GHF Volunteers together with Local Volunteers

In April, 2006, 14 volunteers set out to Vietnam to provide medical care to villagers in need.

Villiagers patiently wait for medical careAll had committed 11 days to this mission. They saved to provide for their own travel, lodging, transportation, meals, and expenses, arranged visas and schedules, and worked to obtain supplies needed for the mission. Everyone was eager to provide quality medical care in Vietnam. The group visited 6 villages to provide free medical care and service to about 1800 people in the mountain areas of Dalat and the coastal area of Nha Trang. Donations from supporters provided funds for our malaria prevention program, food aid, and identified cases of urgent surgery. In total, 1200 families received malaria nets as well as food baskets. Nurse Rebecca Rajfer with patients

For the volunteers, the small, grassroots endeavor provided experiences and memories that will continue to enrich their lives, and those of lives they touch. The overwhelming number of patients made them face questions of how to balance quality versus quantity to provide the most benefit our cause. With no access to laboratories, x-rays, and surgery facilities, the doctors had to rely on external indicators to help patients. Exposure to Customs and involvement from local government caused logistical challenges, not unlike what many international endeavors face.

An entire orphanage visits with Dr. Alice Chen

This underscored the importance of working with established channels and understanding the culture in different countries. The physicians experienced firsthand the importance of and role of medical translators, and the difficulty immigrants and minorities face when seeking medical care. In an extreme case, English was translated into South Vietnamese, South Vietnamese into North Vietnamese, and North Vietnamese into a local dialect completely unrelated to Vietnamese.

Dr. Jason Mok and Dr. Laura Kim consult with a patient

The volunteers cured infections, educated villiagers on prevention, alleviated pain and allergies, took vital signs to aid in future missions, and provided hope. GHF thanks its volunteers and supporters for this opportunity to help others.

Volunteers with food aid

Malaria Nets provided to villiagers in the mountainous region