Type of Support Requested:
The Central Brazil Mission’s “Project Aamzonas: Christ, Life and Health” is seeking funds for the construction of a new medical boat to replace the one being used now. The old wooden boat that was purchased and remodeled and has been used since March 2000 needs to be replaced.
The new boat which will be constructed of steel and designed like a barge will help us reach more villages on remote tributaries of the Amazon River since it will be designed for use in shallow water.
Total funds requested: $ 1,000,000.00
Needs Statement:
Since we started this “Amazon Boat Ministry” we have become much more aware of the needs of the people that live in the Amazon Region of Brazil. Just in the state of Amazonas alone there are over 30,000 villages that can only be reached by water. There are over 1,100 rivers in the state and very few roads. This area where we are working represents an area about 1/6 the size of the continental U.S. We have discovered that almost all of the villagers, and especially the children, have very poor health. Their daily diet consists of fish (if they catch any) and farina made from the manioc root. After these 6 years of trying to help meet the needs of these people and seeing positive results by helping them have better health and a brighter future, we need a boat made especially for this kind of ministry.
Project Information:
“Project Amazonas: Christ, Life and Health” is a ministry that involves improving the life and health of the Amazon people in a positive Christian environment. During the past 6 years we have made over 50 – 10 day boat trips, reaching villages that are 50 hours away from Manaus, the capital of the state. We have found that because of the living conditions (no running water nor bathrooms or electricity) and their diet (fish and farina) almost everyone has very poor health. After analyzing the needs we now give everyone a dose of worm medicine every 6 months and keep them on one-a-day vitamins. We will distribute on a typical trip 400-500 doses of worm medicine and over 30,000 adult and children’s vitamins. We found children on our first trips that were two and three years old that had never seen a bar of soap. Their bath was just to jump into the river, splash around some and get out. Most had never seen tooth paste or a tooth brush. In the small town of São Sebastião do Uatumã we have worked closely with the mayor. During the last 3 years the town has been blessed and now has a new hospital where we provide a surgeon twice a year to perform operations. With the help of the mayor we have also developed what we call our “Greenhouse Project.” We are improving the health (nutrition) of the people with this project. We are teaching them how to grow vegetables so they will have a better diet. The mayor has also given us two stalls at the new market where the people of the “Greenhouse Project” can sell produce and have a small income. It has become a type of agricultural school where nearby villagers will also be taught how to grow vegetables. Part of this project is also a craft school where the people learn how to make native crafts to be sold in nearby larger towns and even in Manaus. We believe that projects like these that are developing will become models for many other areas in the Amazon Region. Since we started this “Amazon Boat Ministry Project “we discovered the need to return to the same villages about every other month or every 3 months to help them maintain and develop better health habits. During 2007 we did 9 – 10 day trips with an average of 20-25 U.S. and Brazilian volunteers helping us.
Facts about our 2007 “Amazon Boat Ministry” trips:
1). 2,265 patients were treated and received medication on the boat.
2). 706 dental patients were seen and 1,058 procedures performed.
3). 255 individuals received eye examination and glasses.
4). 150+ haircuts and lice shampoos were given.
5). Dr. Barbara Patridge did 55 surgeries on two different trips at the São
Sebastião hospital, besides seeing a number of other patients.
6). Over 200,000 adult and children’s vitamins were distributed in the villages.
7). The “Greenhouse Project” property in São Sebastião has been cleared for
the Project Grow soccer field and to build more greenhouses.
8). Teams also helped construct:
a). The São Sebastião church building.
b). Two houses for our Brazilian missionaries.
c). Two greenhouses in São Sebastião.
9). All three of our village evangelists now have small boats with motors in
order to help and visit the people in the villages.
We are thrilled as we see healthier children and adults. Also mothers giving birth to healthier babies because of pre-natal care that we have provided. We plan to do 3 trips every two months with the new boat working 10 months during the year. We are seeing healthier children, happy parents and many villagers being blessed because of this project. But there are so many more villages that need help. There are times when someone from a village days away is in São Sebastião and sees our boat and ask us when we are going to visit and help their village. We just tell them maybe sometime in the future, since we really can’t give them a definite answer. We have had success in the small area of the Amazon where we have worked but there are so many more villages that we need to visit and treat.
Organization Information:
Earl and Ruth Anne Haubner have been missionaries in Brazil since July 1969. In 1975 the mission work was organized into what is called the Central Brazil Mission and is recognized by the I.R.S. as a 501 (c) 3 organization with the I.D. No. 23-7428487.
The Haubner´s have lived and worked in the central Brazil area in church planting and national leadership training. Besides the church planting work the C.B.M. has been involved in a number of social projects. Day Care Centers and schools have been a part of the total ministry. There is also what is called “Project Grow” that involves over 1000 under privileged children in soccer programs that also include English lessons, computer training, arts, etc… This project is now trying to build what is called the “Olympic Village” which will become a type of orphanage and vocational school.
As the C.B.M. became more aware of the physical needs of people and after starting a work in 1995 in Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas, the mission saw the need for a medical boat ministry to reach people along the Amazon River and its tributaries. After a few years a used boat was purchased and remodeled and has been used since March 2000 to help the people in these villages.
The Leadership of the C.B.M. is:
A Board of Trustees in the U.S.A.
Brazilian work lead by Earl and Ruth Anne Haubner
Brazilian national leadership
These Amazon Boat Ministry trips to villages are staffed by a combination of volunteers from Brazil and the U.S.A. Volunteers include doctors, nurses, dentists and other para-medical personnel as well as construction crews for building village churches and houses. Boat captain and crew are full-time employees of the mission.
Contact Information:
In the United States:
A). Chairman of the Board – Mr. Lynn Cleaveland
P.O. Box 386
Phone: 1-937-468-7077 Rushsylvania, Ohio 43347
B). Chairman of Boat Project – Mr. Lenwood McCoy
1780 Sterling Drive
Phone: 1-540- 639-5867 Blacksburg, Virginia 24111
E-mail: mccoy@vt.edu
In Brazil:
A). Earl Haubner, Missionary
Caixa Postal 821
Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil 74.001-970
Phone: 011-55-62-3942-8263
U.S. : 1-540-633-2419
E-mail: cbmhaubner@terra.com.br
Website for Amazon Boat Ministry:
http://cbm.org.br/amazonboatministry.html
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