Medan Initiative

05/24/2026

Most of all, I will always be grateful for the overwhelming kindness, love, and joy I experienced throughout the trip.

Emma Theroux, MA

Most of all, I will always be grateful for the overwhelming kindness, love, and joy I experienced throughout the trip.

05/09/2026

Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Our board members give their time, wisdom, leadership, and heart to help move our mission forward. Their dedication, passion, and belief in what we do make an incredible impact on the kids that we serve.

We have several new programs that we will be rolling out in the coming months, including a program that is focused on preventing and treating parasitic infections to improve the health of the students that we serve. We will be treating every child with an anti-parasite medication every 6 months, which we believe will result in a decrease in GI symptoms and, potentially, an improvement in growth amongst the kids that we serve.

We will also be starting our new Tenama Bet (‘healthy homes’) Program, which will expand our commitment to student well-being by supporting the health of the entire family. Building on the medical care that we provide at RAEY School, this initiative will equip families with essential hygiene products and practical education to promote healthy home environments. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

05/05/2026

The moments that stayed with me most from Ethiopia were the quiet, deeply human ones.

Heather Adkin, RN

The moments that stayed with me most from Ethiopia were the quiet, deeply human ones.

05/02/2026

A difficult update on Eyerus.

On Tuesday Eyerus had a heart catheterization through collaboration with Chain of Hope. We knew that this was a necessary diagnostic intervention to determine if surgery is truly an option. Unfortunately, after extensive multidisciplinary discussion, surgery has been deemed too risky.

This was really hard news. We are committed to providing ongoing cardiac care, which will focus on symptom control and slowing disease progression.

Please pray for her mother, as we know this feels too much to bear at times. Please pray for wisdom for us and our partners in Ethiopia as we make decisions on ongoing care.

04/25/2026

‘I did not expect to travel across the world in 2026, but God had different plans.’

Kara O’Hara, PA-C

I did not expect to travel across the world in 2026, but God had different plans.

04/14/2026

Many of you have asked for an update on Eyerus. There has been a tremendous amount of work going on behind the scenes.

She was evaluated at the Chain of Hope Cardiac Center in Ethiopia yesterday. She is currently scheduled for a heart catheterization on April 28. The cardiac team will all be present to evaluate the case and make a decision on whether or not surgery is feasible. If they deem surgery feasible, she will then go abroad for surgery. We are unsure of where exactly that would be at this time.

We are very cautiously optimistic — we still have some huge hurdles. Thank you for your ongoing prayers!

03/30/2026

The girl we keep fighting for.

Eyerus is recovering well at the guest house. We do not have a definitive plan at this point, but we do have some options for next steps. Please keep praying, friends.

03/23/2026

Eyerus was discharged from the hospital today. We have her staying at the guest house (where our teams stay) for the next few weeks so that she is in a very clean environment during her post-operative healing.

We are currently gathering all of her records and we are continuing to discuss our options with two different health systems here in the states. We are so grateful for all of you who have been praying for her and supporting/encouraging us on this journey. ❤️

03/22/2026

Having abundant access to clean water is such a gift!

03/20/2026

Another update on Eyerus.

We were absolutely heartbroken over the news that surgery was not feasible in Ethiopia. We knew the risks, but were still hopeful. We are thankful that the surgical team in Ethiopia had the wisdom to not continue with the surgery, once they realized the severity of her case and recognized that she may not survive if they continued.

At this point, we are still considering options. At the very least, we will be providing ongoing cardiology care for her through our partnerships in Ethiopia. However, we know that her condition is not sustainable long-term.

We are also exploring the option of getting her here to the states for a second opinion. She really needs a heart catheterization, which is a procedure that is not available in Ethiopia. We are currently having conversations with a couple different health systems regarding her case. We know this is a longshot, but we are committed to exhausting all of our options.

We appreciate your prayers for discernment. ❤️