Calling All Medical Professionals

The children of Swaziland need our help

Registration information from the team leads of the Litsemba Medical Mission, Dr. Ron VandenBrink and Jan Biddick.

Read a letter from the team leads of the Litsemba Medical Mission, Dr. Ron VandenBrink and Jan Biddick.

Thank you for considering helping the orphaned children of Swaziland – the crisis is beyond dire as Swaziland now has a life expectancy of 29 years, an HIV infection rate of over 50% and greater than 200,000 orphans.

We are planning a major medical endeavor for July 2010, and we hope God will lead you to join us! Our medical team will be part of an event called Celebrate Litsemba 2010 (Litsemba means HOPE in siSwati). This event is being held on July 23, 2010. We envision 15,000 orphans and vulnerable children and untold adults attending. The purpose of this celebration is to call attention to the plight of the children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic that is sweeping through the nation at an ever-increasing rate. We want to bring hope to the children, improve their health and the health of their communities, offer encouragement to the over-burdened and exhausted Swazi medical providers (FACT: there is ONE pediatrician left in Swaziland – all others have left the country or died), and to support the pastors and churches of Swaziland as they seek to help.

Celebrate Litsemba will consist of an advance planning team working with local leaders and health care providers, an event team, a medical team, two dental teams, and a community follow-up team, working staggered dates from July 14 – August 4.

The medical team dates are July 21-31st. The two dental teams will be overlapping the medical team, and will be focused on seeing orphanage children in a mobile dental clinic. They will be available to the medical team for consultations and referrals.

We are especially in need of Pediatricians! We also need Physicians of any specialty, Dentists, PAs, NPs, Pharmacists, PTs, Optometrists, Social Workers, Psychologists, RNs, LPNS, etc. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues! For more specific and detailed information on how HFA medical teams operate, please contact us at: medicalteam@heartforafrica.org.

Swaziland is a safe, politically stable country, our accommodations are clean and comfortable, and the food is very good. More than likely, no malaria prophylaxis will be needed. We encourage you to bring your spouse and children on this trip – there will be lots of non-medical work to do. This is a huge dream and a huge endeavor, and as it takes form we ask for your prayers and God’s help and direction. We would love to have you join us.

To register for the Litsemba Medical Mission team, go here.