Welcome to Global Health Ministries' homepage! This site is intended to serve as a resource for Lutheran health care work overseas. Please feel free to explore and learn more about how YOU can make a meaningful difference throughout the world. If you have a specific question about Global Health Ministries, please e-mail us at ghmoffice@cs.com. Click here to read our Policy Statement on Donor Information.

Congregations Build Mission in Ethiopia
Imagine riding two full days on the side bench seats in the back of a Land Cruiser over sometimes paved, often gravel, roads. That is what eight members of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (LCGS) in Minneapolis and one member of The Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minneapolis did in early November. The Momentum for Mission Ministry, begun in 2005, at LCGS was the impetus for the trip, which was its second annual relationship-building trip to Ethiopia and the small town of Aira. Read this story and others in the March-April, 2008 Newsletter.

Anosy Integrated Village Development Program
The Lutheran Church in Madagascar operates one of the largest health care systems supported by Global Health Ministries: 8 hospitals, 22 health centers and 14 clinics. GHM finances numerous project and all shipments of medical supplies and equipment to Madagascar in collaboration with SOA (Salfa Overseas Assistance), with total annual grants and allocations averaging nearly $130,000 over each of the last five years for such projects as Rural Clinic Support, SEFAM (School of Nursing), Continuing Education and Residencies, Pharmacotherapy services for the mentally ill, purchase of equipment and vehicles. Click here to learn more.

GHAP to Send First Assessment Team
Global Health Administration Partners (GHAP) will launch its pilot phase early in 2008, sending an Assessment Team to Ilula Lutheran Hospital, a facility of the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. GHAP is GHM’s new program for partnering with oversees mission health administrators to enhance their practices in health care management. To learn more about GHAP, click here.

Knitted and Crocheted Baby Blankets
A NEW hands-on project is available for knitters and crocheters in the form of Baby Blankets! If you or your circle made bandages in the past, this is a perfect project to migrate to and begin for the winter months and beyond. Click here to read instructions and download the bulletin insert for congregations.

Charity Navigator Award
For the sixth consecutive year, Global Health Ministries has received a 4-star rating from Charity Naviagator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates the organization excels, as compared to other charities in America, in successfully managing the finances in an efficient and effective manner.This consistency is an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges many charities have had to face in the last year. To learn more about Charity Navigator and GHM's profile, please click here.

Thrivent Matching Program Makes Your Gift Grow Even More!
Thrivent policy holders’ gifts to GHM may be matched by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. $600.00 or more per year per policy holder will be matched with $300.00 by Thrivent. Donations above the $600.00 to GHM per year per policy holder will not be matched by Thrivent but are equally appreciated by GHM. Click here to learn more.

Knitted or Crocheted Bandages for Tropical Ulcer Patients
NOTICE: PROJECT DISCONTINUED
The response to the Tropical Ulcer bandage project has been amazing, and we wish to thank all of you knitters and crocheters for the thousands of beautiful bandages that have been mailed or delivered to the GHM warehouse for the past 3-4 years. Your response, indeed, has been so great, that after consulting with our partners overseas, we now find that the supply of knitted and crocheted bandages exceeds their demand. Unfortunately, therefore, we will now have to discontinue the project for the foreseeable future.

We will be happy to receive the bandages that are already made!

We know it has been a blessing to so many who have fallen in love with this mission project, but now we encourage you to divert your energy and enthusiasm to other projects; e.g., Hospice kits and Midwife kits, Baby caps (knitted and crocheted), or how about knitting or crocheting blankets for infants and toddlers? See the GHM web site for instructions for these projects (except the blankets). The baby blankets should be approximately 30 inches square. They can be knitted or crocheted from any type of yarn - cotton or acrylic.

NOTICE: Hospice Kits Revised
Due to recent changes in overseas government policy and regulations regarding the importation and management of medications, which include ibuprofen and multi-vitamins normally included in hospice kits, we have decided to discontinue the inclusion of these medications in the kits. To read more and download the revised list, see revised hospice kits.

If you are looking for brochures for the hands-on projects, please click on the following links: rolled bandages, knitted and crocheted bandages for tropical ulcer patients, midwife kits, revised hospice kits, and baby cap instructions.