Global First Responder

04/27/2026

One of reasons I love volunteering for is that we provide clean water, community centers, and microbusiness projects for many of the communities where we work. In Zambia, we have placed 4 water purification plants at schools in different parts of Zambia. Each of them is capable of filtering 12,000 gallons of clean water daily and each has a microbusiness in bleach production that helps the community to earn funds. This year we placed one on Kilwa Island. Each year we ask the health center to report on diarrheal diseases before and after the placement.

Last year we placed one on Chisenga Island and the health center reported a 90% drop in diarrheal diseases after the system was in place. We run underground piping for 3 taps with each filtration system so that outlying members of the community don't have to walk so far.

If you love the idea of exponentially improving the health of children and adults through clean water, please donate to this fund today! www.globalfirstresponder.org/donate and choose "clean water" in the project list.

Our next project in 2026 is in Uganda and will be dedicated in early September!

The finished project at dawn in the front of the local school on Kilwa Island.

04/27/2026

When you join a Global First Responder team heading to remote islands in Zambia, you might think there won't be electricity, hotel rooms, showers, or internet available. Well, you would be mostly correct:). So we are catching up to let you know what we have accomplished...

If you look at the map, the team arrived in Lusaka (bottom left), the capital of Zambia. Some team members flew to Mansa and others took the bus 17 hours through the Zambian countryside to pick them up. From there we drove 6 hours to Nchelenge on the edge of Lake Mweru. Then we took speed boats (3 of them) for 4 hours to get our team and equipment to Chisenga Island where we camped for 2 nights and held 2 days of clinic. After that - on to Kilwa Island for another 2 nights and 2 days of clinic (and a fantastic cave!). And after that? Back on the boats to a tea plantation for a last day of clinic before heading to an amazing waterfall (actually 2 amazing waterfalls but the bus did get a little stuck so we only saw 1!) and finally, back to Mansa and on to Lusaka where we sad a very sad farewell to our host, Emma Phiri, and our amazing team.

In between all of this travel, we saw patients!
**Optometry: More than 80 optometry patients each day, many of whom will receive made-to-order prescription glasses
**Dental: More than 60 patients each day from our 2 hard working dentists (former students of Emma Phiri, of course) who received exams, extractions as needed, hygiene education and toothbrushes. All the school children also received education and toothbrushes.
**Prenatal care: More than 60 patients each day received education and examinations from our hardworking Midwife and our newly certified Doula (who got to participate in a birth and was told that her new techniques cut the birthing time in half with less pain!)
**Medical Care: And finally from our medical team, where more than 150 patients (often 200 patients) each day received examinations, laboratory testing, education, and medications. We saw many malaria cases and referred many, many patients for follow-up care.

Global First Responder ROCKS!!

We were too busy to get a team photo during clinic but on our last day we managed to go see one of the largest waterfalls in Zambia and we took this team photo at the last minute :). They all agreed that what happens in Zambia stays in Zambia but they forgot to tell me!

Lauren Valbracht Errol Visser Rachael Richardson Amy Jordheim and I'll add more after we become friends on FB :)

04/18/2026

The team has arrived in Zambia! Some team members took the time to drive from southern Zambia to the northern province of Luapula - 22 hours by bus! Other flew north and then drive 6 hours to the port for Lake Merwu, where we leave at 6am tomorrow to take boats filled with people, equipment, and medications to Chisenga Island where we will start clinic immediately upon arrival! The team is waiting to get starting, pre-packing over-the-counter medications on the bus, talking about the specialty care we will provide, and discussing antibiotic resistance and other improtant medical considerations. Our 5 providers, 2 nurses and 1 EMT are already formed as a unit and our 3 dentists are ready to go. Our 2 optometrists will meet us on the island, providing made to order prescription glasses and reading glasses. Our midwives - 1 local and 1 from GFR will meet tomorrow to through th eir plans for improving the health of pregnant women and newborns. We also have a brand new Doula on the team who will learn alot about women in labor and pre-natal exams. Teams need to bond and this team is spectacular, ready to go and ready for a great week of caring for patients!! Follow us to learn more about our team and see our work in the field!!! Adam BeckettDonna Huskey BeckettLauren Valbracht Kirsten RogersJenny Steffens@topfansEmma Phiri Suzie Lee Barbara Rieber Gerry Dornhecker Errol Visser Joelle Faulke Annabel Johns Andrew Baldwin

04/07/2026

Why volunteer with GFR?

Be part of real-world disaster response efforts
Support global communities when they need it most
Gain hands-on experience and meaningful skills
Join a team that feels more like family than anything else

This isn’t just volunteering.
It’s showing up when it matters most.

👉 Ready to take the first step? Learn more and sign up at: www.GoGFR.org

04/06/2026

believes in SUSTAINABILITY - we place permanent water filtration systems in India, Zambia, Uganda, Peru, and more. This year, we are putting our 5th water system on Kilwa Island, between Zambia and the DRC on Lake Mweru.

04/06/2026

Global First Responder is headed to Zambia for the 5th time. In the last 5 years we've placed, in partnership with local governments and communities, 4 permanent water filtration systems in 4 different communities so that schools can stay open, communities can be healthier, and water-borne illness doesn't kill children. We are all about SUSTAINABILITY and we put our money and our time where our mouth is.

And in 2026 - # 5 on Kilwa Island! According to the health center on Chisenga Island, where we placed the filtration system you see in these photos, the incidence of diarrhea has dropped to almost 0 since the water plant was installed. 12,000 gallons per day of clean water, each and every day!
Amy Jordheim

Emma PhiriAdam BeckettJenny SteffensDonna L TullySuzie LeeDonna Huskey BeckettKirsten RogersJoelle FaulkeErrol VisserGerry DornheckerAshley HagerBarbara Rieber@followersAmy JordheimSamantha Carroll

02/03/2026

01/22/2026

Global First Responder is working hard the Peruvian Amazon, alongside our local team, to get this community center built and ready!

12/17/2025

Amazing ground team for our medical camps in Nepal! Rajendra Gurung