All programs supported by MAC are required to adhere to our organizational philosophy:
Neutrality & Independence
Maintain impartiality in all political, ethnic, class, religious and military conflicts. Work with all members of a community recovering from a crisis and in need of health care.
Effectiveness
Implement stringent planning and evaluative processes to ensure that projects match needs, are implemented correctly, yield results and make real changes in people’s health.
Cultural Sensitivity
Respect the cultures and customs of the communities with which we work. Stress the importance of staff communicating with communities in ways that respect their cultural beliefs while also sharing awareness about important health messages and providing care. Each community’s culture and approach to health is unique; all programs supported by MAC make an effort to be inclusive, to learn from local staff and to adapt to the specific needs of each community.
Sustainability & Local Partnerships
Work to help partner communities become independent, not dependent on aid. This philosophy extends to all aspects of the programs supported by MAC, from beginning to end, with an emphasis placed on creating local partnerships and strengthening local capacity – whether with community leaders, local Ministry of Health officials or local NGOs. An important component of MAC’s goals of sustainability is ensuring that each project is eventually turned over to local hands strengthened by training and support. Programs not only provide immediate care but are investments in the future provision of care for and by local communities.
Transparency & Measurement
Commit to sending resources first and foremost to the field to fund health programs.
We emphasize the importance of measuring not just the amount of health care provided but actual health outcomes: Do the programs we support diminish a community’s burden of disease and mortality? What was the impact on, for example, the number of cases of diarrhea? This outcomes-driven programming is why we have put in place baseline surveys to measure health knowledge, attitudes and practices in countries like Sudan and Angola once projects begin and again at their close. In this way, we hope to continually improve and better understand the impact of the medical programs we support.
