Protect People’s Health

GFA-sponsored medical camps invite sick and needy men, women and children from poor communities to get checkups from qualified teams of doctors and nurses at no cost.

At these free medical camps, teams diagnose illnesses, treat injuries, give out medicine, advise parents and assist those who need further treatment.

While people wait in line, the health care staff teaches them about hygiene, hand washing, sanitation, nutrition, clean water and regular checkups for pregnant mothers. The size and scope of each medical camp can vary depending on its location, but most camps serve 200 to 1,000 people. One woman waited in line with 450 other people; when she saw the doctor, it was discovered she had appendicitis. The next day she had an operation at no cost to her.

In areas where malaria is widespread, doctors attending at medical camps will urge patients to remove all stagnant water around their homes, which is breeding ground for mosquitos, and to always sleep under mosquito nets.

Mosquito nets protect families at night when they are vulnerable to bites. These nets help prevent dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, the Zika virus and many other infectious diseases caused by insect bites.

A single mosquito net costs only $14, but due to poverty, many families cannot purchase this simple, disease preventing tool for their families. And because each net can last for two to three years, the gift of a net can promote good health in a family for years.

Recently, some GFA-supported missionaries distributed 1,000 mosquito nets to poor children, who smiled as they learned how to use the nets correctly to protect themselves from infected mosquitos.

Around the world, 892 million people defecate in the open.¹ It’s not by choice; it’s because they have no other option.

According to the World Health Organization, “Open defecation perpetuates a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. The countries where open defection is most widespread have the highest number of deaths of children aged under 5 years as well as the highest levels of malnutrition and poverty, and big disparities of wealth.”²

Providing outdoor toilets to families in Asia is one of the most important ways you can protect their health—and perhaps save a young child’s life.

“Now, since I have this toilet built in my house, I don’t have to worry. My family and I don’t have to go to the tea garden for toilet, and it is very safe here. I am very … grateful to all those who donated the money, who thought about us and gave us all the facilities. Of course, my words are not enough to say thank you because you have expressed your love so much.” —Iniyavan, a laborer in Asia