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Indigenous Healthcare Worker Education Fund Established

MBF is pleased to announce that a new fund has been established thanks to a generous donation of $2 million plus continued support. This fund will help to train indigenous healthcare workers. To learn more about this exciting development, please read the lead article in the 2008 Summer edition of the MBF Mission Connection Online [LINK HERE].

The MEDICAL BENEVOLENCE FOUNDATION is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Simmons as our new Grants Implementation Officer.

Bill will begin with MBF on July 1.  He comes to us with his wife, Willie, out of 20 years of mission service for the Presbyterian Church (USA) followed by 8 years of service with the General Assembly Council in various leadership roles for the Worldwide Ministries Division.  Bill and Willie actually began their mission service as MBF-related PC(USA) mission personnel, so we are glad to welcome them “home.”  Bill recently retired from service in the new World Mission unit of the GAC.  We welcome him to this new call in service of Christ’s church in medical mission.  Bill will support MBF’s work of securing grants in support of our partner churches’ medical mission and will help partner institutions develop capacity and resolve problems in their programs utilizing those grants.  All those who know Bill know that his abilities are legion, and we are sure he will contribute in yet unforeseen ways to our efforts to serve faithfully in God’s mission.

MEDICAL BENEVOLENCE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
REV. DR. WILLIAM BROWNE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JANUARY 8, 2008 - After an extensive search and review process, the Medical Benevolence Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of the
Rev. Dr. William ("Will") Carlton Browne to the position of Executive Director. Will writes, "I am deeply honored by the faith you have placed in me by extending this call to ministry with MBF."

The son of missionary parents and grandparents, Will is a Presbyterian minister and holds a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. He comes to MBF having served all levels of the Presbyterian Church. This includes 17 years as a pastor, six as a presbytery executive and nine in the World Mission office at the Presbyterian Church (USA) headquarters in Louisville, KY.

Will's work has included staff supervision, budget and funds development, financial management, and extensive work with the church's international partners. In addition, he has worked to "enable others to discern God's call to ministry." Will writes, "A great part of what draws me is MBF's commitment to the support of mission through the PC(USA) and with partners... Healing was an important part of Jesus’ ministry and has always been a key element in our Presbyterian holistic understanding of the Gospel and of mission.  I am eager to join so many others in helping keep this ministry a vital element in our proclamation of God’s love in Jesus Christ."

The MBF board believes that Will Browne has the gifts to lead the organization, building upon its 45 year history of partnership with the indigenous church in addressing the health needs of the poor in developing nations.

MBF Helps Build Nurse's Future After Civil Strife in Nepal
The U.S. Department of State's website recently reported on the Lalitpur Nursing School in Nepal: When Nepal opened its doors to the outside world in the early 1950s, the country had no professional nurses. Then, in 1956, the school now named Lalitpur Nursing Campus began teaching Nepal’s first nurses. Today, Lalitpur offers a certificate and a post-bachelor's degree nursing program.

But faced with an increasingly difficult political and economic climate in the country, the school began to experience problems in the 1990s. By 2000, it was at great risk because of disrepair and degradation of the facilities.

In 2003, the Medical Benevolence Foundation applied for a $300,000 grant from the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad program of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Medical Benevolence Foundation was granted $300,000 to upgrade and enhance the school's physical facilities and equip it to continue to prepare high-quality professional nurses. The funds were used to renovate an existing four-story building, including structural repair; door and fire escape replacements; room enlargements; electrical wiring and fixture replacement; and adding a transformer, backup generator and water and sanitary systems.  [READ MORE]

MBF Featured on The Visionaries
MBF was featured on an episode of the award-winning PBS series The Visionaries. We invite you to watch a clip of this program, and then order the complete DVD to share with your friends.  [READ MORE]

More News: Mission Connection
MBF Publishes a quarterly newsletter called Mission Connection. It features articles about what's going on in the field and within MBF. If you would like to be kept up to date, please subscribe by contacting us to let us know! You can also download back issues of Mission Connection by clicking HERE.

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