NGO Archives

Peter Morgan named WCA NGO liaison

September 27, 2013 By WCA Staff

Peter Morgan, DC, long-time head of Mission Chiropractic and organizer of dozens of chiropractic humanitarian missions to developing nations, is undertaking another “mission” — this time, to the United Nations.

Morgan has been tapped by the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) to serve as its primary liaison with the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). The WCA is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information.

Since earning that designation in 1998, WCA representatives have worked with health officials in numerous countries, and have served in leadership roles with the NGO Health Committee. The WCA was a signatory of the Declaration on Patient-Centered Healthcare developed by the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations, and established a working relationship with the WHO, participating in the WHO Consultation on Chiropractic in Milan, Italy, and providing valued information for the WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic.

Morgan also heads the WCA Council on Humanitarian Efforts, which provides support for various chiropractic organizations providing free chiropractic services to underserved populations around the world.

For the last 20 months, the primary NGO liaison spot was held by Tim Merrick, DC, who attended briefings at the UN’s Manhattan headquarters, met with representatives of other NGOs from around the world, and shared information about chiropractic and the role chiropractors can play in addressing health concerns in developing nations as well as in first-world countries. Morgan worked closely with him in maintaining chiropractic’s presence in the NGO community. Dr. Merrick will continue to work with Morgan on UN-related issues.

Morgan is familiar with the special needs of the developing world, having participated in numerous humanitarian trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Trinidad, Tibet and other nations. His frequent missions to Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010 gave him firsthand knowledge of the special benefits of chiropractic aid in such areas. He often shares his stories in The Chiropractic Journal, and has inspired many DCs to volunteer in humanitarian efforts.

WCA mission adjusts 60,000 in 7 days

September 27, 2013 By WCA Staff

In March, a team of 22 chiropractors — joined by 51 chiropractic students — made a powerful impact on the lives of approximately 60,000 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic during a humanitarian mission sponsored by the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) and Mission Life International.

Leading the group was Peter Morgan, DC, the WCA’s representative to the United Nations Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organization section. It was his 12th mission to Haiti since the devastating earthquake in January 2010.

“This is an area of the world where countless numbers of orphans roam streets paved with garbage. There are thousands of homeless people,” Dr. Morgan noted. “Continuing to respond to the critical needs of this devastated country, each chiropractor brought two suitcases filled with toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, shampoo, pencils, and small notebooks for the children. More than 7,000 pounds of items we take for granted in the United States, were distributed to children in lands where such goods are needed desperately.”

After serving for four days in Haiti, the team traveled to the Dominican Republic, where they were met by the students. Together they traveled into the jungles and remote villages, bringing chiropractic care to residents in the cities of Ouanaminthe and Cape Haiti.

“The blessed hands continued with thousands of adjustments in other Dominican Republic cities, villages and hilltop towns,” Morgan said. “We’re making slow but steady progress in the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere.”

One of Morgan’s patients, a famous Haitian actor known as “Boss Massel,” traveled with the doctors for a while, as did Dr. Eddy Delaleu, the only chiropractor in Haiti, and Alex, who runs an orphanage on the island nation.

“Each morning we would drive the bus into Haiti and adjust all the orphans throughout the city. We visited five different orphanages and adjusted about 2,000 people every day at three different churches,” Morgan recalled. They made their “headquarters” in a town named La Vejia DaJabon, where “the horses are not tied down, 200 cows will pass by every hour and herds of sheep pass every two hours. We adjusted everyone in this town as well as all the people they brought from other towns,” he added.

After adjusting such large numbers of people each day, the group would meet in the evening for classes held by Steve Simonetti, DC, past president of the Congress of Chiropractic State Organizations and Gary Deutchman, DC, founder of the Scoliosis Care Foundation.

The group also held a philosophy meeting, where Drs. Simonetti, Deutchman, and Morgan were speakers along with Drs. Bradley Rauch and Ronald Sinagra.

“The following morning, we divided up into 20 different teams and headed out on four buses. Each team had a translator from the local English school and at each site we also had a team coordinator,” Morgan related. “So our team of 70 grew to a team of 110 plus the four bus drivers. On Thursday and Friday mornings, we adjusted in schools. Every school had between 400 and 700 students, teachers, and bus drivers. We averaged 600 adjustments at each school. We checked and adjusted approximately 12,000 children on Thursday and 12,000 children on Friday.”

At one school, Morgan got permission for chiropractic student and team member Sebastian Colon to give a chiropractic talk during a conference with about 100 teachers. The response was so positive that the young man ended up arranging for similar talks to be given to 25 schools during the next mission trip!

By the time the 7-day mission ended, Morgan estimated that some 60,000 people had been adjusted, including a blind man whose sight was restored after an adjustment by Dr. Sinagra. “He was totally blind,” Morgan explained. “After his adjustment the man’s eyes became watery and he began to see shadows. This was witnessed by the chiropractic students and the other people who were waiting to get adjusted.”

Although they lived in the homes of local residents while in Haiti, the group did include a stay at a 5-star resort hotel in the Dominican Republic. “They have more than 1,500 employees, with their own heliport, a harbor filled with yachts and the biggest waterfront Casino on the island, Morgan noted. “For the next trip, we’ve arranged for every employee to be checked and adjusted. It’s amazing that just a few miles away from this incredible beach front resort is a land of immense poverty.”

Before he’d even landed back in the US, Morgan was planning future missions.

“We’ve been tremendously blessed by God for being born in the USA and our greatest blessing of all is our gift of healing hands. What our chiropractic missionaries received from the experience in Haiti is beyond words. We went to Haiti and the Dominican Republic with one purpose, to give of ourselves. We’ll never forget this!”

World Chiropractic Alliance issues new mission statement

September 27, 2013 By WCA Staff

The Board of Directors of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) has issued a revised mission statement that puts the emphasis on worldwide humanitarian efforts. “The new mission statement is a reflection of our desire to create an ever-expanding ripple effect of positive actions,” stated the organization’s founder and President Terry A. Rondberg, DC. “We want to support and assist individual doctors, the profession as a whole, and ultimately the world.”

Peter Morgan, DC, chairman of the WCA Council on Humanitarian Efforts, said the WCA was inspired by the work of organizations that bring chiropractic and related health care and aid to developing nations and underserved populations around the globe.

“We have seen the impact a group of dedicated and compassionate chiropractors can have,” he said. “Although the WCA has always supported those humanitarian missions, and promoted them in The Chiropractic Journal, we feel the time is right to step up our efforts and make this a major focus of the group.”

The World Chiropractic Alliance was founded in 1989 as a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening chiropractic around the world. It is in a unique position to coordinate and support a variety of chiropractic missions since it is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. Timothy Merrick, DC, the WCA NGO representative, attends weekly briefings at the United Nations headquarters in New York and meets with other NGOs from around the world to share information about chiropractic.

“We have an opportunity to play a major role in addressing health concerns in developing nations as well as in first-world countries,” he explained. “We frequently see people in remote, poverty-stricken areas walking miles to get to a doctor of chiropractic who is visiting as part of a health care mission. They want chiropractic; they need chiropractic. And we all gain from the experience of serving others.

To initiate the new emphasis on service, the World Chiropractic Alliance has scheduled its first annual World Chiropractic Alliance Humanitarian Forum on Oct. 2, 2010 in Long Branch, NJ. Organizations involved in health mission — including Mission Life International, Mission-Chiropractic, Spinal Missions, ChiroMission, The “Best Mission Trip Ever”, and AdJust World — will attend the meeting to discuss how the WCA can assist in their work.

The WCA plans to provide scholarships to students wishing to participate in mission, provide other administrative and/or financial support to humanitarian groups, coordinate with NGOs in United Nations work, raise awareness of chiropractic charitable work through the global health care community, and provide information and resources to groups and individuals engaged in such work.

The new mission statement also reflects the organization’s continued commitment to supporting the chiropractic profession as a whole, and providing a wide range of resources to assist individual doctors of chiropractic.

The new mission statement of the World Chiropractic Alliance is to:

Develop, promote and support humanitarian programs that reach out to populations that, due to geographic or economic factors, cannot access chiropractic care
Support health and social measures that would benefit the underserved populations worldwide
Promote chiropractic as the only discipline that focuses on correcting subluxations and reducing the stress that interferes with the body’s ability to self-regulate and heal
Provide resources needed by doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic students to become more competent and successful practitioners

All doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic students, and chiropractic supporters are invited to join the WCA by visiting the WCA website at www.WorldChiropracticAlliance.org.

The World Chiropractic Alliance is an international professional association representing doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic students, and chiropractic patients. It’s four-fold mission is to develop, promote and support humanitarian programs that reach out to populations who, due to geographic or economic factors, cannot access chiropractic care; support health and social measures that would benefit the underserved populations worldwide; promote chiropractic as the only discipline that focuses on correcting subluxations and reducing the stress that interferes with the body’s ability to self-regulate and heal; and provide resources needed by doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic students to become more competent and successful practitioners.

United Nations DPI NGO Working Together – Making a Difference

May 1, 2013 By WCA Staff

United Nations DPI NGO Working Together – Making a Difference
Department of Public Information Non Governmental Organizations

Dear Chiropractic Colleagues,

Dr. Morgan and I just returned from Ouanaminthe, Haiti, the site of Mission Life International’s orphanage. This orphanage is 100% supported by chiropractors and their families and friends. The orphanage currently houses 20 children as well as support staff. We also provide schooling for 50 other children from the area. The school is across the street on a piece of property donated to us. It is a covered outdoor structure with benches, desks, and black boards.

On Thursday we visited the United Nations military base, located approximately 15 minutes from our orphanage. There are 360 troops in the barracks, with trucks and a lot of rifles. The base is operated and manned with troops from Uruguay.

As UN representatives, we felt it would be good to meet with the commander of the base and inform them of our chiropractic mission work in Haiti. We were greeted by Col. Raul Passarino, who had received chiropractic care back in Uruguay, and was very happy to meet us. Fortunately, we had brought our Astralite portable adjusting table. We set it up and adjusted the commander and the captain of the base. The power of the adjustments superseded any conversation we previously had. We then agreed to adjust all the troops on our next mission trip this June. He then offered for all our chiropractic missionaries to stay on the base during our few days in Haiti.

We also visited a clothing factory compound, called CODEVI, that employs over 7,000 Haitians, and is located on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They make the clothing for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Hanes, and many others. Each building had 1,500 people working on sewing machines. It was an impressive operation: clean, organized, and seemingly very productive.

We met with the administrator of the factory, Cristian Capellan. We discussed the possibility of adjusting all 7,000 employees, as well as introducing Straighten Up Haiti to the workers. Once again we pulled out our table and adjusted about 10 executives of the facility. After that, all doors opened. We toured the factory and figured out the logistics of adjusting all the people in one or two days.

Dr. Morgan’s Chiromissions is offering a discounted rate for the upcoming June trip to Haiti. We hope to have 100 doctors and students there to achieve this monumental task.

The factory keeps very accurate production statistics. After the adjustments, we are going to look closely at production changes, and will publish this data in the near future.

How you can help:

Come to Haiti during June 23-26th. Visit www.MissionLifeInternational.com for information and to register.
Sponsor a child in our Orphanage. Visit http://missionlifeinternational.com/custom_content/c_262429_mission_life_internationalorphanage.html to meet our great kids that lost their families to the earthquake.
Make a donation at www.MissionLifeInternational.com
Send the following items to : Mission Chiropractic, 651 West 180th Street, New York, NY 10033 Phone: 646-323-9254
Chalk, Notebooks, Pens, Pencils, Crayons, Soap (especially fungus soap), Toothpaste, Flip-flops

Please get involved on any level. Share this with your family and patients.

Visit our website, www.MissionLifeInternational.com

Visit, Like, and share our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MissionLifeInternational

On January 12, 2010, the lives of millions of people changed because of the earthquake in Haiti. Children came home from school to find that their whole family had been taken from them. With no one to care for them, many of these children have been roaming the streets and sleeping in dirt.

Dr. Morgan and a few Chiropractors cared enough to go to Haiti and rescue a small group of these children.
These children were moved to Ounaminthe, Haiti, where over the last three years, through the generosity of chiropractors, patients, and family, Dr. Morgan has taken these children from the dirt to a safe, nurturing, happy environment. These children now have a chance to become responsible, educated teenagers and adults.

We need your help to continue caring for these children and to help more children.
No contribution is too small.

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