Lynn Powe recently returned from a short-term service with Mission Doctors in rural Cameroon, West Africa. One of her tasks was to help with vaccinations, including recording them in the UNICEF Vaccination Record Book. Each child has a health record and is assigned a number. She quickly saw first-hand how different the recording process for vaccinations is in Cameroon than in the United States – children are generally not given a name for their first month of life, and their address is often much more specific than in the US. She was encouraged by the number of children who came to be vaccinated, as Lynn told us “It was packed!”

There is good news: child vaccination rates in Cameroon are increasing. In 2000 less than 37% of children received all recommended immunizations, in 2016 that number had grown to over 80%.  This is in part thanks to our partners and nurses like Lynn, who administered vaccines, and supporters like you, who make Lynn’s service possible.

The World Health Organization estimates that 20% of under-five deaths—approximately two million deaths annually—could be prevented with existing vaccines.

Thanks to your support, Mission Doctors are on the ground in Africa and Latin America providing medical care including vaccinations. You are our partner in this mission of healing. Thank you.