Vietnam
Accepting Applicants
Every year, an EMAS team called Medical Aid for Vietnam (MAV) travels to remote regions of the country to provide medical, vision and dental care to people without access to these services, some having never seen a doctor.
In addition to primary healthcare, the MAV Team also provides heart surgeries for children, cataract surgeries for adults, and medicines and equipment for local healthcare facilities. They also teach advanced ophthalmological techniques at major medical centres in the country. The MAV Team can be as large as 50 volunteers serve over 10,000 people on one mission trip. They often struggle through heat waves, downpours and language barriers to serve those in neede, but also enjoy fellowship with other team members.
HISTORY
The outreach to Vietnam started in 1995, supplying equipment and teaching in local hospitals. Many urban hospitals have improved since that time, so our team has moved into more rural locations. The Team’s focus is working with local doctors, clinics and hospitals to bring aid to those in need, particularly children with disabilities who do not have access to healthcare. The MAV Team has sponsored over 800 heart surgeries for children, with many more still on the waiting list.
Since 1996, new programs have been developed providing medical aid to various Vietnamese hospitals, supporting the local church by supporting its medical outreach programs, and spreading the love of God to the Vietnamese people, both in Vietnam and in Vancouver.
PROJECT IMPACT
Over the years, we’ve had 24 MAV teams and a total of over 1,000 different volunteers. During each trip, we see between 10,000 to 14,000 patients, donate $50,000-$75,000 worth of medications and surgeries. We’ve trained over 40 local cataract surgeons who now use the equipment we’ve donated. We work in clinics and hospitals or assist local nuns and churches.
To date, we have raised funds for 880 heart surgeries for children. We have done, or paid for, over 6,000 cataract surgeries and have provided the equipment with which another 90,000 have been done by local physicians. In 24 years, we have provided a total of 72,000 pairs of eyeglasses and have equipped seven training centres for eye surgery or radiation. Our dentists have performed 10,000 dental surgeries.
Each mission trip, the value of the work done by our volunteers averages $250,000.
DONATIONS
Help us raise funds to provide more surgeries for those who need them in Vietnam:
• $200 funds one cataract surgery
• $500 covers one-fifth of the cost of a heart surgery for one child
• $2500 covers the entire cost of a heart surgery for one child
TEAM LEADERS: Dr. David Neima, Fr. Tien Tran (in Canada), Paul Dinh Nguyen (in USA)