| Dan and Elizabeth Turk
BP 623, SAF/FJKM
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar
Africa
Email: Dan
and Elizabeth Turk
"We are excited about working with the Church of Jesus Christ
in Madagascar (FJKM) in its ministries of healing and hope,"
write Dan and Elizabeth Turk, who were reappointed in the summer
of the year 2000 to a second three-year term as mission specialists
in Madagascar.
The Turks were invited to serve in Madagascar through FJKM's
development branch, within which are departments of health, environment,
agriculture, and safe drinking-water. The FJKM believes that Christian
witness should include ministry both to the physical and spiritual
needs of God's people and care for all of God's creation. Dan
and Elizabeth work as advisors to FJKM's environment and health
departments, respectively.
Elizabeth helps the staff of the FJKM health department design
and implement a community health program. The program works with
rural communities to prevent and treat the major illnesses that
threaten health: malaria, measles, diarrhea, and pneumonia. As
part of this program, 34 of the 39 FJKM doctors have received
training in community health, and over 150 community health volunteers
from rural areas are receiving training in health education techniques
and basic health messages. These volunteers teach others in their
communities how they can prevent and treat illnesses before they
become life-threatening. Elizabeth also advises the family planning
program and serves on the national AIDS Committee. The concern
for AIDS awareness and education is a major focus of FJKM.
Dan works with the FJKM environment department to help people
improve their lives while living more in harmony with the creation.
With per capita income less than $250 per year, many Malagasy
people have difficulty feeding their families. Less than 25 percent
of the country's native forests remain today, the majority having
been converted to grasslands. The cutting of native trees for
fuelwood and to clear fields for agriculture continues to threaten
the island's unique animals and the more than 8,000 plants found
only in Madagascar. FJKM has responded by helping people plant
trees for fuelwood and construction wood, by promoting environmental
awareness in primary schools and rural communities, and by encouraging
more intensive agriculture through growing fruit trees and off-season
crops. Dan is especially involved in efforts to plant fruit trees
and native trees. |
