Link for Health

Medical Missions for Children (“MMFC”) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization providing free quality surgical, medical and dental care to poor and under-privileged children in various countries throughout the world. MMFC also facilitates the transfer of knowledge and recent innovations to the local medical communities.

Since 2000, MMFC has traveled annually to Antigua, Guatemala, delivering free surgical and dental care to infants and children with congenital facial  deformities (cleft lip and palate), microtia (absence of the ear) and severe burns. Working closely with Partners in Surgery through the Hermano Pedro Hospital, MMFC facilitates bringing impoverished families from very distant corners of Guatemala to our host hospital for surgical treatment. Most of the rural communities in Guatemala have no access to any level of medical care. Therefore, many families travel two or more days seeking MMFC’s help for their child. Each year, MMFC staffs this mission with two volunteer teams, which enables a variety of surgical and dental procedures to be completed at this one location.  The date of our last mission was January 3-10, 2009. A total of 24 team members screened 99 patients, and performed 71 surgeries, including Cleft lip and palate repair, excision of facial neoplasms, Stage I, II, III microtia repair, and excision of scalp squamous cell carcinoma.  In addition, 90 dental procedures were performed.  MMFC donated an anesthesia machine to the hospital.  To learn more about MMFC’s 2009 mission to Guatemala please check out the MMFC blog.

Alarming Statistics

In underdeveloped nations, cleft of the lip and palate are two of the most commonly occurring congenital deformities. Tragically, severe burns are also very common in young children around the world. Due to the lack of access to modern medical care, many children will go through life with permanent facial scars and deformities. The deformities of the children cause physical pain, but that is far from all. The deformities foster shame, isolation, and sadness as the afflicted children grow older. Deformed children feel different from peers; in many cases, other children ridicule and ostracize them. The deformed children’s lives become lonely, isolated, and hopeless. These children are also plagued by chronic infections, at which point the deformity becomes dangerous – and sometimes fatal.

Rising to the Cause

In response to these tragedies, Boston area doctors and nurses joined forces to create MMFC – a not-for-profit organization that provides free reconstructive surgical and dental care to children born with cleft of the lip and palate, deformed or missing ears (microtia), and other congenital deformities, as well as severe burns. MMFC provides its services at no cost to the patients or families. MMFC facilitates the transfer of medical educa­tion, knowledge, and recent innovations to local medical communities in developing countries. Finally, the MMFC team returns year after year for those children who require follow-up care.

Staying the Course

For almost twenty years, MMFC has launched humanitarian trips to underdeveloped areas of Central America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, with standing invitations to travel to several new sites. Currently MMFC is made up of over 375 volunteers from all over the United States and abroad and launches an average of 12-13 missions per year. Many of our volunteers have teaching appointments at major US medical schools, such as Stanford, Harvard, Tufts, Cornell, and Boston University.

Efficient and Focused

Despite caring for over 1,000 children per year, MMFC is able to function with only 3% of donated money being channeled to overhead costs. That means 97% of donation money goes directly into the missions. It’s a statement that most other charitable organizations simply can’t make.

Community Outreach

MMFC continues to support and expand its community outreach efforts to provide nutrition and clean water to its mission sites.  MMFC has partnered with thirst.org to implement a clean water initiative in Antigua, Guatemala beginning in 2010.  The 2010 mission to Guatemala is scheduled for January 2-9, 2010.

For more information, visit their website or call 508-697-5821.