| Robert K. Pedersen Global Outreach Endowed Humanitarian Assistance Grant Program |
"Robert K. Pedersen Global Outreach Endowed Humanitarian Assistance Grant Program" - This humanitarian assistance program provides grants to support organizations or individuals that work to improve the quality of life in underserved areas of the United States or in developing countries by creating sustainable development in the areas of health care or health education.
The endowment was established in May 2005 through a donation made by Don and Kathy Pedersen's Family Foundation in memory of Don's father who was involved internationally throughout his business career in the frozen food industry.
The deadlines for applications are November 1 and April 1. Click here to apply or learn more.
Global Outreach Programs
2008
Capacity Building Training Center
Christian Mission Aid, Sudan
Catherine Hoelzer
A grant was given to assist with the construction of a Capacity Building Training Center in Dajo, Sudan. Catherine Hoelzer has been working with Christian Mission Aid in their Primary Health Care Program in South Sudan for over 2 years ands has been a great asset to the program and the community of Dajo. Training and education is one of the greatest needs in South Sudan and one of the main objectives and goals of CMA. They hope to train and educate local Sudanese health workers and health institutions so they will have the capacity and capabilities as a long term solution to the management and running of the health care services in South Sudan.
Cancer Medical Mission to Cross River State, Nigeria
Eucharia Iwuanyanwu
A grant was given to cover the cost of training videos and CD’s. Eucharia has travelled to Nigeria with a team of health care workers, and goes on repeated trips to continue their work. She has fostered a relationship between the Nigeria Ministry of Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which is where she works. The First Lady of Nigeria and the Federal Minister for Health visited the MD Anderson Clinic along with 18 physicians, nurses, medical physicist, radiotherapist, radiologist and pharmacists. During the visit they implemented a memorandum of understanding, signed in October 2006 during one of their missions to Nigeria was initiated with a goal to establish cancer infrastructure of international standard in the country and training of expertise need to run the center. Their next mission has a lot of emphasis on capacity building for the medical professions and train-the-trainer cancer educators in addition to public education and screening. Their goal is to foster move from late presentation to early detection.
The Rafiki Foundation Inc. – Rafiki Medical Program Uganda
Tyler Anderson
The grant supported the purchase of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, medical equipment and a backup power supply. Tyler moved to Uganda in 2006 with the Rafiki Foundation as their medical director, responsible for overseeing the day to day health of the resident children, national staff, day students and missionaries. Their health center building on site provides routine check-ups and daily sick calls, serving approximately 700 patients over a seven day span. The Rafiki Foundation’s Medical Program aims to serve the neighboring communities by providing outpatient medical care for two weeks, four times each year.
The Goodness and Mercy Foundation, Nigeria
David Dereczyk
The grant supported the cost for a one-touch monitor, stethoscopes, and blood pressure cuffs. The Goodness and Mercy Foundation runs a primary medical clinic in the village of Ajalli in the state of Anambra in Nigeria. The goal of the program is to provide basic medical care to the rural community of Ajalli. These are people who may not ever get medical attention in their lifetime. This is established on two levels. Each year the Goodness and Mercy Foundation sends a team of medical volunteers to the Ajalli Medical Clinic. For five days the team evaluated patients and provides medical care. Last year over three thousand people were evaluated. After the mission is finished, a local doctor is hired by the Goodness and Mercy Foundation to run the clinic throughout the year. The people of Ajalli are cared for throughout the year, and not just when the medical mission is there. The ultimate goal is to have a full service hospital to service the people of Ajalli all year round. In 2007 ground was broken and foundations were laid for the hospital. Progress has been slow due to lack of funds.
AIDS Relief in Ghana
Tanna Donalson
The grant was used to purchase medical supplies for the Baptist Medical Centre in Ghana. Tanna will be satisfying two months of her required rotations during her clinical year of PA school with the Institute for International Medicine in Ghana, and has received a list of supplies that would assist the clinic. She will be leading a group of 5 people to Nilerigu, Ghana in May 2008. The Baptist Medical Center is the only place for over 100 miles to receive quality care. On average 400 patients are seen in the hospital each day, receiving treatment for minor discomforts to the most severe and advanced cases of cancers and other serious illnesses.
2007
Laos - Global Health Literacy Project
A global health literacy project and village health care worker training program in Laos, which aims to train village health care workers so they are capable of addressing health issues throughout the country. PA Phoumy Bounkeua is project leader on this “train the trainer” program.
Honduras - Shoulder-to-Shoulder PA Project
Baylor College of Medicine’s Shoulder-to-Shoulder PA Project in Honduras is an ongoing project that creates medical clinics in Honduras, allowing local medical professionals to staff them after the students return to the U.S. The project helps serve families and helps educate a new generation about healthy habits including nutrition, gardening, dental health, sanitation, sexuality and HIV prevention, and the environment.
Ghana - Clinical Medical Service Elective
Clinical Medical Service Elective from the University of Utah, which intends to build a strong curriculum of continuing medical education for medical assistants in Ghana, as well as provide lectures in needy areas of Ghana. PA students will receive a broad view of service and the recognition of a sustainable international rotation model.
Guatemala Prevention & Early Intervention/Health Promotion and Education
Two teams from the University of Wisconsin visited a community in Guatemala to enhance awareness of diabetes and provide point-of-care testing and prevention and early intervention messages. The health promotion and education project enhances villagers’ knowledge of health care topics that impact health care behaviors, nutrition, physical well being, and safety of the targeted women and children in this community.
Peacework Medical in Ghana
Peacework Medicalwas established in 2001 by a PA in Phoenix, Arizona. Since its founding, the organization has hosted 15 primary care clinics in Honduras, Belize, and Guyana – and has an established history of initiating work to make change. Peacework Medical’s plan is to work with Sovereign Global Mission, a non-governmental organization already registered in Ghana. The medical team traveling to Ghana includes seven PAs and will be administering medical assistance to communities that lack medical personnel and services.
Health Education for Southern Sudan
This project was established by a PA who is currently working in the area with Christian Mission Aid. The PA is designing a 26-week curriculum on health education for primary care clinic workers who will eventually be capable of diagnosing and treating their own patients.
Rural Health Clinic in Nicaragua
Proyecto Clinica Rural Mouil is a project in Leon, Nicaragua, to provide medical education and care. Augsburg College PA Program students have been working in conjunction with Project Minnesota Leon since 2004.
Shenandoah University Division of PA Studies, medical mission trip to Nicaragua
A group of 30 students, faculty, and staff from Shenandoah University traveled to Leon, Nicaragua. During their eight-day stay, members of the team assisted in the regional hospital, worked in a neighborhood clinic, helped staff traveling clinics throughout the region, and offered health education classes for women, children, and adolescent girls in the area.
The Goodness and Mercy Foundation, Nigeria
The Goodness and Mercy Foundation runs a primary medical clinic in the village of Ajalli in the state of Anambra in the country of Nigeria. Each year, a volunteer medical mission group travels to this clinic for two weeks, with a goal to provide basic medical care to this rural community.
The Rafiki Foundation, Uganda
The Rafiki Foundation is currently operating in ten sub-Saharan countries. Foundation activities center on the construction and operation of villages where children’s centers provide homes and education to orphans. Up to 160 children live in a village and an additional 120 older children from nearby communities receive education there. A PA serves as medical director for the village in Uganda.
2005
Increasing Capacity to Educate Others Regarding HIV/AIDS in the Ukraine
This program was jointly run by the George Washington University PA Program and International Relief and Development. It provided mid-level Ukrainian health care providers with a community-based training program in educating and implementing a program that reduces the stigma and discrimination toward HIV-positive individuals in the Ukraine.
Komuge Water Project in Tanzania
This project, conducted in Tanzania, developed a water system and provides drinkable water to local villagers.
Esperanza Dominican Relief Project in the Dominican Republic
This project provided screenings for hypertension, diabetes, and anemia and addressed women’s health issues in the Dominican Republic.
Hospital San Carlos Community Medicine Program in Mexico
This project, sponsored by the George Washington University PA Program, provides medical care to the indigenous and poor in Chiapas, Mexico. Patients come from more than 400 villages. The PA Foundation grant was used for construction of a women’s center and for health promotion training.
Zambia Primary Care Elective
This PA student elective was a six-week rotation was at a clinic that serves a patient base of 3,000 people and provides free medical coverage to an orphanage and an AIDS hospice.
The International Curriculum Development and Experience
The University of Utah PA Program runs this clinical rotation in Thailand. PA Foundation funds were used to write curriculum for teaching a one-month international PA elective in international health.
MEDEX Mission to Laos
This program provides primary care to small, remote Laotian villages, screening patients for further care, providing patient education, supporting local health workers, and creating a structured volunteer opportunity for members of the MEDEX Alumni Association and the Washington Academy of Physicians.