healing changes everything
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lemoyne, PA – May 7, 2012 – The Board of Directors of CURE International announced today that they have unanimously chosen Dale Eugene Brantner as President and CEO of the organization. Mr. Brantner assumes this role from founder Dr. Scott Harrison, who was President and CEO of the organization since it was founded in 1996. Read the rest of this entry »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lemoyne, PA (March 11, 2012) — CURE Founder and CEO, Dr. Scott Harrison, announced that Professor Chris Lavy has been appointed as Chief Medical Director of CURE International. Professor Lavy is a distinguished British orthopedic surgeon who holds an honorary professorship from Oxford University and, among many other honors, has received the rank of Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his role in setting up orthopedic training in Malawi.
In his role as Chief Medical Director of CURE International, Professor Lavy will oversee the medical directors at CURE’s hospitals located in ten countries throughout the developing world. In addition, he will coordinate the ongoing medical research projects across the hospitals, as well as advising the hospitals on medical education and career development for the medical staff.
“Professor Lavy has a long association with CURE International and we are pleased that he will be expanding his role with us to serve as Chief Medical Director. His expertise in providing top-quality medical care in the developing world as well as his significant contribution to research on disabilities affecting children will truly be an asset for CURE,” said Dr. Harrison.
Professor Lavy attended University College London and St. Bartholomew’s Medical School where he studied anthropology and then medicine. He was appointed as a consultant orthopedic surgeon at University College Hospital and the Middlesex hospitals in 1992 and had a private practice in the West End of London.
Professor Lavy left his orthopedic practice in London in 1996 to work with CBM International to set up orthopedic services in Malawi. When he arrived, he was the only orthopedic surgeon in the country. It was during his time in Malawi that he began to work closely with CURE International to establish a pediatric orthopedic hospital there. The 66-bed hospital opened in 2002 and Lavy served as the first Chairman of the Board. Today, the hospital treats more than 4,000 patients annually and provides more than 2,000 surgeries to disabled children each year.
“CURE International brings a much needed expertise to the developing world. The children that we treat aren’t necessarily dying, but they aren’t living either. Their disabilities impact their ability to function normally in society. By providing the specialty care necessary to treat them, CURE is making it possible for thousands of children each year to live productive lives,” said Professor Lavy. “It is a privilege for me to serve at CURE as Chief Medical Director.”
Professor Lavy serves on the leadership council of the College of Surgeons of Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA) and on the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He also serves as an adviser to many organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO).
About CURE International
CURE International heals the sick and proclaims the Kingdom of God. Operating hospitals and programs in 25 nations, it is the largest provider of reconstructive surgery to disabled children in the developing world. Since opening the doors of its first surgical teaching hospital in Kijabe, Kenya in 1998, CURE’s focus on bringing healing to developing nations has resulted in more than 1.8 million patient visits and over 128,000 surgeries to correct physically disabling conditions. CURE has also trained more than 5200 medical professionals raising the standard of care in the countries where it operates. Please visit http://cure.org/ for more information.
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Charity Navigator is a website that offers information and ratings on thousands of non-profit organizations with the goal of helping individuals give intelligently. We recently learned that they are now offering the opportunity for people who have experienced the work of a non-profit first hand to leave a review of that organization on the website - enabling people to share their stories about non-profits that have touched their lives.
This presents a tremendous opportunity for you to help CURE International. Will you help us raise visibility and support for our work by posting a review of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers.
It’s easy and only takes 3 minutes! Go to:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.reviews&orgid=5545
With your help, we can gain greater visibility in the Charity Navigator community.
The doors of the elevator opened, and there she was. It was Lisemene. I had heard this girl’s tragic story shortly after the Haiti earthquake a year ago. We have a video clip of Dr. Mark Sinclair, one of the CURE doctors from the U.A.E. who volunteered in Haiti during those early days after the quake, telling her story. I remember watching it and feeling devastated just thinking about what life would be like for Lisemene – now living without her legs that were crushed under the rubble from a fallen building and without her family who abandoned her because they didn’t want to deal with her disability. Even worse, when her family left her at the hospital, they took her 5-year-old son with them.
I’m certain that there are similar stories in Haiti, and too many of them probably end right here. But not for Lisemene. The one positive out of all of this is that she was taken to the hospital where CURE was working, and she wasn’t forgotten when her initial wounds were healed.
A generous donor, who also volunteered with CURE in Haiti, wanted to make sure she received care. We were able to provide her with prosthetics and physical therapy. After many months of wading through paperwork and bureaucratic roadblocks, she was able to travel to CURE’s hospital in the Dominican Republic. There she received better prosthetics and more therapy.
The day I met her, I sensed her sadness, but I also saw her beautiful smile and deep appreciation for CURE and the donor who cared enough about her to make sure her story didn’t end in devastation but instead had hope.
Watching her walk across the hospital ward, I knew it had. Oh yeah, I should tell you that her son, quiet and shy, watched her make that walk too.
Below is a video of Lisemene walking. (I was lucky enough to get a hug at the end.)
Today was one of those days when I thank God for the opportunity to experience the work He is doing through CURE. I’m in the beautiful Dominican Republic for a video shoot and had the opportunity to spend the day at our hospital in Santo Domingo.
One of the interviews we did was with a mother whose one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Rosemary, was just about to go for surgery.
Rosemary and her mom
The mom so graciously answered our questions even though she was filled with anxiety over what was about to happen to her daughter. As I watched her eyes follow her daughter through the doors of the operating room, tears started to well up in my own eyes. Even when we don’t speak the same language, mothers can relate without words. I gave her a big hug and a reassuring smile to let her know Rosemary would be fine.
The surgery to correct Rosemary’s displaced hips lasted several hours and waiting was hard for her mother. But when Rosemary emerged from recovery, nothing other than ”brilliant” could describe the smile on her face. It was an incredible moment.
As if one moment like that isn’t enough for a day, I got to experience a second one. While I was waiting for another interview, a mom and young boy walked down the hall. As they approached, I was shocked to realize that I recognized them. It was Brandy!!!
This precious little boy was walking. The last time I had seen a photo of him, his knees were bent backward, and he could barely manage a waddle-like movement to get around. He cried all the time. And here he was walking right at me. If it weren’t for the CURE doctors here in the D.R., this boy would have spent his life being the subject of ridicule, never would have received an education, and most certainly wouldn’t have experienced anything close to a normal life. Another CURE miracle!
Today was a good day!
Some of the many blankets and other items that have been generously donated.
At the end of August, radio show host, Brant Hansen sent me an email with an idea for his upcoming trip to Afghanistan. He thought it would be amazing if he could ask listeners to knit blankets for the babies who are delivered at our hospitals in Kabul. We expanded it to blankets, hats and booties and – WOW! The listeners of WAY-FM and its affiliated stations have responded!
The packages have been arriving daily at our offices. I think the mailman is the only one not rejoicing in the generosity of the Mornings with Brant listeners! The blankets, hats and booties that have been made for Brant to deliver to the new moms in Afghanistan are beautiful. And the notes that are included are just fantastic. One listener shared that she will soon be a mom herself and how blessed she felt to make a blanket and hat for another new mom. One church group wrote to say how encouraging this project was to one of its members who is 88 and never thought she would be able to participate in their Compassion in Action project. She made 30 hats for the project!!
Best of all, the knitters (and a few crocheters too!) have been praying over these items as they were made. That is such an incredible blessing for these new moms. Imagine how they will feel knowing that so many people in America cared enough to take the time to make something special just for their baby. I would venture to say that this could be quite an effective foreign relations campaign!
There is still a little bit of time to get involved with the Knit, Pray, Love project. You can find the details here.
CURE INTERNATIONAL STAFF MOURNS THE DEATHS OF AID WORKERS IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S.-based medical, non-profit committed to improving health care delivery and education in Afghanistan
Click here to download the PDF version of this release
Lemoyne, Pa. August 9, 2010: The staff at CURE International’s hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan is mourning the senseless murder of medical aid workers there on Thursday. CURE Founder and President, Scott Harrison, M.D., called the murders “a tragedy beyond imagination” and expressed condolences to the victim’s families. Dr. Harrison said, “These heroic individuals were part of the solution for Afghanistan. They worked tirelessly to improve the medical care available to Afghans and sought to raise the standard of medical education in the country. Their work has made a tremendous impact in the lives of so many Afghans.”
“When CURE first began working in Afghanistan in 2002, Tom Little and Dan Terry provided valuable assistance and guidance to us. Throughout the years, we have worked together and shared a vision of bringing medical care to a country of people in desperate need,” continued Dr. Harrison. “Our hearts go out to all of the victims’ families and friends. We will continue to pray for their strength and comfort during these difficult days.”
CURE remains committed to its work in Afghanistan. Like IAM, CURE is motivated and inspired by its Christian faith to serve in Afghanistan and operates all programs with a spirit of mutual respect and in accordance with Afghan law. Both organizations are dedicated to providing specialty medical care that improves and, in many cases, saves the lives of thousands of Afghans every year. This is in coordination with the international community’s efforts to rebuild the country and to bring hope to the Afghan people who have suffered greatly over the last 30 years.
About CURE International Hospital of Kabul
CURE International began its work in Afghanistan in 2002 in Kandahar. At the invitation of the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, CURE opened a hospital and clinic in Kabul in 2005. CURE has cared for more than 550,000 Afghan patients, providing basic medical care, specialty maternal and child health care, and plastic reconstructive, orthopedic and general surgery. In addition to treating Afghan patients, CURE places an emphasis on training programs for doctors and nurses. To date, more than 200 doctors, nurses and midwives have received training at CURE’s Kabul hospital. CURE has 300 employees in Afghanistan, the majority of who are Afghans. CURE is a registered, non-profit, non-governmental organization in Afghanistan. To learn more about CURE’s work in Afghanistan, visit cure.org/afghanistan.
For inquiries, contact Lisa Wolf at 717-856-5716
This week’s cover of Time Magazine features a young Afghan woman who has been disfigured by the Taliban. Time’s editor, Richard Stengel, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the decision to put Aisha on the cover and the broader issue of what will happen to women like her if the U.S. leaves Afghanistan.
As I read Aisha’s story, I learned that she was traveling to the U.S. for treatment. This isn’t a new story, but it is one that is sometimes difficult to understand. The organizations and individuals involved have the best intentions, but taking a patient to the U.S. isn’t always the only option.
Hi, this is Lisa Wolf, Sr. V.P. of Communications. Noel, who normally writes our blog, has been begging for other people to share their thoughts so today I thought I’d jump in.
As I drove the work on Tuesday morning, the voice on the radio described a scene all too familiar to me. U.S. born documentarian, Roger Ross Williams, talked to NPR about the plight of disabled children in Zimbabwe. Williams commented, “Many families in Zimbabwe reject children born with disabilities. Fearing witchcraft, adults in Zimbabwe often see their children’s differences as a sign that the family has been cursed.” He went to say, “These children get locked away” They’re hidden from the rest of society because the families are ashamed of them.”
At CURE, we have shared this same story many times. It breaks our heart each time we read a story from one of our hospitals that describes the harsh realities of life for a disabled child in Africa.
As I listened further to the report, I learned that this story was upbeat and a celebration of triumph over adversity. In an Oscar-winning documentary, Williams profiled Prudence Mabhena and her band, Liyana, which started as a class project at a school for the disabled in Zimbabwe. This band comprised of all disabled musicians shares their beautiful music with the world and demostrates that never giving up can produce something really special. The band toured the U.S. last year and the documentary started airing on HBO last night.
From all of us at CURE, we congratulate Williams on his Oscar win and celebrate Prudence and Liyana for raising awareness of the plight of disabled children in Africa. Perhaps someday we can partner together as we continue in our efforts to ensure that specialty medical care is available to all 100 million disabled children in the developing world.
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