A vital part of the ministry of Ukraine Medical Outreach is to share new medical knowledge and methods with our colleagues in Ukraine while introducing Christian principles of compassion and caring. These conferences allow us to develop friendships and deepen relationships with our colleagues in order to share and model medical care with a Christian perspective and ultimately the love of Christ.

As a pediatrician, our conferences have focused on two problem areas of children: those with disabilities and those either affected by or infected with HIV. Since 2006 we have helped to organize teams involved in teaching how to develop an early intervention program for children with disabilities, in particular autism and cerebral palsy.

Those professionals we have worked with have told us these training programs are of extreme value to them in their professional development. The post-graduate medical programs simply do not emphasize training in these areas. As a result of the conferences, children are being diagnosed earlier and treatments are more appropriate. It is reported that parents are more hopeful and government officials more eager to help.