Being a Medical Doctor from Argentina, Bibiana MacLeod was sent to Haiti by her local church to work in Missions in 1989. This is her story:
“Though I initially wanted to fulfill a call to serve the whole person with Jesus’ message, I found myself in situations of desperate need of health care. I was overwhelmed with cases of preventable diseases such as malaria, dehydration, HIV/AIDS, maternal and infant mortality, tetanus, preventable infectious diseases, malnutrition, and intestinal worms that were prevalent in the community.
One particular night, a nine-month-old baby was brought to me severely dehydrated as a result of having diarrhea. After a treatment of IV solutions that lasted all night, the baby’s life was spared. However, a few months later while driving through the village, I saw the same little baby greeting me from the distance. She was naked, bare foot and with an extended belly, probably the consequence of contracting intestinal worms.
Right then, something in my heart was changed. I could no longer be fulfilled providing curative care to a people that didn’t feel responsible for their own well-being and who believed they couldn’t choose to have a better way of life. My journey of searching for the right way to help the poor see themselves as God sees them brought me to a ‘philosophy of care’ that has become my passion.“
‘Our vision is to see the poor taking full ownership of their situation, recovering their dignity and fulfilling God’s intention for their lives and their community.’
Today, Bibiana and her husband Alexander are serving a number of countries through LifeWind/Medical Ambassadors International and MACA (Medical Ambassadors Canada). Their goal is to practice a wellness strategy that integrates physical and spiritual concepts into community development through the countries where there are disadvantaged and marginalized people. This approach to wellness began in the early ‘80s in Africa and today is referred to as Community Health Evangelism (CHE).
The national leaders that teach and practice the concepts of Community Health Evangelism (CHE) within their respective countries are represented by Health professionals, Lawyers, Accountants, Business people, Pastors, Engineers, Agronomists and Community leaders located in Guatemala, Argentina, Canada, USA, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and many other countries.
These individuals are committed to transforming lives that will bring about community transformation through the integration of economics, health, agricultural, emotional and spiritual matters.
Dr. Bibiana and husband Alexander MacLeod teach leaders in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti.
YOUR INVESTMENT AT WORK
An average of six training sessions is given in each country every year. Ten volunteers in each community visit an average of 15 to 20 pregnant women a month, with lessons on safe pregnancy and delivery.
A Local leader will be able to travel to different communities to work full-time, training others in the practice of CHE.
Provide training sessions and necessary materials such as lesson plans, office supplies and the essential equipment that will assist in empowering the poor.
Blood pressure cuffs will be made available for remote villages, so pregnant women can be checked locally by volunteers. They also teach them how to prevent major complications of pregnancy and delivery.
Fish farming techniques will be reproduced in different villages.
Micro enterprise skills will be taught.
Family gardens are taught and implemented in Haiti and other Caribbean countries.
Urban slums in Argentina and Brazil are being regularly visited and encouraged by local leaders who are making a difference.
Believers understand their role as agents of change in their own villages and through coaching they can become more effective in their community’s transformation.
Most importantly, income from the outside won’t foster dependency but rather be used to build self reliance and hope for the future.
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