José lived this way for 19 years, covering his face with a bandana in public to avoid the attention.  And then in 2011, he heard about Esperança’s upcoming surgical mission coming to the town of Jinotega that specialized in correcting cleft palate.  José walked for 5 days, to see if this might be his shot at changing the course of his life.

José arrived at the hospital the night before Esperança volunteer surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Retson and his team were to arrive.  He was exhausted and hungry and slept on the hospital floor.  Jose met with Dr. Retson the next day, scared and unwilling to smile, fearing Dr. Retson would not take his case.

But Dr. Retson did take José as a patient. In fact Jose’s was the first surgery the team performed, and it was a huge success.  After resting a couple days in the hospital to regain his strength, José was given bus fare for the journey home and to begin again, healed and confident about his future.

Because of the generosity of Esperança supporters and the dedication of Dr. Retson and his team, José can now look forward to the possibilities that are now open to him… which just might be a Valentine’s Day kiss!

Esperança was awarded the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence. This is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. 

Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal. “We are honored to receive this award and to be recognized as one of the best charities in America.” Said, Tom Egan, President and CEO of Esperança. “I knew that Esperança was a very special organization, but when they told me that fewer than 5% of the charities in the whole country receive this seal of approval, I was truly proud of our staff, board of directors, donors and volunteers for making us one of the best charities in America”.

“Best of all, pledge4good lets you easily inform friends on Facebook, Twitter, and email as you set and then pursue your goals,” said Vik Bellapravalu, co-founder of pledge4good.com.  “Friends can share in your achievements by joining your pledge and making a donation (as low as $1) every time you adhere or achieve your goal.”   

Achievements may include hitting a birdie at golf, losing a pound, getting an A in school, or a win by your favorite football team. Individuals pick their achievements. Then, they simply invite friends or family members via  social media to join in and make donations tied to their achievements. Next, individuals log achievement +donations.  They can check-in on pledge4good.com’s mobile app or website to share the news with friends and make a donation.

“This is an innovative and fresh concept in fundraising,” said Tom Egan, president and CEO of Esperança.  “It’s simple enough that people will use it and it’s a great way to engage with supporters and followers through our growing social media networks.  Being a national organization, it also gives us the ability for anyone, anywhere in the country to raise funds to support our mission of building clean, sustainable and healthy communities worldwide.”

Esperanca staff and volunteers loading medical supplies

 Esperança shipments have provided poor, rural hospitals in developing countries sorely needed medical supplies for over 40 years. Sometimes bandages, antiseptic and sutures are all that is needed to save a life. “An average container provides approximately $1,500,000 in donated medical equipment and supplies.  It costs Esperança just $8,000 to ship one of these containers. That is a tremendous return on our donor’s investment.  We plan to send our next shipment in June of 2012. We couldn’t accomplish this mission without the dedication of our partners, donors and volunteers”, Said Tom Egan, President and CEO of Esperança.

To learn more about our medical shipments visit our website.

We are announcing a partnership with pledge4good.com, an innovative platform that lets you create a donation pledge tied to your New Year’s goal—for example, $2.00 per pound lost for Esperanca. Best of all, pledge4good lets you easily inform friends on Facebook, Twitter, and email as you set and then pursue your resolution. Friends can share in your achievements by joining your pledge and making a donation (as low as $1) every time you adhere or achieve your resolution!

Creating a pledge on pledge4good.com takes only two minutes. Simply:
1) Go to our organization’s dedicated pledge4good page here
2) Think of a New Year’s resolution pledge, such as a donation of $1, $5 or $10 for every:
1. fitness: day I work out before work
2. running; mile I run
3. volunteering: hour I do of volunteer work
4. weight loss: pound I lose
5. academic: A my child gets in school
6. health: day I sleep more than 8 hours
7. lifestyle: day I go without eating dessert
8. custom: achievement of your choice
3) Enter details of your resolution pledge in the “Create Pledge” box in the top right of our profile
4) Share your pledge with friends via Facebook, Twitter, and email using pledge4good’s seamless social network integration

What a great way to transform the lives of others as you transform your own!

Three years ago, Digna received her first batch of chicks, along with 7 other women, as part of Esperança’s agricultural micro-loan project. Participants of the program, mostly women, learn how to run a small business which provides an additional income. Families have the additional benefit of having a steady source of eggs, which helps improve their nutrition, as well.

At a cost of $60 per person, Digna received the materials to construct a coop and 6 laying hens. She also learned through workshops about how to correctly care for the chickens, what to feed them, how to breed them, and even some techniques for selling the eggs. Initially, her husband was not supportive. He was jealous that she was making an income. But after seeing the benefits that the business has had on their family, he is proud of her and even attends community meetings on her behalf.

“To have this business has benefitted me greatly because before, I would have to buy eggs to eat. Now I have them readily available when my family needs them, and I even have some spare ones to sell and help make a small income.” Digna’s business has blossomed and she is now a community leader within the program and her community.

A worthwhile investment of $60 indeed.

Tom Egan, President & CEO and Christina Araiza, Program Director are pictured here with St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center Vice President and Chief Operating Offier Gregg Davis, and Sister Margaret McBride, Vice President of Organizational Outreach

Even though they didn’t spell our name correctly, the bank still cashed the check. Hooray!

Dr. Diane Sklar with a patient post-surgery

In November of 2011, Dr. Sklar and her team of four returned from another successful gynecological mission. They operated on 33 women, performing multiple complex procedures on each one.

Dr. Sklar and her surgical team

One woman, 46 year old Seberina, was able to reap the incredible benefits that Dr. Sklar and her team offered during this mission. Seberina is a mother of 6 children. Never able to attend school, she is unable to read or write and only speaks the indigenous language of Quechua. Seberina and her husband are very poor farmers who make an average of $70 a month. More than four years ago, she began to have gynecological issues that affected her everyday well-being. She was no longer able to tend to the crops, and was in constant pain. Two weeks before the volunteer surgeons arrived, she heard a radio announcement about their arrival. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that this may be her opportunity to have surgery and be healed. The local doctors told her that the volunteer doctors would decide on which patients would receive the operations. She prayed fervently every day that she would be selected. On the day the team arrived, Seberina arrived at 4am to be the first one in line with all her lab and diagnostic tests already completed. When she was selected, she gave praise to God although she admitted she was a little afraid as well. Dr. Sklar and her team operated for 3 hours on Seberina, and performed 5 different procedures. It was a long surgery but the outcome was very positive and Seberina will fully heal.

Seberina with Dr. Sklar and Dr. Kayser

Returning from her last mission, Dr. Sklar expressed how every year she looks forward to the Bolivian volunteer experience. “It is a unique environment to teach, provide services and interact with the local community. I love the staff, patients and Bolivian support. Thank you for allowing my team to participate.”

Dr. Sung Ho Lee and his team

One of Dr. Lee’s team members, Dr. Iris Wertheim, is a gynecological surgeon who specializes in oncology. She operated on several women with more complex cancer-related health issues, and gave these women a better chance at fighting off the cancer.

The team also squeezed in some time to provide education and training with local medical professionals, which Esperança encourages of all our medical volunteers!

Teaching session with local medical professionals