Connect to Care

Since GCF’s initial mission to Ukraine, we have been blessed with the opportunity to care for people in Ukraine, El Paso and Egypt. We were excited to continue providing medical care through GCF in Jordan. In each clinic we’ve worked, the patients’ ability to be hopeful and positive despite the hardships faced, has inspired us to want to continually return and volunteer.

From the moment I learned about the immense suffering and desperation of refugees fleeing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. I felt a deep-seated desire to help alleviate some of that pain. With a background in mental health and trauma-informed services, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join one of Global Care Force’s dedicated Primary Care Teams. In June, we traveled to Jordan to provide care for the refugees there. I considered it a privilege to serve and make even a small difference in their lives.

Serving those in need is my “heart work,” my calling. Wherever my two feet take me is my “mission field.” I am grateful that I have been provided with the education and the desire to serve. This combination of education and service blend well for caring for those who suffer from health disparities.

Providers working with Global Care Force have sometimes described the experience as transformative. For us, as retired physicians, our experiences in Ukraine and the Southern Border with GCF have allowed us to renew the ideals of service that launched our careers as physicians. While volunteering, we are entrusted with a message of hope as well as the opportunity to use medical skills in providing compassionate care to patients who humble us with their patience and resilience. We have appreciated the camaraderie of the GCF groups, and were excited to work with our Jordan colleagues and translators in the well-organized mission of GCF.

I’m was reward by the opportunity to join a medical team providing health care in Ukraine this summer. I see it as an opportunity to use my health care training where it can make a real difference. Hopefully, my small gesture will be a positive light in someone’s world, and I know the experience will stay with me forever.

In March 2024, I went to Ukraine with Global Care Force and fell in love with the Ukrainian people. It was amazing to see their heart and compassion, considering what they are going through. I returned in October to continue the work I started in March and help in whatever capacity I can. If our presence there can provide some hope and relief to people who are exhausted, I want to be part of that team. I was honored to return in June 2025.

I returned to Ukraine to provide primary care to those in need. When I served with the Mobile Medical Team on my previous missions, I was impressed by the resiliency of the Ukrainians and the medical needs being met by Global Care Force. Many are displaced, others without running water and electricity in some villages, but they continue on with their daily lives. I also learned much about their long and rich cultural history as an independent country. I was honored and thankful to return and apply my skills to help support them in their time of need.

My insights and values were established early in life. I am grateful to my parents, the mothers and sisters at my school, St Francis Xavier’s Convent, for shaping the foundation of who I am. As a young child, I remember my grandmother, Nani, a powerful and distinguished woman, would leave the house and walk through impoverished areas, engaging with the community and distributing small gifts, fruits, soaps, postage stamps, all from her fabric shoulder bag. Nani also founded a girls’ school in her village home. Years later, our gifted Mom, a schoolteacher, took my sister and me with ‘gumboots’ to homes on narrow muddy lanes. She taught the women there to sew, knit, and do embroidery. She distributed pencils and paper. My exposure to a world of need set me on a path to travel all over the world to help. I visited disaster sites and saw the best of humanity, always returning home enriched. At the start of the conflict in Ukraine, I tried to visit but was unable. Instead, I went to Texas to help at the border. The first town I came across was Odessa, and I felt a wave of guilt and sadness! 
 
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in Ukraine in June.

I was honored to return to Ukraine in June. The stories of resilience and suffering I encountered on my previous trip left a lasting impact on me, and I am committed to continuing to help provide medical care to those in need.

Serving those in need is my “heart work,” my calling. Wherever my two feet take me is my “mission field.” I am grateful that I have been provided with the education and the desire to serve. This combination of education and service blend well for caring for those who suffer from health disparities.

My name is Jimmy Williams, and I’m an RN with almost twenty years of healthcare experience, most of my nursing experience being in critical care. Throughout my career, there has only been one driving force: the desire to help others. I have followed the Ukrainian war response for the past few years and have tried many ways to help from afar including fundraising, clothing drives, book drives, protests, etc. However, as our leadership continues to stir fear and hateful rhetoric about the Ukrainian people, the desire to do more has burned hotter and hotter. Finally, I felt the best way to give back was to take my time and education and put it to use where it’s most needed: within the Ukrainian borders. I was happy to partner with Global Care Force for this amazing opportunity.

Global Care Force is committed to helping our partners in Ukraine. Global Care Force sends primary care teams, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, trauma care specialists, and non-medical volunteers to communities in Ukraine.

I was honored to join Global Care Force in the Ukraine to help those who have been displaced by war and now lack access to basic medical care. I am impressed with the efficiency and clarity of mission of Global Care Force. I was personally excited about reconnecting with my sense of purpose as a physician by using my skills and training to assist those in need.

Ann and Steve were asked to fill in for the May Ukrainian Mission and we agreed without hesitation. This was our 3rd and 4th trips to work with our Ukrainian friends. These clinics are particularly important to us because we want the Ukrainian people and fellow clinical staff members to know that they have not been forgotten and they full-heartedly support them.

Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a commitment to service, whether advancing democratic governance, supporting vulnerable communities, or leading initiatives that strengthen systems and institutions in complex environments. Volunteering with Global Care Force in Ukraine was a continuation of that calling. 
 
This deployment offers a chance to stand alongside those delivering essential primary care in challenging conditions. While I don’t come from a clinical background, I bring years of experience in international development, humanitarian response, and working directly with local partners and communities. My role is to provide practical support, whether through logistics, coordination, or being a reliable presence where needed. 
 
Global Care Force is making a tangible impact in Ukraine, and I was grateful for the opportunity to contribute to that mission.

I was blessed to return to Ukraine to provide primary care to those in need. When I served with the Mobile Medical Team in two previous missions, I was impressed by the resiliency of the Ukrainians and the medical needs being met by Global Care Force. Many are displaced, others without running water and electricity in some villages, but they continue on with their daily lives. I also learned much about their long and rich cultural history as an independent country. I will be honored and thankful to return and apply my skills to help support them in their time of need.

I was honored to return to Ukraine with GCF in April to provide care for the wonderful Ukrainian people who have been victims of an unjustified invasion. Seeing the stoic faces, hearing the stories, and experiencing smiles, hugs, and tears is beyond description. Especially now, the Ukrainian people need to know that there are Americans who care about them as fellow human beings.

The war in Ukraine continues to affect people there every day. I was happy to return in April to continue providing trauma support and care. Being part of the team providing care in areas where services are nonexistent fills my heart. Seeing the courage, resourcefulness, strength and compassion of both patients and teammates is humbling and powerful. I know that being of service in this way makes a difference, and I very much want to continue being part of this! 

Traveling and volunteer nursing have been my passions ever since I began studying the art of medicine. I want to do what I can to be of use and aid others. I am excited to work with Global Care Force because I believe it will open even more doors for me to reach out and try to use nursing to help people.

I look forward to serving in the Ukraine so that I can be a contributing member to my team, live a balanced life and make a difference. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my decades of experience in medicine to help those in need.

I have served on several medical missions before and those experiences changed me in profound ways that have enriched my life. I look forward to volunteering with Global Care Force and am grateful for the opportunity to support the people of Ukraine through the donation of my medical skills.

I’m looking forward to offering not just medical care, but also encouragement and support to those going through difficult experiences in Ukraine. While our individual efforts may seem small, I believe they can multiply and contribute to a larger movement that makes a meaningful difference and improves lives.

Global Care Force has the experience and infrastructure to provide me with a safe and effective volunteering experience in Ukraine. I am confident that together, we can help people in these Ukrainian communities get the healthcare they need in difficult times.

We have participated in short-term mission trips to Eastern Europe in the past and fell in love with the people there. Because of family circumstances, we have not been able to return to this part of the world for some time. We are excited about this opportunity to again connect with our neighbors on the other side of the globe!

As a nurse, I am passionate about providing quality care to people in need. Witnessing the current events in Ukraine breaks my heart for the people there, so after learning about GCF and their work to help bring needed medical services to the Ukrainian people, I was eager to get involved. I look forward to serving the people of Ukraine through my professional skills as a registered nurse and am grateful for the opportunity to use what I love to aid those in need.

I am volunteering to provide care for hurting and scared people in a war-torn country. With Global Care Force, we will go where nobody else wants to go and provide care that no one else is providing.

Throughout my time in the developing world, I have often worked in conflict and post-conflict zones, and the suffering of the innocent there has motivated me to do all I could to help. I will have another opportunity to serve when I return to Ukraine to serve the civilian victims of this unjust war and to at least partially alleviate this suffering. Thank you for joining me in this service.

I look forward to returning to Ukraine to provide primary care to those in need. When I served with the Mobile Medical Team on two previous missions, I was impressed by the resiliency of the Ukrainians and the medical needs being met by Global Care Force. Many are displaced, others without running water and electricity in some villages, but they continue on with their daily lives. I also learned much about their long and rich cultural history as an independent country. I will be honored and thankful to return and apply my skills to help support them in their time of need.

I believe all people have a right to healthcare, and that’s why I am excited to serve in El Paso, Texas, in February 2025 to provide medical care to migrants seeking refuge in the United States. Many refugees fled from conditions of economic oppression in search of a better life and safety from gang violence, the drug trade, and human trafficking. Their journey is often long and arduous, without certainty of food, water, shelter, or support. Many arrive at the shelters with a variety of acute and chronic conditions that I will provide medical care for.