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Armenia: A Little Boy From Svarants

January 27, 2011 in Armenia, Helping Children, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

By Arax Eleyjian

On December 20th at 3:00 am RMF-Armenia director, Nairy Ghazourian, received an emergency call from the RMF & ARS teams on the ground regarding an urgent matter involving a little boy who needed immediate care.

Two year old Daniel Mkrtchyan spilled boiled milk on himself resulting in severe burns across his body.  He is the youngest of four children of a socially disadvantaged family.  Their only source of income is government financial aid in the amount of 40,000 Drams ($110 US dollars) per month.  The family appealed to RMF to help them pay for Daniel’s medical bills which were estimated to cost approximately $488.00.

RMF, true to their calling, stepped in to assist the Mkrtchyan family.  Our colleagues based in Armenia transported Daniel to the nearest hospital in Goris using the RMF ambulance.  Unfortunately, this hospital was not equipped to treat Daniel’s severe condition.  He was then transferred to Sourp Nerses Hospital in Yerevan, who agreed to treat him due to the involvement of RMF and their pledge to cover the medical expenses.  For ten days Daniel remained under doctors’ supervision.  Updates on how he is doing since his hospitalization will be posted when available.

The family is very thankful to RMF and those who stepped in to help their son. RMF appreciates the team members on the ground in Armenia for their quick response in helping this child.

Finally, your generous donations made it possible to help this child from Svarants village.  Thank you for your continued support of RMF!

If you are interested in learning more about our relief efforts in Armenia, click here.

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To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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Athletes for Real Medicine: Sunday’s 15 mile training run!!

January 26, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Disaster Relief, Events, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

This week’s Sunday run was intimidating because it was our longest training run yet–15 miles!  Nevertheless, my dedicated teammates were enthusiastic and cheerful when I arrived at 8 a.m.  It was another gorgeous So Cal morning, warming up quickly under a bright white sun in a pale blue sky.  Despite our sleepy eyes, we were in high spirits, joking with each other as we discussed the course.  I had planned two loops and a short “out and back” to make up the mileage.  But the guys suggested we run one huge loop, so that by boring mile 12, we could be entertained by the lively Venice crowd.  And what a great idea that turned out to be!

After setting out North for four miles, we doubled back, leaving the peaceful and desolate wide-open beaches behind us, and heading for the bustling Santa Monica pier and colorful Venice boardwalk.  The three of us stuck together the whole way, helping one another through the tough mental blocks and achy pains, common to endurance runners. We laughed, people-watched and inspired each other from mile one to mile fifteen.  It was one of my favorite runs thus far, because we started the run as a team, we finished as a team and we lifted each other up like teammates do.

Running long distances is humbling because the mind and body experience intense challenges along the way, but sharing the pain and laughter with a community, and running with a purpose, is powerful and moving.  We are thankful for these Sunday runs and excited about the comments and inquiries that our T-shirts have been generating.

Go Team Real Med!!!

For more information about RMF’s Athletes for Real Medicine, click here.

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Overwhelming yes vote for South Sudan independence referendum

January 20, 2011 in Africa, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Sudan, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

A polling station during the South Sudan self-determination referendum. Photograph: Philip Dhil/EPA

Guardian Article about the referendum

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/19/south-sudan-yes-vote-independence

Below are the collection of headline we receive from our UN contacts on the ground in Juba, Sudan that show the preliminary results and reactions to the referendum held all last week.

UNMIS Morning Headlines – 19/01/11
(Please see also today’s MMR)

Referendum Monitor
·        United Nations Security Council members commend the conduct of the referendum (Al-Sahafa)
·        57% vote for separation in seven northern states (Al-Sahafa)
·        Deputy Chief Administrator for Abyei Area says JIUs would be deployed as per the recent agreement within a week (Al-Ayyam)
·        UN welcomes National Government, GoSS security arrangements (The Citizen)
·        Misseriya and Dinka trade accusations (Al-Sahafa; Al-Tayyar011)
·        Presidency to meet on 27th January to discuss Abyei – SRSG Menkerios (Al-Ahdath)
Popular Consultations Watch
·        SPLM in Southern Kordofan threatens war if Popular Consultations is not conducted in Southern Kordofan (Al-Sahafa)

Other Headlines:
·        President Al-Bashir heads Sudan delegation to the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit meeting in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt (Sudan Vision)
·        SPLM signs memorandum of understanding with the Southern Sudan Defence Forces (Al-Ahram Al-Youm)
·        Workers detain director of Falluj oilfield in Upper Nile for 10 hours in protest over failure to pay their social security entitlements (Al-Ahram Al-Youm)
·        Opposition parties may plot sabotage – NCP’s Nafei Ali Nafei (Al-Ahdath)
·        Opposition parties demand release of PCP’s Turabi; threaten to take to the streets (Al-Sahafa)
·        Student protests in Omdurman over rising cost of living (Al-Ahdath)
·        Sudan signs peace deal with Darfur armed movement (Al-Ahdath)

Real Medicine Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of South Sudan, the UNFPA, the WHO, St. Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight, and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and in partnership with and with financial support from World Children’s Fund, is establishing the first College of Nursing and Midwifery. The consortium aims to provide a scalable working model for this college that will offer a 3 year diploma for Registered Nursing and Midwifery and may be extended to other strategic locations within the country.

Read more about Healthcare Sector Capacity Building – College of Nursing and Midwifery, Southern Sudan

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

To contribute to this or any of our other initiatives, please click the Donate button below or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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Voices from the field: Goals for the New Year in India

January 19, 2011 in Helping Children, India, Jaimie Shaff, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Voices from the Field, Whole Health by Jonathan White | 1 comment

by Jamie Shaff

Pankaj walking

Happy New Year!

I finally arrived back to Jhabua after several planes, trains, automobiles, rickshaws, and countries. Go ahead and throw a bicycle in there for good measure. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for skis, but it was definitely worth sacrificing the slopes for some family time. The United States showed me a wonderful Christmas and New Year, with as much family, friends, and food as I could cram in my short reprieve from India. And don’t forget the hot showers!

As I sit on my porch and watch the sunset across the valley, I find it hard to believe that just a few days ago I was sliding around in the snow. Globalization is truly remarkable.

My time in India began with an all-to-typical “doh!” moment as I heard my glasses tumble down the squat toilet on the train from Delhi. I write “heard” as I am quite literally blind, with vision of -7. I thank the Lord and every deity for the gift of contact lenses, for saving me from being absolutely handicapped, but life without glasses is not one I wish to live much longer! I do hope that some poor blind person finds the specs and is given the gift of sight. Note to self: from now on, I will only get large dark frames so that, if such an event is to ever reoccur, I will have a greater ability to see where they landed and stop them before they end up on the tracks!  However, my friends, glasses are not what I want to discuss.

My first days back in Jhabua left me with enough smiles and cheer to cover the glasses and more. Some of my absolute favorite patients came back for follow up with nothing but good news!

Twins

*Pankaj (4) has finally started walking, running, and saying, “Hello!” He enjoys playing with the toys at the NRC, and his 9-year-old aunt, Maria, is still taking excellent care of him. He eats with fervor, and has turned lethargy into attitude. We are still hoping to find a school for the two of them, but for now we are happy with his health and steady development.

Naiara and Pankaj

*My goal for the New Year was to make Basanti (3) smile (a girl who presented with full body edema November 2010, requiring an intraosseous blood transfusion-sans anesthesia- and NG tube). Not only did she smile (with teeth!) but she is also trying to walk and talk! Basanti needs an operation for her cleft foot, so my new goal for the year is to fix Basanti’s foot. It shall be done!

Basanti

*Our serious measles cases-Sangeeta (3), Pannu (1), Jaimuna (2), Gunga (2), and Mahima (2)-all came for follow up happy and healthy. They had plump little cheeks, were smiling and playing, and are altogether doing wonderfully! As we jump into our new year, we have some serious follow up to do post-measles outbreak, but I’m ecstatic to start off the year with some success cases.

Sangeeta and Pannu

Altogether, a India’s welcome has been filled with miracles. As we begin to get new programs started, old programs revamped, and future programs conceptualized, these miracle cases give us hope and inspiration. I guess we did something right in 2010—here’s to 2011!

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

For more information about RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program in India, click here.

We can use any financial help you are able to provide on this project to continue our Education, Treatment and Outreach and help towards our goal of Malnutrition Eradication in this region of India.

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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RMF/Florence Western Medical Center Holiday party

January 18, 2011 in Events, General, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Rebuilding Communities, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

By Sarah Stern

In the month leading up to our annual holiday party at Florence Western Medical Center, there was a great deal of excitement in the air. Carly Krause, a dedicated RMF volunteer and I began the preparations for our 3rd annual holiday party, with our attendance expected to double to approximately 50-60 children. Florence Western’s Medical Director, Dr. Kevin Thomas, introduced us to Mary Miller, who was excited to join the RMF team for this year’s party. On a limited budget, we sought donations of food, toys and supplies for the children – and exactly one week before the party Mary called me with the news that Northrop Grumman would be making a large donation towards the purchase of toys for the children! Our phone conversation at 11:30pm that night was filled with tears of joy and gratitude, and now came the fun part: though we were grateful for and happy with donations from FOX Entertainment Group, toys bought from Target’s $1 bins and a generous gift card from Gelson’s Markets, we now had the ability to provide everyone with dream gift bags.

Story continued below photo gallery:

RMF volunteer Anicee Lau took on the task of assisting me with coordinating our volunteers, which came flooding in the weeks prior.  We had close to 20 volunteers who showed up in spite of the weather (record breaking rainfall in Los Angeles), offering holiday cookies and decoration supplies for the children to decorate as well as gifts for the children, photography services, and helping hands that were greatly needed. Real Medicine is built upon a foundation of “Friends helping Friends helping Friends”, and this year’s volunteer turn out showed that 5 years since our inception we are going stronger than ever, and growing each and every year.

Kwanzaa stories, yoga/fitness fun, snowflakes and wreath creations followed by cookie decorating were the planned activities, and though the weather had dampened our original plans to hold the event outdoors, we made do with one very intimate, energetic outreach room. The children then proceeded to share in all of the beautiful food trays the volunteers had prepared, and one by one their names were called out and they received a bag overflowing with gifts. The parents’ expression of gratitude alone was enough to fill your heart, but that combined with the children’s laughter and smiles from this year’s event, well, that was enough to fill your soul.

My deepest thanks to the dedicated staff of Florence Western Medical Center, my assistants Carly Krause and Anicee Lau for their countless hours of preparation,  Maya Jabbur Photography for hundreds of beautiful photos, our amazing volunteers who made sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible, our angels of the season Mary Miller, Mara Leng, Chief Bernard Parks office for all those tables and chairs, Northrop Grumman, FOX Entertainment Group and last but not least, the most beautiful and amazing children of South Los Angeles which we will continue to love and support with our outreach programs and holiday parties.

If you would like to help support our Los Angeles programs, which provide health & nutrition workshops, art therapy, yoga and reading programs for children of low-income families, I encourage you to make a donation today, as every bit counts. The children of this community have no access to the programs Real Medicine provides through their school districts, and we are able to offer them a safe haven for education, creativity and stress management.  Please help us to be able to continue to provide these services as well as expand them to include programs for the local teens that desperately need local programs that would help them to obtain the necessary skills to become responsible, well rounded young adults.

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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Athletes for Real Medicine: Sunday training run blog

January 11, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Disaster Relief, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Strategies for the Future, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

This week’s Sunday run was an intense 11 miles, with 1200 feet of elevation gain.  We started out at the base of Sullivan Canyon, surrounded by towering oak, eucalyptus and sycamore trees.  It was 8:30 am.  The canyon was cold and misty as it hadn’t seen direct sunlight since the previous afternoon.

We wore layers to stay warm.  Within ten minutes of running, we could feel our breath deepening, our heart beats speeding up.  We were already gaining altitude.  A small stream intersected the trail on multiple occasions, which gave us a chance to catch our breath as we stopped to observe the best point at which to cross.  After gradually ascending 950 feet over 5 miles, with muddy shoes and tired legs, we arrived at a plateau.

Here, we stopped for a quick water and nutrition break, before tackling the last 300 feet of elevation in the form of steep switchbacks.  Huffing and puffing, we focused on the ridge above us.  And before we knew it, we were out of the lush, green canyon, and atop a ridge surrounded by sprawling city views.  From here, we ran east along the ridge, taking in the beauty and ease of running on flat ground.  After a few miles, we turned South along a wide fire road and started our quick descent.

After all of our hard work, we let gravity pull us down the trail, enjoying the serenity of an early morning run in nature.  Looking back, we realize that when the run got tough, it helped to think about the bigger purpose of these runs, like helping communities through Real Medicine.  Those positive thoughts gave us the strength to keep going.

Only nine more distance runs to go before race day…Go Athletes for Real Medicine!!!!

For more information about RMF’s Athletes for Real Medicine, click here.

Folllow us on Twitter or our Athletes for Real Medicine Facebook page or our Group page on Facebook

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Lifetime Network honors Martina with Remarkable Woman Award!

January 7, 2011 in Africa, Asia, Disaster Relief, General, Helping Children, In the news, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Strategies for the Future, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

We’re kicking off the New Year with a bang!  Today, our founder and CEO Martina Fuchs, was honored with Lifetime Network’s Remarkable Woman award. The award spotlights extraordinary women who inspire and empower others to make a difference in their communities and the world.

Lifetime’s Remarkable Women are weekly vignettes featured on-air and online celebrating extraordinary women who inspire and encourage all of us to make a difference in our world.  Salutes have included unsung heroes like Josette Perard, a community advocate working on the frontlines in Haiti after its devastating earthquake and Patsy Bates, a hairdresser from Gardena, California, who won a landmark lawsuit after her insurance company dropped her – without warning – following her breast cancer diagnosis.  Other Remarkable Women vignettes have recognized household names, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Look for on-air spots and videos highlighting her extraordinary accomplishments on the Lifetime Network starting today. Can’t wait?  For more on Martina’s inspirational story, visit: http://www.mylifetime.com/my-lifetime-commitment/ewc/every-women-counts-salutes/martina-fuchs

Congratulations Martina, you are remarkable indeed!
-the Team at Real Medicine Foundation

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Photos from our Christmas “Chocolatada” party for children in Peru

January 4, 2011 in Events, General, Helping Children, Peru, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, South America, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

In Peru, Christmas is fairly similar to celebrations held in the US and Europe, when many families get together, celebrate and exchange gifts. The well off families generaly eat turkey and eat Paneton (a cake/bread filled with fruits) and drink hot chocolate.

In the week preceding Christmas, it is also popular for communities, churches or charity organisations to organize “Chocolatadas” where people who make a Christmas gesture to poor children and families by offering them a cup of hot chocolate, food and perhaps small gifts.

Below are some of the fun photos of the Chocolotada that RMF and our clinic staff/volunteers arranged for the community of San Clemente:

For more information about our clinic in Peru please click here.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

To contribute to this or any of our other initiatives, please click the Donate button below or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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Last 3 days to give!

December 29, 2010 in Africa, Armenia, Asia, Athletes for Real Medicine, Burma, Disaster Relief, Donate, Europe, Events, General, Haiti, Helping Children, In the news, India, Indonesia, Initiatives, Kenya, Los Angeles, Mission, Mozambique, Nigeria, North America, Pakistan, Partners, Peru, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, South America, Sri Lanka, Strategies for the Future, Sudan, Thank You, Uganda, Videos, Voices from the Field, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

If you were considering donating to a worthy cause in 2010 and taking advantage of the tax benefits of charitable donations, now is your last chance to contribute!

As we look towards new efforts and projects in 2011 it is only through your generous funding that we will be able to continue our long term development projects in some of the poorest areas on this planet.

As you know, we have set the goal of raising $100,000 by December 31st, and would greatly appreciate if you consider Real Medicine for your year-end donation.

In the spirit of Real Medicine Foundation’s concept of “Friends helping Friends helping Friends” so much is possible when we do it together.

From all of us here at Real Medicine: Thank you for your support!

Make your year-end donation now.

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Malnutrition Eradication update: Sonu’s story, 3 months later

December 17, 2010 in Caitlin McQuilling, General, Helping Children, India, Providing Medical Support, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Continuing with our Malnutrition Eradication Program series and fundraiser

Sonu, one of our NRC’s most dramatic success stories, continues to improve and put on a healthy amount of weight!

All children who are treated at RMF’s NRC come back every 15 days for 2 months for follow-up clinics to ensure that the children are still healthy and gaining weight.  They are seen by our pediatrician, given a nutritious meal, and given a transportation allowance to allow them to get to the NRC and back home.  These are always our staff’s favorite days of the month when we get to see the children again who we had bonded so much with over the 2-3 weeks they were in our care.

See how healthy he looks today in these latest pics taken at the NRC

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

For more information about RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program in India, click here.

We can use any financial help you are able to provide on this project to continue our Education, Treatment and Outreach and help towards our goal of Malnutrition Eradication in this region of India.

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

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