Esperança Blog :: Esperanca, Nonprofit Organization, Phoenix Arizona

Esperança Earns 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for Fifth Consecutive Year

May 11, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

For the fifth consecutive year, Esperança has earned the highest rating available from Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator. They awarded its coveted four-star rating to Esperança for “sound fiscal management”.

“Only four percent of the charities evaluated have received at least five consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Esperança outperforms most other charities in America,” said Ken Berger, President & CEO, Charity Navigator. “This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Esperança from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

To learn more about the Charity Navigator ranking system, visit: www.charitynavigator.org.

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog, Press

THANK YOU ESPERANÇA VOLUNTEERS!

April 20, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

This week is National Volunteer Week and we wanted to thank our many volunteers to help Esperança achieve our life-saving mission. Our work depends on our generous and dedicated volunteers who serve in many ways.

Andrea, a local volunteer helped paint the Esperanca sign out front.

Surgical volunteers give their time and talent to improving lives globally. Each team travels to remote areas for 10 day missions, operating on 40 to 50 people.

Office volunteers help keep administrative costs low by providing help with mailings, inventory, data entry and are always eager to help.

Community volunteers transform their local communities through education and prevention programs.

Esperança volunteers we salute you!

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog

Congratulations to Esperança Volunteer, Dr. Lisa Abaid

April 12, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

Dr. Lisa Abaid was recently selected as an outstanding volunteer for the 36^th Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards in Orange County, CA. Lisa Abaid MD practices gynecologic oncology in Newport Beach, California at Hoag Hospital. She is a gynecologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of women with cancer of the reproductive organs (ovaries, uterus, cervix and vagina). Through her work with Esperança she has changed the lives of hundreds of poor rural women without access to care by volunteering as a lead surgeon on three surgical missions to Bolivia. She is committed to serving the underserved by donating her time and expertise and we applaud her efforts. Join us in congratulating, Dr. Abaid on a much deserved recognition!

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog

The Urgent Need for Hope

April 9, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

Giovanna’s story is tragic, but needs to be told as there are others like her; other children who need Esperança’s volunteer surgeons to save them from her fate – amputation.

Seventeen year-old Giovanna lives in Tarija, Bolivia. She is excited about her future and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She has one obstacle standing in her way…a cancerous tumor on her right leg. Her family is poor and unable to afford surgery that would save her leg. Without it, her leg will be amputated from the thigh down.

Giovanna with her parents

On a recent Esperança surgical mission in February, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raymond Sachs and his team performed 45 surgeries during a week’s mission. Giovanna’s parents brought her late in the week to see if Dr. Sachs could help her with the growing tumor. X-rays were taken and her case was analyzed by the team. They all agreed that yes, they could save her leg. However, it couldn’t happen during this mission because there wasn’t enough time or specialized equipment to be able to perform the complex surgery. Esperança had hoped to send Dr. Sachs back in time to save her leg. However, Giovanna’s family couldn’t wait and has made the decision to go forward with an amputation, fearing the cancer might spread. One can certainly understand their decision but it underscores the tremendous need for our doctors.

Dr. Sachs is willing to return this summer to operate on other patients with urgent needs like Giovanna. It is only a matter of Esperança having the additional $7,000 to send him. This amount is needed to cover our local staff, medications, local transportation costs, clinic facility costs, and lodging and meals for the volunteers. Please consider what you can do to help prevent another child like Giovanna from losing a limb.

Filed Under: Orthopedic

Esperanca is Hiring – Part-time Community Health Educator

April 4, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

Esperanca is currently hiring a part-time Community Health Educator. Please share the information below!

Position: Community Health Educator – Part-time

Description:

Since 1970, Esperança has been bringing hope, providing health and transforming communities for the world’s poor. Through our volunteer surgical program, clean water and sanitation, home building, food security and nutrition, disease prevention, education and treatment programs, we have helped millions of people in 14 countries, including the United States. Since 1999, Esperança has been working in the Phoenix area to provide underserved families with resources, health services, and preventative education. The Community Health Educator will work with the Esperança team to further develop the Phoenix project. The position is part-time and an estimated 20-25 hours per week. Compensation is $15 per hour.

Qualifications:

Bilingual in English and Spanish is required
Minimum of 1 year of experience in community health or related field
Strong written, oral and interpersonal communication skills
Knowledge of health issues and resources for underserved populations
Adaptable to diverse working environments such as community, partners and funders
Able to track and collect information and data necessary for reporting purposes
Flexibility in scheduling; some evenings and weekends required
Reliable transportation
Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Power Point, and Excel

Duties and Responsibilities:

Implement program services for the U.S. project including health events, preventive education, and health services as needed
Present health education and promotion programs for community groups such as schools, community clinics, Head Starts, and community centers
Assess community health needs, problems and gaps and meet those needs with existing resources or recommend the development of additional resources
Assist with the development of best-practice health education curricula and programs that are culturally appropriate, as needs are identified
Assist in the development, tracking, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of budgets and grants
Build and strengthen relationships with local health leaders, schools, and community groups in order to implement health programming
Identify health and social support resources and make referrals as appropriate
Perform additional duties as assigned within the scope of the position

To apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to Christina Araiza, Program Director, by April 18^th, 2012 via email: Christina@esperanca.org or by fax: 602-340-9197.

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog

Esperanca Remembers its Founding Brothers

April 4, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

James Tupper’s first visit to the barrios of South America can only be described as life-altering. The 26-year-old Naval medical officer went ashore during a stop along route to the Antarctic in 1960 and what he saw was a shocking example of unrelieved poverty—something that the middle-class graduate from the Medical College of Wisconsin could hardly have imagined.

The images of children with swollen bellies, adults coughing up blood, and families living upon trash heaps would haunt him for many years after. In 1963 he made a decision: he would enter the priesthood and become a medical missionary in Brazil. He chose Luke as his religious name, after the physician who became St. Paul’s companion.
Father Luke and his brother, Jerry Tupper, were the founders of Phoenix nonprofit Esperança, which means “hope” in Portuguese. While Father Luke provided the medical expertise, the drive and the “hope,” brother Jerry, an attorney, set up the not-for-profit, found office space, recruited local volunteers, and even traveled around the country seeking donations for the organization whose message, still today, is “bringing hope, providing health and transforming communities for the world’s poor.”

Esperança grew from Father Luke riding a bicycle out to the remotest of villages with his black doctor’s bag, to a floating hospital on a flat-bottomed ferryboat that traveled up and down the Amazon River, to a permanent site at 19th Avenue and Earll Drive in Phoenix that recently was dedicated to the two brothers. Though both have since passed away, the organization continues on, and those who have become involved over the years—whether as paid staff, local volunteers or medical missionaries—all agree that Esperança has changed their lives.

The public is invited to hear more about the story of the Tupper family and its powerful legacy of heathcare for the poor, and how the nonprofit has grown locally as well as globally, at a free breakfast event scheduled for 8-9 a.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Phoenix Country Club, 2901 N. 7th St. A Phoenix doctor who returned last month from a medical mission trip to Nicaragua will share his experiences and photos.

To RSVP for the free breakfast event, e-mail Lori Logan at lori@esperanca.org or call 602-252-7772, ext. 101.

Original Article: http://northcentralnews.net/content/view/2852/54/

Filed Under: Press

Charity Gifts for Mother’s Day

April 4, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

Give an inspired gift to your mother this Mother’s Day, there is nothing better than the gift of hope. Send a gift in honor/in memory of your mother to Esperança and make your mother proud by helping a mother in the developing world in her name. Mother’s Day is your opportunity to say a special thank you to the woman who gave you life, gives you love and protects you in any way she can. There are many mothers in the developing world who see their children go hungry every day, who suffer from malnutrition and dehydration which cause deadly diseases. Chronic malnutrition is the reality for 34% of children in Bolivia, 38% in Mozambique and 20% in Nicaragua. (United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 2010). With an Esperança Gift you and your mother can do provide hope to mothers in some of the poorest countries in the world, who need your help to provide for their children. You can choose from the following gifts below: (NOTE: In the comments section of the donation page, enter your mother’s name, and any special note you would like to include. The gift certificate will be emailed to you to print out and present to your mother.)

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT CATALOG

Donate $ 10 – CHICKENS

A gift of $ 10 provides laying hens for one family which a mother in the developing world can use to feed her family as well as start a business selling excess eggs.

Donate $ 60 – PIG

A gift of $ 60 provides one pig for one mother’s family that can be raised as a valuable source of protein, and the sale of offspring can provide an income for her family.

Donate $ 160 Quinoa seeds and training

A gift of $ 160 provides seeds and training to one family to begin quinoa crop production. Quinoa has a high nutritional value and a high market price which makes it an ideal small business for a mother to provide for her family.

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog, Gift Catalog

Many thanks to Delta Dental of Arizona

March 20, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor 1 Comment

We’re thrilled to announce that Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has awarded grant funding in the amount of $10,000 to Esperanca to expand our Oral Health program for pre-school and elementary children in Phoenix.

On March 8th, 2012, Delta Dental presented Tom Egan, president and CEO and Maria Valenzuela, Community Health Coordinator of Esperanca with the check. The funds will be used to hire, train and equip staff to provide oral health education to children ages 4-12 in the Isaac and Cartwright school districts and parents of 0-5 year olds enrolled in Head Star/Early Head Start.

Esperanca CEO, Tom Egan (left) and Community Health Coordinator, Maria Valenzuela (middle) receive Delta Dental award

Children and parents who receive services through this project live in communities that have poverty levels two to three times the national average and misinformation about children’s oral health is rampant. Many students from both districts have no access to regular dental care, and proper brushing, flossing, and other preventative care may not be taught in the home.

In addition to oral health education, all participants will receive oral hygiene kits with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss so that they are able to practice what they learned at the trainings.

Corporate support means everything to our programs and we’re so grateful for the donation from Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. Their generous donation will allow us to expand our program and reach more children and families throughout Phoenix, Maryvale and the Golden Gate community.

Filed Under: Dental and Oral Health, Esperanca Blog, News and Events, Press, U.S. Project

Despite travel obstacles, ophthalmologist performs 36 surgeries!

March 16, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

Dr. Georges Birenbaum, an ophthalmologic surgeon from Oregon, traveled on his third surgical mission with Esperança. His travel conditions were not ideal. The week he flew in, city-wide strikes in Tarija, Bolivia closed down all land and air transportation. He was stuck for several days in the larger city of Santa Cruz, waiting for the first available flight into Tarija in order to be able to perform surgeries. Fortunately for many patients, he didn’t give up. Once he arrived to Tarija, he would walk or talk a motorcycle every day to get to the hospital and bypass all the roadblocks that were set up. As a result, he was able to examine 83 patients and complete 36 surgeries.

Dr. Birenbaum checks out a patient for possible surgery

Rural families, dealing with the roadblocks, also had difficulty getting to the hospital. Some walked for hours to get there. Local clinics provided some patients a ride in the ambulance. Some families weren’t able to make it due to limited transportation and rainy weather. Those who did were able to be treated for cataracts and other eye problems, and many regained their sight!

Dr. Birenbaum examines a patient

Thank you Dr. Birenbaum for your patience and flexibility despite the many barriers that you confronted during your mission! Those patients are forever grateful!

Filed Under: Esperanca Blog, Ophthamology, Surgical Mission Success

Esperança dedicates building to the Tupper Family

March 15, 2012 By healthHope4worldsPoor Leave a Comment

On Thursday March 1, 2012 friends and family of the Tupper family, past staff and supporters of Esperança gathered in the courtyard of Esperança for a dedication of Esperança headquarters to Esperança founders and brothers, Father Luke and Jerry Tupper.

A plaque honoring the service of both men was unveiled by widow of Jerry Tupper, Barbara. It was recognized and agreed upon by all that Barbara’s sacrifice was instrumental in the launch and success of Esperança. Jerry’s efforts to build a firm foundation for the organization were only possible with the unwavering support from Barbara.

Barbara Tupper unveiling the plaque

Esperanca supporters, staff and friends join together to honor founders Father Luke and Jerry Tupper

The celebration included talks from former Executive Directors, past volunteers and family members. Sue Johnson, Jerry’s daughter spoke of the passion she saw in her uncle and father to help the sick. Bill Dolan, Program Director from 1987 to 1994 told of Esperança’s major contribution to eradicating Polio in Brazil with its extensive vaccination campaign in the 1970s.

After 42 years, Esperança continues to bring hope, provide health and transform communities globally. We are grateful to the Tupper Family for creating this wonderful force for good in the world.