Making a difference.
Our relationship with this West African nation began in 2016 when Abraham Bah, a native of that country, ran into Johnny and Ricki Hein at a conference in Colorado Springs. The Heins were sitting next to a swimming pool when Abraham walked by. Ricki invited Abraham to join them, and he soon began describing how tough it was to grow up surrounded by poverty and amidst internal conflict. His people, he explained, are extremely medically underserved, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.
Abraham shared his dream with the Heins, which was to form a non-profit, whose mission would be to help his people, both medically and economically.
The Heins were moved by Abraham’s passion.
The three immediately began making plans to raise the money that would be required to ship a container of equipment and the Ivory Coast.
Several days after this initial meeting, the Heins took Abraham on a tour of Project C.U.R.E. and its 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse, which houses a vast array of used medical equipment and supplies. In Abraham’s words, “To my amazement, I had never seen anything like that ...full of all the things I had dreamed of having one day for my country”.
In 2017, representatives from Project C.U.R.E. traveled to the Ivory Coast to perform what is called a needs assessment in its rural clinics. Then, in early 2018, barely two years after that initial conversation, Project C.U.R.E. shipped its first, fully-funded container to the Ivory Coast.
Project C.U.R.E. shipped a second container in January of 2019. In March of that year, Abraham’s non-profit, Redemption In Action (RIA), and Project C.U.R.E. sponsored a series of C.U.R.E.clinics. This is where a team of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel traveled to rural clinic areas and treated hundreds of villagers.
“We want the clinics to follow the trail of the containers,’” Abraham said. “We think we have much more of an impact that way. We target villages, mostly farmers, poor farmers that sometimes can’t even afford medications. A village is much easier to equip. Let’s say, for instance, with one container, we can equip two or three small clinics and have a huge impact.”
There was a second clinic trip in March of 2020, and hundreds more were successfully treated!
Abraham said about one of these clinics, “It was amazing. We had so much support locally. We informed the major; we informed the local churches that helped us with volunteers. When we got there, the whole town came out, the chief of the village came out. The impact is immeasurable."
RIA is committed to the belief that God created people to live in the wholeness of life. Through genuine relationships based on trust, respect and equity, RIA connects with communities & forms partnerships to help others overcome medical adversities and find purpose.
Our Values
COMMITTED
We do what we do because it is the right thing to do. We work with passion, enthusiasm, a belief in our mission and in our people, and we are determined to ensure our work results in tangible, long-term good.
GENUINE
We work through relationships based on trust, respect and equity. We hold ourselves accountable for the quality and lasting outcomes of our work and the commitments we make to our participants, partners, donors, and each other.
CONNECTED
We bring together communities, the private sector, governments, organizations and the full range and resources of our networks to improve dialogue, stability and positive change.
PURPOSEFUL
We embrace changes in the world and among ourselves to drive new ways to achieve our mission. We are responsive, ethical, and determined to innovate and find methods to partner more effectively for the benefit of our community partners.
Our Stakeholders
Local, Publicly Funded Ivorian Health Centers
Local Ivory Coast Government Authorities
Global Church Organizations
Health Practitioners from Public and Private Sectors
Rural Ivorian Health Care Centers