medical ministry Archives - Cross International

Medical Care in Africa: A Young Man Finds Hope on His Way to Healing

December 2, 2021 by Cross International

In Need of Medical Care in Malawi

Pemphero was born with a bowed right leg, which makes it very difficult for him to walk. Growing up with a disability in Africa was very difficult for Pemphero. His parents didn’t know how to care for their disabled child and he was treated as an outcast. Pemphero suffered tremendous loneliness until his sister got married and she and her new husband invited him to come live with them. He was delighted that they were willing to care for him.

Blessings, Pemphero’s brother-in-law, said, “I saw the need to educate him and find him treatment because nothing was being done.” Sadly, this is often the case with those who need medical care in remote and impoverished areas of Africa. Patients suffering with treatable conditions often have no access to, or cannot afford, the care they need.

One day Blessings heard a radio commercial for Cross International partner CURE. “God spoke to us in a loud way,” Blessings exclaimed.

Hope for Healing in Africa

Cross International supporters like you made it possible for doctors at the CURE clinic to evaluate Pemphero. It was decided that his leg could be corrected by placing it in a frame. Pemphero was nervous, but excited at the possibility of finding healing.

He was also encouraged at meeting other children with disabilities just like him!

Pemphero loves the CURE hospital, but he does not enjoy the frame turns. “It’s painful, but I know tomorrow will be better,” Pemphero said.

Healing on the Horizon

Thanks to Cross International’s faithful friends, Pemphero was able to spend four months in the CURE hospital before finally being sent home with his leg frame. When the time comes he’ll return to the hospital to have the frame removed. Please keep Pemphero in your prayers as he continues his journey towards healing!

From hidden to healed: The impact of medical aid in Malawi

March 30, 2020 by Cross International

When she giggles, it’s as if someone is blowing bubbles around the room. It starts slow and light, and before you know it, everyone nearby is captured by the sound. She plays soccer on grassy fields, dotes on–and fights with–her baby brother, and loves the color red, a testament to her boldness. Her name is Success, and her eyes reveal the strength and determination of a soul much older than an eight-year-old girl.

Cross International met Success not long ago in the halls of our medical aid partner CURE Malawi, a 58-bed teaching hospital. She was there in hope of a life-changing diagnosis and surgery. We were there to create a platform to share the gospel as a tangible expression of why healing matters to God.

At only eight, Success had already endured years of hardship. Every day at school, her classmates ridiculed and tormented her because she looked different, and her teachers remained silent. They looked right past her electric smile and only saw the abnormal rotation of her lower leg. To avoid bullying, Success would hide among local shops waiting for the school day to end so she could return home. She fell behind and the light within her grew dim. Success’s parents found out she was skipping school, and instead of getting angry, they felt compassion for their hurting daughter. Guided by their faith that God can move mountains, they enrolled Success in a new school led by a pastor where the value of diversity was taught and discrimination was not allowed. Like most parents, they fought for Success to have every opportunity available and prayed like warriors for healing.

After years of misdiagnoses and poor treatment, Success and her family were referred to Cross International partner CURE Malawi, where she finally received the correct diagnosis and, more importantly, hope for a cure. They learned Success had Blount’s disease, a growth disorder that causes her tibia to angle inward that would require a painful surgery to correct.

As spunky and fearless as ever, Success was eager for surgery. On that life-changing day, doctors straightened her leg, fit her with a frame, and predicted that she would be walking without assistance in just 20 days. Determined to heal, the athletic little girl resiliently powered through physical therapy, sticking with it even when it was painful.

Today, Success walks, runs, and sometimes nearly flies, on two straight legs. She attends a school she loves with friends that can’t get enough of that bubbly laugh. Success’s parents truly believe in the power of prayer and witnessed God change their daughter’s life through the ministry of Cross International and its local partner, CURE Malawi. Join our Thriving Kids initiative to give more children like Success the services, medicine, surgery, and healthcare they need to giggle, play, learn, and grow.

The life-changing numbers behind our medical aid ministry

March 25, 2020 by Cross International

“Without health care, how can children reach their full potential? And without a healthy, productive population, how can societies realize their aspirations?” Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director

At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and WHO. For almost 100 million people, out-of-pocket health care expenses are high enough to push them into extreme poverty, forcing them to survive on just $1.90 or less a day. At Cross International, we know that resolving health issues is critical for other services like micro-enterprise training to be effective. That’s why medical aid will always be an important component of the services we provide through our work with local ministry partners around the world.

In 2019, with the support of donors like you, Cross International medical aid ministry made a life-changing impact for thousands of children and their families around the world.

2019 medical aid impact

4144 children rescued from health-threatening situations

54 medical staff across multiple countries

$76 million worth of supplies shipped in overseas medical containers

43,129 gifts in kind provided to clinics, children, and families in need

Read more about our perspective on medical aid and how you can join us by giving generously to the ministry of Cross International and its many local partners throughout the world, who provide services, medicine, and healthcare to those who need our help.

Medical Aid partner spotlight: Guatemala’s Amigos Por La Salud y La Vida

March 23, 2020 by Cross International

Imagine your life without the ability to go to urgent care or swing by a pharmacy to pick up necessary medicines.

For many throughout the world, medical treatment is free, but the medicines they need are unaffordable. Nearly 2 billion people have no access to basic medicines, according to the World Health Organization. When children and families are continuously ill, their entire lives are impacted. Attending work or school, supporting a family, maintaining relationships, and having hope for a bright future is a constant challenge that feels impossible to achieve.

When it comes to medical aid, Cross International has a clear perspective on the importance it plays in our overall mission to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. We understand that resolving health issues is critical for other supports, like education, clean water, and housing, to be effective, and it’s why medical aid will always be an important component of the services we promote and advance through our work with local ministry partners around the world.

Working closely with local ministry partners is crucial to the success of our programs. They best understand the needs of their neighbors and the type of support that will be most effective. Our partners are deeply rooted in their communities, providing sustained support that is often key in tackling systemic underlying issues surrounding medical needs.

For more than a decade, our strategic ministry partnerships in Guatemala have helped children and families affected by poverty and abuse. One of Cross International’s largest gifts-in-kind recipients is Amigos Por La Salud y La Vida (Friends for Health and Life), an organization dedicated to providing food and medical services to fill the gaps in Guatemala’s overburdened health system. Cross International helps the organization stock the pharmacy shelves of clinics and hospitals, providing free medication to those in need. Cross International also gives donations of food to help support feeding programs that serve the 30,000 patients that visit each clinic per year, many suffering from malnutrition.

Using our holistic approach to partnerships, Cross International also comes alongside Amigos Por La Salud y La Vida to determine the most important indicators to track in providing more efficient and effective care. We are working to develop a needs-based approach to medicine and medical equipment distribution that will help us know which programs to expand and improve.

Long-term partnerships with local organizations like Amigos Por La Salud y La Vida are the hands and feet of the work we champion around the world. Through the support of generous believers like you, our local ministry partners are strengthened and empowered with hope to transform their communities with the love of Christ.