Dr. Stephen DeVore Physician |
|
“Working for a better life for my
friends in
Mali
is one of the greatest thrills of my life. God has given me special
language, engineering, and medical tools and it is a joy to use them to
help the children of
Mali
.”
Steve began his professional career as
an electronics microchip engineer for Motorola. Dr. DeVore's life ambition
has been to be a medical doctor and to contribute to the welfare of
society as a whole. He and his family of 6 left Arizona , while at the
age of 40 to study medicine and receive his doctorate in medicine. He further
pursued three years of specialty training with the
University
of
Iowa
and now is a Nominated
Fellow of the
American
Academy
of Family
Practice. Dr. DeVore now practices family medicine in the rural community
of Altoona, Iowa.
He has founded Medicine for
Mali
following the initiation of activities in
Mali
by his daughter Dr.
Elise DeVore.
|
Dr. Elise Devore
Physician |
|
“Mali to me is the richness of red
earth, an expansive horizon, a warm handshake, a contagious smile, and
the sound of women singing in the moonlight. It is a place; it is a
feeling. In
Mali
,
time slows down and regimented, Western ways come screeching to a halt,
making way for tradition, creativity, and community. We are blessed each
moment we spend with our Malian friends. We feel needed in
Mali
, but in truth, we need
Mali
more
than we can explain, and will be attached to our village for a
lifetime.”
Elise is a pediatrician and is
currently the Chief Resident at the Children's
Hospital
of Philadelphia.
Her interest in Mali began while she was a medical student at the
University
of Iowa.
She has maintained an interest in advocacy throughout residency. Dr.
Elise is also the resident coordinator for the Homeless Health
Initiative, an outreach program for homeless children inWest Philadelphia.
She plans to pursue a career in general pediatrics with a focus in international
health and child survival.
|
Dr. Yaye Danfakha
Representative
to Mali |
| Dr. Yaye Danfakha is a member of the
Medicine for
Mali
team
representing us in
Mali
.
Dr. Yaye has successfully gained NGO status with the Malian government
greatly inhanceing our efforts. This status is held by few organizations.
Dr. Yaye Danfakha has previous experience working for aid organizations.
She is a mother of two beautiful girls and the wife of the former
Minister of Interior for the Malian Government. Dr. Danfakha has proven
to be of great assistence in organizing our efforts when in country and
treating patients at the Clinic of Nana Kenieba.
|
Nina Van Gorp
Registered Nurse |
|
“I wanted to go to
Mali
and
help in whatever way possible. I help with the organization of supplies,
packing, presentations, and whatever else Doctor Steve asks me to do. I
like to go the extra mile for the people of
Mali
.”
Nina is employed as a school nurse for
South East Polk Schools. This summer she is working part time at the
Great Plains Garden Center
taking care the plants. She has worked in hospital settings as a night
nurse on the pediatric and the medical surgery floors. Nina has also done
camp nursing and was in charge of the free medical clinic at her church
for four years. It was thru that clinic that she met Doctor DeVore.
|
Suzanne Johnston
Certified
Medical Assistant |
| “Doing something to make a
difference in people’s lives has been a lifelong goal of mine,
and the opportunity to participate in Medicine for Mali was one of the
most fulfilling experiences of my life. I left
Africa
with many more gifts and blessings than I ever dreamed. The friendships
that were gained from these marvelous people will remain forever in my
heart. I can hardly wait to return to receive more. These people have
nothing of material value, but were able to give me everything I needed,
and more, by sharing their lives and love in return for the care we were
able to take to them.”
Suzanne is a Certified Medical
Assistant, and has been in medicine since 1975. Suzanne and husband
have a family of six children. She currently works in a family practice
clinic.
|
Jill DeVore
School Support |
| “Visiting
Mali
and
getting to know the hospitable people has been a wonderful experience. I
often think of my friends in
Mali
. Helping deliver clean
water and medical service has been a great privilege, for which I thank
God.”
Jill Emily DeVore is the wife of Dr.
Stephen DeVore, the mother of 4 children, and a school teacher. She
teaches reading to young students who have difficulty learning.
|
Roger Van Gorp
Construction |
|
“I'm looking forward to the trip
of 2003. I will be taking chickens to the village of
Nana
Kenieba
and the five surrounding villages.
I'm presently working on how to improve their gardening practices, and
increase the protein in their diets.”
Roger is a retired farmer. He raised
cattle, corn, beans, and operated a forty-five acre produce garden. He
helped pack for Doctor DeVore's Christmas of 2000 trip to
Mali
.
Roger thought if he went on the next trip he could be a "grunt"
and help transport additional supplies for Medicine for
Mali
. He
went on the 2001 trip to work on replacing the stolen solar panels to run
the well pump to provide clean water to the
village of Nana
Kenieba
. In 2002 Roger oversaw the digging
of 1/2 mile of water line to the school and three different areas of the
village.
|
Christine DeVore
Medical
Assistant |
|
|
 Tom Turner
|
|
Tom has been an attorney since 1974,
and is currently serving as a judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of
Florida
. Tom has
served as an Assistant
U.S.
Attorney. He has also served as a attorney in the United States
Department of Justice in
Washington
,
D.C.
Tom was a criminal defense attorney in
Orlando
. Tom grew
up in Bluffton, Indiana, where he first met the future Dr. Steve Devore
when both were in high school. They have been best friends since. Tom has
been actively involved in the
Orlando
community over the years. Currently, he is the co-chairman of the Finance
Committee of the
Conway
United Methodist
Church
.
|
 Dave Merschman
Business Development
|
|
“Family, church, and business keep
me busy. I feel blessed to be a part of Medicine for
Mali
and fortunate to go to
Africa
to make a difference in many people’s
lives.”
Dave has been married for twenty years
to Anne. They have three children. He grew up in a small farming
community,
St. Paul
, in
SE
Iowa
. His dad and grandfather have had a family furniture
business since 1950. In 1974 we moved to
Des Moines
and started our family
furniture business, Homemakers Furniture.
|
 Jerry
Walker
Construction
|
|
|
 Mark Engler
Media Producer |
|
“Looking into the eyes a sick
child I see your reflection reaching out to help.“Thirty years of
media production has given me the opportunity to traveled all of Iowa, most
of the
United
States
, parts of Europe, Africa and
South America
, capturing images of wonder and
tragedy. From the fertile
land
of
Iowa
to famine in
Ethiopia
,
I have seen from the best to the worst of this earth. I've shaken hands
with five presidents and shared fish from the
Amazon
River
with Yanomami Chiefs. Interacting with diverse people
has broadened my perspective and understanding of the commonality we all
share.”
Mark’s images bring a compelling
visual story of the people of
Mali
. His documentaries show
how our team’s love and hard work leads to a significant increase
in the quality of life for those in need. Personal satisfaction can be
seen in the faces of our team.
Click to see Mark’s Faces of Mali
|
