Esperanca Inc

ESPERANA'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND PROVIDE HOPE THROUGH DISEASE PREVENTION, EDUCATION AND TREATMENT FOR EVERY LIFE WE TOUCH.

ESPERANA (ES-PE-RAN-SAH), THE PORTUGUESE WORD FOR HOPE, RESONATES IN EVERYTHING WE DO. WE ARE MORE THAN DOCTORS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS. WE ARE ACTIVISTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND GLOBAL CITIZENS. WE ARE CONNECTED TO OUR WORK BECAUSE WE ARE THERE, ON THE GROUND, LETTING THE PEOPLE TELL US WHAT THEY NEED. OF ALL THE WORK ESPERANA CONDUCTS, NONE IS MORE DRAMATIC THAN THE EFFECT THE MEDICAL TEAMS (CONSISTING OF A MINIMUM OF A SURGEON, NURSE, AND ANESTHESIOLOGIST) HAVE ON THE LIVES OF THE FAMILIES SERVED THROUGH OUR VOLUNTEER SURGICAL MISSIONS. DUE TO THE POOR POLITICAL CLIMATE IN SOME OF THE COUNTRIES WE SERVE, WE WERE UNABLE TO SEND ALL OF THE SCHEDULED SURGICAL TEAMS FROM THE UNITED STATES OUT OF SAFETY CONCERNS. LAST YEAR WE SENT ONLY FOUR VOLUNTEER SURGICAL TEAMS TO ECUADOR, AND PERU. THEY PERFORMED 192 SURGERIES WITH AN IN-KIND VALUE OF 2.41 MILLION. HOWEVER, THROUGH OUR MEDICAL PARTNERS IN NICARAGUA WE FACILITATED 35 MEDICAL BRIGADE MISSIONS WHERE WE TREATED 3,376 PATIENTS FOR AN IN-KIND VALUE OF 936,632. PATIENTS WERE TREATED FOR SEVERE BURNS, CLEFT PALATES, INJURIES & DEFORMITIES, GOITERS, HERNIAS, TUMORS, GALL BLADDERS, AND A FULL RANGE OF OBSTETRIC AND GYNECOLOGICAL NEEDS. ADDITIOANLLY, CRITICAL MEDICAL SUPPLIES WITH AN IN-KIND VALUE OF 2.67 MILLION WERE SHIPPED TO HOSPITALS AND CLINICS TO PROVIDE LIFE SAVING ASSISTANCE. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.WETRANSFORMLIVES.ORG

EACH YEAR, ESPERANA'S PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS SERVE OVER 45,000 PEOPLE,SAVING THOUSANDS OF LIVES ON THREE CONTINENTS. CURRENTLY WE HAVE PROJECTS IN BOLIVIA, ECUADOR, COSTA RICA, NICARAGUA, MOZAMBIQUE, PERU, AND PHOENIX, ARIZONA (USA), INTERNATIONALLY, EACH SITE INCLUDES PREVENTATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION ON IMPORTANT HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS MALARIA, HIV/AIDS, CHAGAS DISEASE, RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS, DIARRHEAL DISEASES, AND MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION, HOME BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS, AND NUTRITION AND FOOD SECURITY PROJECTS ARE PROVIDED IN REMOTE RURAL VILLAGES WHERE IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL AND UNSAFE DRINKING WATER, OPEN COOKING FIRES THAT LEAD TO RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS AND BURNS, THATCH ROOFS THAT HOUSE DISEASE-BEARING INSECTS, AND INADEQUATE NUTRITION ARE SOME OF THE MAIN FACTORS THAT LEAD TO NUMEROUS PREVENTABLE DISEASES. LOCAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND RESIDENTS RECEIVE TRAINING, AND ALL UNSKILLED LABOR IS PROVIDED BY THOSE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECTS. IN ARIZONA (USA) ESPERANA'S PHOENIX PROGRAM IDENTIFIES LOCAL COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE HIGH RATES OF POVERTY AND LACK HEALTH RESOURCES. THE PHOENIX PROGRAM DEVELOPS AND IMPLEMENTS PROGRAMS ON OBESITY PREVENTION, NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, ORAL HEALTH, DIABETES EDUCATION/PREVENTION AMONG OTHER CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES FROM CHILDREN THROUGH SENIOR CITIZENS.