Lifeline Malawi established its first medical outreach in the lakeshore community of Ngodzi, where there were no medical facilities, clean water or even sufficient food. Ngodzi is a rural community of approximately 40,000 people approximately 100 km southeast of the capital city of Lilongwe. Although there were other established mission groups in the area, health conditions and medical needs of the local Yao tribes people were desperate, as there were no trained medical personnel and there was no access to medicines.

Dr. Brooks initially worked with a small staff to provide a part-time medical presence in the community (1998. In September 2001, he opened a new eight-room medical clinic on property donated by the community. Since then, the property has been developed (through donations raised in Canada, the United States, France and the U.K.), into a medical complex offering full-time medical and health-related services to Ngodzi and the surrounding communities. In November 2003, two full-time nurses began working in the clinic and living in two newly built homes, located within the complex. In August 2004, Andrew Boettcher, formerly with EDS in Calgary, Alberta, relocated with his family to Malawi, where he has assumed the role of President & Executive Field Director. By June 2005, two additional duplexes had been built to house four HIV/AIDS program personnel and their families. With the approval of NAC funding, we have begun to hire additional medical personnel, including a clinical officer, two additional nurses, a pharmacist and a varied medical support staff.

Through dedication, reliability and dependability, we have established trust and credibility in the community. The grand opening event at the site allowed the Chief and various (15) Village headmen to express their significant thanks for everything done by the Lifeline Ngodzi Health Centre (LNHC), thereby indicating their favour and support. In a recent VCT Center dedication, the community further expressed their desire to partner with Lifeline Malawi to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the area. Currently, Lifeline Malawi employs 25 staff members in the Primary Health and VCT programs operating at the Lifeline Ngodzi Health Centre.

Lifeline Malawi desires to leverage its current success and expand its rural-based primary health care operations. The intent is to enhance our current "Center of Excellence" which primarily treats the inter-current diseases related to HIV/AIDS by aligning our strategy with the National Aid Commission in Malawi, whereby we become one of the new ARV delivery sites which provides a standardized ARV therapy to HIV-positive persons. Once we have achieved significant penetration in the Ngodzi area, Lifeline Malawi will begin a process of replication through partnerships with other rural-based organizations.

Core Values and Principles of Operation

In partnership with other humanitarian organizations, Lifeline Malawi provides a combination of medical, emotional and spiritual care for people within the Malawian communities it serves. In fulfilling its vision and mission, Lifeline Malawi operates with a set of core values or Operating Philosophies:

• committed to, transparency, honesty, efficiency and integrity in its daily operations, as reflected in its adherence to Christian values;
• functions independently, free of political, social or denominational association;
• provides medical aid to all needy peoples of the developing world without discrimination on the basis of religion, race, creed, nationality or gender;
• establishes formal and informal partnerships with diverse segments of Canadian society, such as the health care industry, other corporations, overseas relief and development organizations, the federal government through CIDA, the medical community and the general public;

• Formally endorses and operates in compliance with the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drug Donations, dispensing and disposal on the field;
• Receives funding, whether money or gifts in kind from the public, the Canadian health care industry, the Canadian government, other Canadian corporations, and global charitable foundations and overseas relief and development organizations.