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Mission To Madagascar
By Jack Gardner
It was very, very long journey to the island. In all, 17 hours by air and ten more by car. But that was not an issue for the medical team from BTHS. Most of us had made these journeys before.
Our destination this time: Madagascar, just off the southeastern coast of Africa near Mozambique. Its narrow, coastal plain and mountainous interior is home to a population of 19 million. It's a sizable island - only Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo are larger.
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Antananarivo, one of the six provinces of Madagascar, has a population of 5 million. Its capital city is also named Antananarivo. |
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The Need For Care Is Evident
Madagascar is a country in desperate need of medical care. Life expectancy in Madagascar is a short 62 years, far less than America's 77. Infant mortality is high - about six out of every hundred newborns die. In America, that number is six out of a thousand.
The people of Madagascar are mired in poverty. Most survive on about a dollar a day. The vast majority live in the countryside where there is no electricity and where clean water is very difficult to obtain. Medical care, what little there is, must be paid for in cash. Doctors are to be found in some population centers, but most residents have never seen a doctor, ever.
BTHS Reaches Out
BTHS embarked on this medical outreach to Madagascar in November. Our BTHS team consisted of eight people; three doctors, a nurse, a pastor, a pre-med student, and educator/administrator, and myself. This trip was the best example of ‘working partnerships’ that I have ever encountered. Those involved were Caring Response Madagascar, By The Holy Spirit Medical Adventure Evangelism (BTHS), and Peace Corps.
Caring Response is a volunteer organization founded and operated by American college student David Wiltse and his mother, Ginny Wiltse. Their Madagascar in-country manager is Brother Edwin Joseph of the Brothers of St. Gabriel. Their projects include literacy, sanitation, a medical clinic, computer literacy, and mini-loans to buy livestock.
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The roads in Madagascar are treacherous. |
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Caring Response invited Dr. Richard Fry, an OB-GYN specialist from Cincinnati, to come to Madagascar to review the opportunities for medical intervention. Rich and I have done several medical trips together in various locations around the globe, and he invited me to join the team.
As expected, we discovered a strong need for permanent, long term intervention in women's health in Madagascar in order to reduce the high infant mortality rate. The team’s expertise, we concluded, can make a significant impact in this area of medicine. But we needed to muster the resources.
Fortunately we had helpful partners while in-country: six members of Peace Corps. Peace Corps was founded in 1960, when John F. Kennedy asked students to serve their country by living and working in developing countries. Back then, many Peace Corps volunteers were dispatched with good intentions but few practical skills. Most didn't speak the local language, nor did they know the culture. That's not true today. Peace Corps volunteers receive intensive language training and cultural education. They are also skilled in education, farming, and the environment. Most volunteers live in the villages where they work. Their assistance was invaluable, especially when it came to language translation.
Malaria, Parasites and Women's Health
Our team treated more malaria cases in Madagascar than I have seen in all my mission travels. We also treated entire villages for schistosomiasis, a freshwater parasite that invades the body through the skin. Sexually-transmitted diseases, pneumonia, malnutrition, and women's health problems were also commonly found. Dr. Fry directed many female patients to the hospital. Since most patients could not pay for treatment, we all chipped-in to cover the costs.
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The children of Madagascar have a great attitude! |
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One patient, a farmer, had suffered a very inflamed leg from hip to ankle for five years. He hadn’t been able to afford a doctor.
The team visited two prisons during the mission. At the women’s prison, Rich and I treated 40 female inmates. My youngest patient at the prison was 17, pregnant, and infected with STDs. Another male patient hadn’t eaten because in Madagascar, the prisoners' families supply food, not the prison. His family had not visited him in a week.
The Experience
I am now a born-again American. In my view, Americans are not what you see in the news, on reality TV shows, and in politics. American initiative and caring are everywhere!
My mission experience has been a personal journey of discovery. I try my best to eliminate prior assumptions and filters. I have gone great distances to meet my fellow Americans. The true heart of Americans can be seen in the number of Americans who reach out to other people around the world. America is alive and well in its people! If we are missing anything, it is the leadership to tap into that spirit.
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