Dr. Rondberg named to board of World Children's Relief

Terry A. Rondberg, DC, president of the World Chiropractic Alliance, has been named to the Advisory Board of World Children's Relief (WCR), an organization dedicated to building a network of early childhood development and primary schools for the rural poor in developing countries.

The schools ‑‑ named the Leon H. Sullivan Schools for Education & Self‑Help ‑‑ focus on four fundamental programs: early childhood development, teacher training, sports and health education. It was the WCR's work in the health education field that brought the organization to Dr. Rondberg's attention.

Pilot schools operate in Makari village in Sierra Leone, Jisonayili in northern Ghana, and Cayes, Haiti. Over the next few years, WCR hopes to expand the network of schools across Africa and Haiti.

Founded by brothers Benjamin and Douglass Lodmell in 2002 as the World Children's Relief & Volunteer Organization, the organization quickly gained the support of educators and health care providers who recognized the need for this outreach program. Dentists and chiropractors were among the most supportive and the group began organizing volunteer trips to Haiti for skilled professionals, particularly health care professionals.

The week‑long trips provide chiropractors (and any other willing volunteers) not only with the opportunity to use their skills, but also with the chance to become exposed to and educated about the issues of poverty and development in the world.

In January of this year, Greg Stanley, president of Whitehall Management, took the 90‑minute flight from Miami to Port‑au‑Prince, and arrived in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He and Michael Abernathy, DDS, made the four‑hour drive along bumpy roads to the Sullivan School located in the town of Cayes, in the southwestern part of the country.

There, they met the students and teachers at the Sullivan School. They visited a malnutrition hospital for children, and saw the devastating effects of poor nutrition caused by extreme poverty. They also visited the homes of some of the school students, and were able to meet their families and see the difficult conditions in which they live. Stanley later shared his experiences with Rondberg and his enthusiasm for the work of the WCR was contagious.

Rondberg was especially interested in the opportunities for DCs to bring chiropractic to Haiti and Africa. WCR organizers supplied him with information on chiropractors like Rodney Nagel, DC, who, in 2003, spent five days in the Haitian village of Lhomond and provided chiropractic adjustments to nearly 400 villagers, including more than 200 children.

In an article for The Saginaw News, Dr. Nagel explained that, although he had done little volunteer work before his trip to Haiti, he plans to make frequent trips for the WCR program. "It was an incredible experience just to love and care for others and serve of your own abundance," he said.

In February 2004, Nagel made another WCR trip, this time to Sierra Leone in West Africa, which ‑‑ after 10 years of civil war ‑‑ is ranked lowest on the UN Human Development Index.

Together with Seth Goldberg, Nagel visited a school in Freetown where several orphan girls study, and helped organize a party for the orphans and their friends. They then traveled into the central part of the country to visit the Sullivan School in the village of Makari, where villagers greeted them with a lively celebration of dancing and singing. Later, Nagel adjusted many of the students at the newly rehabilitated school.

"Hearing about this kind of trip made me realize how essential programs like World Children's Relief are," Rondberg stated. "We have a unique opportunity to bring health and education to these children who are in dire need of our services."

He added that although the chiropractic care and other help they provide can make a profound difference in the lives of the children they help, it's the doctors who are often the ones most affected by the experience.

"I don't think you can go to a place like Haiti or Sierra Leone or Ghana and not be changed forever by what you see and do there," Rondberg said. "It gives you a greater appreciation for the fullness of your own life and for the wonderful gift of chiropractic that you can share."

Stanley agrees, urging others to "Get on board and participate in every way you can because it is the right thing to do."

For more information about World Children's Relief, visit www.worldchildrensrelief.org/ or call 602‑ 288‑2596. The organization is headquartered at One Arizona Center, 400 E. Van Buren, Suite 850, Phoenix, AZ 85004.