Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children
Encyclopedia
The Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization
dedicated to providing modern medical care to disadvantaged children worldwide. FIMRC currently conducts medical care clinics or projects in seven countries, including Costa Rica
, El Salvador
, Haiti
, India
, Nicaragua
, Peru
and Uganda
.
) and current MBA
candidate at the Wharton School
at the University of Pennsylvania
. Today, FIMRC coordinates the volunteer efforts and clinical rotations of over 600 people annually, and has provided medical care, either directly or indirectly, to hundreds of thousands of children.
). Serving the largely Nicaraguan refugee population of San Felipe, Jasmín, and Los Pinos, the clinic provides women and children with consistent access to desperately needed healthcare, health monitoring, and health education. The clinic directs its efforts towards treating and preventing health concerns such as head lice, malnutrition, persistent bronchial infection, gastrointestinal microbe infections, unplanned pregnancies, alcoholism, drug addiction, and HIV.
) that seeks to treat gastroenteritis, influenza, malaria, measles, pneumonia, and bronchitis, each of which is caused or complicated by the malnutrition, poor sanitation, and poor housing conditions that the children of Las Delicias experience.
, Haiti in conjunction with Hộpital Bienfaisaince – a hospital providing healthcare services to over 45,000 patients per year. Its partnership with the hospital allows FIMRC to provide professional medical support to their hospital and regional clinics, develop pediatric and maternal health initiatives, lead nutritional study research groups, and work towards decreasing malnutrition and the spread of endemic disease caused by preventable microbial infection.
, a small town located in the hill country of Tamil Nadu.
in Bumwalukani, Uganda, to establish a clinic that provides health care and education to both students of the school and the surrounding community.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to providing modern medical care to disadvantaged children worldwide. FIMRC currently conducts medical care clinics or projects in seven countries, including Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
History
FIMRC was founded in 2003 by Vikram Bakhru, a then-medical student (at George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
) and current MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
candidate at the Wharton School
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Today, FIMRC coordinates the volunteer efforts and clinical rotations of over 600 people annually, and has provided medical care, either directly or indirectly, to hundreds of thousands of children.
Foundation goals
FIMRC seeks to provide medical care in underserved areas by:- Raising funds to build pediatric clinics
- Providing direct medical care via volunteers
- Encouraging students to become involved in its mission through service and leadership
Activities
FIMRC operates CHIRP (Comparative Healthcare Immersion Rotation Program) as an elective credit rotation program designed to provide third and fourth-year medical students with exposure to healthcare in Central American countries. Students who participate in CHIRP typically spend two weeks each at clinics in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and follow a structured curriculum that focuses on medical issues specific to each site.Costa Rica
In 2005, FIMRC established a clinic in San Felipe, Alajuelita (approximately 5 km outside San JoséSan José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
). Serving the largely Nicaraguan refugee population of San Felipe, Jasmín, and Los Pinos, the clinic provides women and children with consistent access to desperately needed healthcare, health monitoring, and health education. The clinic directs its efforts towards treating and preventing health concerns such as head lice, malnutrition, persistent bronchial infection, gastrointestinal microbe infections, unplanned pregnancies, alcoholism, drug addiction, and HIV.
El Salvador
FIMRC operates a clinic in Las Delicias (near San SalvadorSan Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
) that seeks to treat gastroenteritis, influenza, malaria, measles, pneumonia, and bronchitis, each of which is caused or complicated by the malnutrition, poor sanitation, and poor housing conditions that the children of Las Delicias experience.
Haiti
FIMRC operates in PignonPignon
Pignon is a municipality in the Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement, in the Nord Department of Haiti.It has 29,327 inhabitants.- Government :The actual first mayor is Wiswick Fidel, and the second mayor is Henri Claude Crepin....
, Haiti in conjunction with Hộpital Bienfaisaince – a hospital providing healthcare services to over 45,000 patients per year. Its partnership with the hospital allows FIMRC to provide professional medical support to their hospital and regional clinics, develop pediatric and maternal health initiatives, lead nutritional study research groups, and work towards decreasing malnutrition and the spread of endemic disease caused by preventable microbial infection.
India
Through its partnership with the Betsy Elizabeth Trust, FIMRC provides health education and primary healthcare to 110 children living in the poverty-stricken Dalit community of KodaikanalKodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
, a small town located in the hill country of Tamil Nadu.
Nicaragua
FIMRC has partnered with the Roberto Clemente Rancho Santana clinic to provide medical care to children living in the rural western town of Limón, Nicaragua, which is near the city of Rivas. FIMRC helps staff the clinic by providing volunteers to work alongside its doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.Peru
FIMRC volunteers in Peru work directly with the Ministry of Health to treat and educate Peruvians. This is done by offering hands-on assistance to medical doctors in hospitals, operating interactive health education workshops in local schools and orphanages, and forming cultural connections with local communities through various activities.Uganda
FIMRC has partnered with the Arlington Academy of HopeArlington Academy of Hope
Arlington Academy of Hope is a nonprofit 501 organization based in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States. The organization seeks to help children in Uganda by providing access to education within their village communities...
in Bumwalukani, Uganda, to establish a clinic that provides health care and education to both students of the school and the surrounding community.