Global Health Ministries Case Study
Introduction
Case studies are now an integral part of teaching and learning process in the global health training and practice. Case studies play a crucial role in shining light on global health interventions. Faith based organizations have for centuries played a key role in the global healthcare effort to promote health especially in the disadvantaged populace. The scope of the faith based healthcare organization activities has expanded over time and now are regarded as important providers of healthcare especially in low-resource settings (Global Health Ministries, 2020). This paper deals specifically with Global Health Ministries as a faith based organization providing healthcare services around the world. This paper discusses the organization’s mission, populations served by the organization, the organization’s funding and mechanism and its partnerships.
The Global Health Ministries Mission
The Global Health Ministries faith based ministry, established in 1987 to provide and enhance health care programs of Lutheran churches in their established countries. The independent Lutheran ministry is dedicated to serving the less endowed and vulnerable people in the society. Its mission is promoting healthcare projects, assistance and support for charity patients, scholarships, establishment of effective and essential technological equipment and capital improvements. Additionally, the global health ministry help in gathering and shipping donated healthcare equipment and medical supplies to the various needed destination around the world (Carey, Carter-Templeton & Paltzer, 2015).
.
The global health care ministries seeks assistance from groups and the various congregations on the opportunities and requirements of the healthcare programs and largely prays for the church’s healthcare providers in their missionary activities. Besides, it also offers pieces of advice to various missions’ agencies or rather organization on healthcare mission concerns. In promoting its strategies in regards to the sustainable health care goals, Global Health Ministries participates in sustainable global healthcare programs such as vaccination especially in the final level of implementation (Global Health Ministries, 2020). The Global health ministry facilitates through donating equipment, supplies together with offering scholarships to enhance education of medical personnel. Generally, the global health ministry offers a conducive breathing space through empowering f community based efforts that are geared towards promoting health (Flessa, 2016).
The global health ministries being a faith based ministry under the Lutheran Church guidance has integrated its faithful base with its public health runs activities. For instance, thousands of volunteer faithful gather in their main warehouse where they help sort out and pack healthcare supplies and equipment to be shared and shipped around the world. Through the participation of the congregation, the organization integrates the teachings of the Lutheran church for instance through the believe that all people under the sun are equal before God’s eyes and matter and need to have the same opportunity to thrive and have a healthy living (Global Health Ministries, 2020). The values of the organization are not that unique as compared to other global health organization however its integration of faith and church teachings are quite unique in comparison to other faith based organizations.
The Populace Served
The Global Health Ministries has extensive engagements in less endowed thirteen lower income nations across Africa, Asia and Central America where through partnerships the ministry has improved health. Many health facilities in the in developing countries often lack basic supplies with no access to clean water and affordable medicine (Carey, Carter-Templeton & Paltzer, 2015). The Global Health Ministry uses the healing ministry of Christ and through its belief of sharing, it’s sharing of resources to help improve health among the vulnerable communities. Yearly, the Global Health Ministry touches lives of more than one million people from vulnerable communities (Charity Navigator, 2020). The organization has expanded programs in all the thirteen countries to include leadership in the grassroots to improve public health. The Global Health ministries embraces the belief of love your neighbor all over the world. The organization actively participates in countries where it has established Lutheran churches and where mission hospitals and clinic are managed. The populace most served is in Africa due to their highest vulnerability (Carey, Carter-Templeton & Paltzer, 2015).
Funding Mechanisms
A substantial portion of the funding that helps the organization or rather ministry through the healing hands comes largely from individuals and congregations. The Lutheran church congregation generosities as well as the members of the church play a vital role in the funding program of the ministry. The ministry gets grants from organizations that relate to their mission and vision on the basis of the social values of the Lutheran church. These funds are mainly channeled through the following sectors; leadership training, capacity building and the shipping program (Global Health Ministries, 2020).
Partnerships
The network of partners and friends of Global Health Ministries has grown since its inception. Global health partnerships are essential for addressing today’s global health issues. They offer more benefits beyond what individual organizations could attain which include funding and attracting of necessary attention. The Global Health Ministries has various partners such as Total Health Africa which helps in the shipment of medical supplies and equipment to Africa(Charity Navigator, 2020). The ministry has also partnered with various evangelical Lutheran churches diocese groups for important health programs such as home visits, teaching of medical professionals and planning for long term projects after the needs assessments has been done. The ministry also engages in collaborative global concerns such as the recent global pandemic with the World Health Organization. The Global Health Ministries partners with various faith based ministries in the respective countries they are established in where they facilitate improvement of health through various run activities.
Conclusion
The religious nature of Faith based organizations is intensified when the ministries or organizations have the same values and visions as the worship congregation since they are dependent upon funding from them. At a time when developing countries can attain the health targets for sustainable healthcare goals, faith based organization come in handy to facilitate and improve health in the disadvantaged areas of the society. The global health ministries under the Lutheran church have shown its commitment through the values, strategies and mission to improve health in the various countries it engages in (Flessa, 2016). It has helped connect individuals through hands on service programs to help in the wellbeing and create a healthy people in the society. Through the Lutheran church that manages it, the connections are impact as they nearly improve or rather touch lives of more than one million yearly. It is vital and essential to give the faith based organizations the necessary support for facilitating their activities as they are impactful in the society.
