There is a saying that you may have heard, it goes “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer: “One bite at a time”. This helps to describe the huge need for safe and affordable healthcare that is absent for a very large proportion of the world’s population.

Karen and I spent most of last week at a conference that brought thousands of healthcare providers together most of whom work in the developing world working hard to alleviate that problem. Every type of medicine was represented, from neurosurgery to physical therapy, ophthalmology to assistive technology, dentistry to plastic surgery. These folks either work full time in a culture that is not their own or they donate weeks of their time every year to go somewhere in the world and help.

The Elephant

My take away from that meeting was that the sheer size of the problem is daunting. This was balanced by the motivation, drive, and commitment exhibited by the large number of healthcare professionals I met. These men and women are trying to do something about healthcare provision and access on a global basis.

Taking Small Bites

Karen and I are privileged to have a small part in this. We are working alongside these folks facilitating wheelchair services in faith-based hospitals. Up to this point, we have been working with hospitals in Kenya and wheelchairs have begun to flow in that direction. This month Karen will be meeting with two hospitals in Egypt about the possibility of wheelchair services programs. This past week, while at the conference, we began to talk with people from Angola who are interested in what we do.

Get Involved

Dr. Seuss puts it well when he says “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not”.

If you would like to become a part of this effort, please visit our website: https://www.atcatalyst.org/ Click on the “Give” button and become a part of the team. If you would like email updates on what we are doing, please sign up on the home page of the website above.

Phil Rispin