Dear Family and Friends,

This year I joined an organization at UCLA called Global Medical Brigades whose mission is to empower volunteers to facilitate sustainable solutions in under resourced communities while fostering local cultures, as well as implementing the voice of the community in our efforts to improve equality of life; by igniting a student-led social responsibility movement at the University of California, Los Angeles and to apply the knowledge learned abroad toward the positive eradication of structural inequalities in our own communities.

As a member of Global Medical Brigades, I will be going on a 10-day brigade trip to the country of Ghana this winter break from December 26-January 6 with a group of about 60 volunteers including several doctors from the US and Ghana. In Ghana, we will set up mobile medical clinics to provide free health care where access is very limited to over 1000 men, women, and children living within and around the community. At the clinics, community members and their children will consult with doctors and dentists, fill prescriptions for free medicine, receive any dental care they may need, and attend health education workshops. As a volunteer, I will assist doctors in providing primary health care at the clinics, take vital signs, record medical history, observe various medical procedures, interview community members, lead public health workshops for kids, and fill medication prescriptions. We also work directly with the community and families in their homes to address the public health challenges that are the root cause of illnesses in the community. We will build latrines, distribute water filtration tools, and develop educational workshops on hygiene, sanitation, water, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. In order to sustain our efforts after the brigade, we have a team that stays in Ghana to maintain relationships between the communities, follow-up with families, and empower local leaders to perpetuate a consistent level of health care. This in-country team assists with organizing logistics to bring a medical brigade back to the community every 3-4 months.

THEY NEED YOUR HELP. Families of the community we will be serving live on less that $2 per day. Many of their health and development needs are unmet and these communities are struggling to improve their quality of life. They work hard each day just to provide enough food to survive on to their family and the impact of poverty is seen throughout the community. Community members lack access to basic education. The average level of education is approximately 5th grade. There are typically no doctors within a 20 mile radius. 70% of the population has no access to proper sanitation. They are forced to use the same river water for drinking, bathing, and washing clothes. Families have no access to loans or financial services.

In order to make the trip to Ghana and provide this underserved community with medical care, I have committed to fundraising a total of $2,599 ($1,699 by OCTOBER 28, 2012, and the remainder by December 5, 2012). If you can make any donation amount of my behalf, I would really appreciate your support. If you can afford to give even $2 a day for the next month (sacrifice that one cup of coffee each day), you can help save lives in Ghana and provide the medical treatment these families need. All donations are tax-deductible and upon donating, you will receive a receipt with our 501c3 status/tax ID number. Please sponsor me in my medical brigade to Ghana and you too can make a difference in the lives of people in need.

How To Make a Donation:
1. Go to http://www.empowered.org/Ryan-Fong#
2. Click the orange button that says "Donate" on the right side of the screen
3. Select "Make a donation on behalf of a volunteer" and select my name "Ryan Fong" from the dropdown list
4. Enter the amount you wish to donate
5. Complete your donation by Credit Card or E-Check

If you feel more comfortable making a cash or check donation, please send all donations to:
Ryan Fong
108 Arbusto Circle
Sacramento, CA 95831

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR LOVE AND GENEROSITY!!! If you have any questions regarding my trip to Ghana or Global Medical Brigades at UCLA, please feel free to contact me at ryanfong15@yahoo.com or (916) 801-9202. Also, be sure to check out this video from last year's brigade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY16RIk_8G8