We want a minimum of 2 people attending at the birth. If she chooses to bring the Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) as her support person we can use them as part of the team. In this way, they still play a major role, the family would still pay the TBA for her services. And the TBA will still have her livlihood (The clinic services are all free) and we will have emergency supplies and transportation available if needed. Now to convince the mothers!!!
Banke, the nurse, came by twice on Saturday. It is so good to see her! She even brought lunch later in the day- chicken, rice and stew! A dignitary came in yesterday so Dr. Ojo and Banke went out to the village.
I was just asked for an interview by a woman who is here from Columbia University, so I will close for now. I will try to send an update Thursday or Friday.
Blessings from Nigeria!
Robin
The winners of this years Medical Diplomat Awards were announced at this year's "Celebrate the Nations" Gala Reception. We are proud to honor each of these volunteers for the amazing contributions they have made to Physicians for Peace programs, as well as their hard work and dedication, healing countless lives around the world.
The winners are...
Physician Category - Dr. Chris Walters
Dr. Chris Walters, who specializes in podiatric medicine, is a long time Physicians for Peace volunteer, leading missions to Eritrea since 2004. Dr. Walters has been the primary fundraiser, collecting over $1 million dollars in original retail value of in-kind donations of orthopedic equipment. Dr. Walters has also pioneered new surgical techniques for limb reconstruction of severe deformities which are not seen, well-understood, nor treated in the US. These novel techniques, which are safe, reproducible, and sustainable in the developing world are soon to be published for educational purposes for dissemination to other developing nations.
Dr. Keith Goss, who works closely with Dr. Walters on surgery missions, accepted the award for him at the Gala. (below)
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Health Professional (Non-physician) Category - Gil Mejia, C.P.
Gilberto Mejia, a certified prosthetist, has guided the prosthetists in Dominican Republic towards higher standards of care, embodying the Physicians for Peace philosophy. When Gil first started providing training the clinic in Dominican Republic was making as few as 7 prosthesis a week, and not making them very well. Seven years later, the same clinic has a robust staff, is known for their quality of service, and is a self sustaining operation that makes over 30 prosthesis a week.
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Mission Support Category - John Knight, M.P.H.
John Knight has worked with Physicians for Peace for many years and is the founder and champion of the Seeing Clearly Program, one of the many sustainable programs in the Philippines. The program, first launched in the Philippines, has been a huge success due to John’s leadership and hard work and is now being replicated in Haiti and other countries around the world. In addition, Mr. Knight serves on the Physicians for Peace Medical Operations Committee and has gone on five PFP missions to the Philippines with his sixth mission scheduled for this October.
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Congratulations to the winners and to all our volunteers who help support them in the work they do, and who make our medical missions possible every day.
To learn more about our volunteer medical missions, visit our web site at www.physiciansforpeace.org
Looking for ways to help people in need? Ashley Mogul found a way to use her creativity to support Physicians for Peace international health programs:
"As a premed student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I have always been interested in the combination of community service and healthcare. Having come across this organization, I believe it is the perfect opportunity to do my part. I designed a shirt with the theme of "peace" in mind and am selling them for $18 with all proceeds benefitting Physicians for Peace. Please visit my web site to purchase a shirt and show support for medical volunteer work to improve third world health care."
You can get Ashley's t-shirt here:
www.unc.edu/~mogul/peace.html
Buy two or three to give to friends and family!
Do you have a creative idea you can use to help Physicians for Peace? Email us at info@physiciansforpeace.org and let us know so we can feature you on our blog!
Thank you Ashley for your support!
Dr. Chris Walters was recently featured in the news for his medical mission work in Eritrea. Physicians for Peace sends specialized surgery missions to Eritrea, in the northern horn of Africa, a country with a severe shortage of doctors.
Read Story:
www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp
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