If you’ve ever visited MedWish, you’ve probably seen our staging bays – three big sets of racks stacked high with medical supplies. Each holds the equivalent of 20 pallets (one 40′ cargo container) each.

Aside from the sheer magnitude of each shipment, they’re admittedly not much to look at. It’s hard to imagine just what these orders mean to the people who will receive them. That’s why we’re thrilled to hear from our partner, MedPLUS Connect, about a container that recently arrived in Ghana.

We’ve been excited about this shipment since we began building the order, because four separate hospital systems in Ohio donated equipment that ended up on the container. Examination lamps, hospital beds, an ultrasound and crash carts each came from different donor hospitals. We knew they’d make a big impact for the hospital requesting the items, but we never imagined how great of an impact.

From Anna Finestone, Executive Director, MedPLUS Connect:

Approximately 70% of the annual budget for Gwollu Hospita [located in the Sisala West district of Ghana] l is spent on purchasing medical supplies. Dr. Bukari [the medical director] told us that our shipment of medical supplies to his hospital will “save about 50 to 60 per cent of our annual budget.”

These savings can now be diverted towards expanding other needed health programs at the hospital. Additionally, as a direct result of this container, “delays in providing service associated with shortages or lack of medical supplies will be a thing of the past.”

The ultrasound included in this container will also be the first in the Sisala West and Tumu Districts. This ultrasound will be instrumental to providing maternal services, promoting early diagnosis of difficult pregnancies and preventing emergency situations.

The hospital mattresses we sent can be used to replace very old mattresses as well as expand the hospital bed capacity for both facilities.  The examination lamps will aid service delivery in both the hospitals and surrounding health centers.

What does that all mean?

First, a huge portion of the hospital’s budget that is usually spent on medical supplies can now be spent on hiring more medical professionals, making building improvements or serving more patients who may not be able to pay for care.
Second, doctors will be able to provide care when their patients need it, not just when a certain vital medical supply is in stock.
Third, moms and babies will be healthier – in a region that has never had an ultrasound.

Soon, we hope to get some photos from Dr. Bukari and his team of the equipment in use in his hospital. In the meantime, we’ll take heart in knowing that the unassuming boxes and hospital beds that fill our distribution center have a beautiful future indeed.

Here are 10 tips for making the most of your volunteer experience:

1. Wear closed-toed shoes. We don’t doubt your pedicure looks great, but for your own safety, keep your toes under wraps.

2. Drink plenty of water. We have water coolers and fans to beat the heat. Help us be Earth-friendly and bring a reusable water bottle so we can use fewer plastic cups.

3. Take breaks. Some say, “Give till it hurts.” We say, we want volunteering to be fun! If you need to sit down or switch gears to a different task, let our staff know.

4. Make it a family activity! Teach your children (or your parents, or your second cousin) about giving back on a global scale. Children 13 and older are welcome to sort with their parents or guardians.

5. Ask questions. What’s the difference between an IV catheter and a Foley catheter? It matters! If you don’t know what something is, where it goes or whether it’s appropriate for humanitarian aid, ask a MedWish staffer. We’re here to help you, help us (help our recipients).

6. Get social. Check in on Foursquare to unlock a first-time check-in prize (and a 10th time check-in prize, if you become a regular!) Tweet to us at @medwish, post photos to our Instagram @medwishintl, find us on Facebook and use the hashtag #DoGoodCLE to let us know how your volunteer experience is going.

7. Wear your heart for MedWish on your sleeve. Or carry your coffee in it. On some of our bigger sort days, we’ll open the MedWish store where you can pick up some great MedWish T-shirts, travel mugs, mobile screen cleaners and more. All proceeds support our mission! (And if you miss a sort-day store opening, don’t worry: Coming soon, we’re launching a new online store!)

8. Watch for forklift traffic, don’t lift something if it’s too heavy, and stay off ladders. Our staff will be looking out for your safety throughout your experience. Pay attention to the posted safety guidelines!

9. You look good in blue latex gloves. Keep them on whenever you’re sorting to protect yourself, our medical supplies and our recipients. (If you have a latex allergy, let us know. We have alternatives.)

10. Come back. Really! Thousands of volunteers pass through our doors each year. The ones who come back make a bigger impact with each visit. You’ll learn more about how we do our work. You’ll touch more lives all around the world. And you’ll come to learn what you like to do the most at MedWish. Your first visit might be nothing but sorting big boxes of miscellaneous supplies, but your 20th visit could be helping track down items on a wish list, writing social media, planning an event or interning with us.

The volunteers brought a film crew to document this important community service. Check it out:

Nurenberg Paris is one of many valued local businesses that support community service at MedWish.

Groups small and large can benefit from a day out of the office. Service can be a great team-builder, morale booster and can help employees feel more connected to their communities – both here in Northeast Ohio and the global community. Volunteers work side by side in our distribution center to transform assorted medical surplus into lifesaving shipment.

If you are interested in scheduling a corporate sort at MedWish, please contact us at volunteer@medwish.org.

To name a few:

• A cargo container of medical equipment will furnish
  a newly built clinic in Honduras.

• A pallet airlifted to the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda
  will fuel the work of volunteers and local doctors.

• A shipment hand-delivered to the Philippines will help doctors
  provide quality prenatal care and delivery services.

• Two special deliveries will help to keep orphans healthy
  in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.

These are just a few examples of the continual transformation of local surplus into global impact at MedWish.

You can get involved in future shipments: Download our donation guide if you work at a hospital, sign up to volunteer, make a gift or request supplies to fuel your good work. And if MedWish supplies have helped you make a difference somewhere in the world, contact us and let us know.

Clean, safe medical equipment can empower midwives and doctors to bring healthy babies into the world (and ensure their mothers survive to raise them.) Obstetric and gynecological supplies are among the top items that our recipients ask for because the need is desperate.

This Mother’s Day, make a gift to MedWish in honor of your mom (other other women in your life) to help women around the world have healthier pregnancies, safer deliveries and stronger babies.