Johns Hopkins University ( http://bit.ly/TIZqA ) specializes in innovative ways to solve public health problems in developing countries. Partner for Surgery uses the method they developed for detecting and treating pre-cancerous cervical cancer called Visual Inspection by Acetic Acid or VIA http://www.partnerforsurgery.org/cervical_programs.asp.  Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Guatemala.


We are thrilled that Johns Hopkins has received yet another huge donation from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Since graduating from Johns Hopkins in 1964, Bloomberg has given $800 million to his alma mater. 


Thank you Johns Hopkins for thinking beyond the borders of Maryland, USA, and thank you Mayor Bloomberg for supporting their work.


The picture below shows Ministry of Health nurses in Guatemala learning the VIA method in a week-long training organized by Partner for Surgery. 5,000 women have been screened in just the past few years .....

How do you reconcile helping people outside of your own country? Our donors where this is the case (as opposed to our Guatemalan donors) have a variety of reasons. For some, children are children, wherever they live. For others who travel a great deal, the world is a global community and we learn and suffer together. Some donate to the places they have visited or have some connection.  And others choose to diversify their donations just like they diversify their investments-- to balance their portfolio.

Whatever your reasoning, thank you for donating to Partner for Surgery. Your donation goes a long way-- our overhead is only 10%. To see our most recent audit and other financial information, go to http://www.partnerforsurgery.org/Financials/audit-2010.pdf

People sometimes ask us, "Why Guatemala?" Even without the connection our co-founder had to Guatemala (Todd Peterson lived there as a Peace Corps Volunteer), we would find Guatemala compelling. We urge you to visit and see for yourself.  Help us in our work to make all parts of Guatemala livable for its children and future generations. 


If you cannot visit, read the work of Nobel Prize–winning Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales, be swept away by the poetry of Otto Rene Castillo, or jump into the novel :The Rest is Silence" by Augusto Monterroso. And of course, there is Nobel-prize winning Rigoberta Menchu....

2012 Program Update

It has been a looooong while since we have posted, but we have been busy:

Targeted Infant Nutrition (for children with cleft lip/palate):  

In 2012 We are expanding the number of infants served, and exploring alternatives to formula--help expressing milk, breast pumps, preparing local foods--and we are training local Midwives in these new methods.  

Challenge Campaign:

The collective challenge we have given ourselves in 2012 is to reach more kids with cleft lip/palate within two days of their birth. The campaign will be rolling out in the next month or two.

Cervical Cancer Prevention:

We have screened 200 women already this year, and continue to train Guatemalan Ministry of Health nurses to detect and treat cervical cancer in its precancerous stages.  We are honored to have been asked to present at a Cervical Cancer Conference in Guatemala this June.

Surgical Missions:

For the first time, in 2012 we will be prepositioning surgical supplies for the use of US, and Guatemalan, volunteer doctors.  Securing and storing supplies is expensive, but more doctors will be able to volunteer as a result.

Patient records:

We have developed a system for quick retrieval of patient records.  It was challenging when so many languages (English, Spanish, Mayan). We will be able to share records with local clinics.

Mobile Medical Missions:

We have already had three missions to remote areas in 2012, and helped 500+ people. 


Thank you, all volunteers!