BELIZE PEDIATRIC WARD

Northern Regional Hospital, our longtime host hospital in Belize, does not have a pediatric ward and wishes to offer more dedicated care to children and families. To help them expand their services,  LEAP agreed to support the construction of a dedicated pediatric ward at the hospital. After two years of planning, construction began following a groundbreaking ceremony that occured during our April 2025 mission, allowing for our volunteers to attend and participate in this celebration. This project is made possible by the generosity and kindness of LEAP’s donors and done in partnership with LEAP, Northern Regional Hospital, the Ministry of Health & Wellness, and the Rotary Club of Orange Walk.

BELIZE BREASTFEEDING UNIT

In 2025, the Ann Shimek Breastfeeding Unit was created at Northern Regional Hospital to assist and support mothers and newborns. This project honors the memory of Ann Shimek, an incredibly talented nurse who helped our Founder Dr. Craig Hobar get LEAP started in 1991. A dedication ceremony occurred during our November 2025 mission with Ann’s family and our volunteers in attendance. This project is made possible by the generosity and kindness of LEAP’s donors and done in partnership with LEAP, Northern Regional Hospital, the Ministry of Health & Wellness, and the Rotary Club of Orange Walk.

BELIZE DENTAL CLINIC RENOVATION

LEAP funded the renovation of the dental clinic at Northern Regional Hospital, our partner hospital in Orange Walk, Belize, in memory of longtime LEAP volunteer Glenita Franklin. Glenita participated on several Belize missions as a dental hygienist and was instrumental in building our Belize dental program. $5,700 consisting of donations received in her memory and additional funding from LEAP enabled the renovation of the clinic and purchase of new dental equipment.

ZIMBABWE OPERATING ROOM EXPANSION

Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Zimbabwe has been our host hospital since 2009. It is one of only two pediatric hospitals in all of Zimbabwe, serving a population of approximately 16 million with only three operating room suites, one of which was funded by LEAP in 2014.

While the operating room LEAP funded offered significant relief to the 5-year backlog of pediatric patients, there is still a great need. Given the below benefits we’ve seen through the 2014 build, we sent funding for the hospital’s fourth operating room—the second to be directly funded by LEAP.

1. Improved Efficiency – The surgeons and nursing staff previously worked until midnight or 1 am to complete their daily surgeries. Now, surgeons and staff are usually able to complete a normal surgery day.

2. Elective Operations – Normally scheduled surgeries would be postponed due to emergencies, creating a huge backlog. Now, elective operations are no longer stopped, and emergencies take place in the third operating room.

3. Depleting The Backlog – As surgeons are able to plan and not be ‘waiting’ for an available operating room, they can now schedule and execute all pending surgeries.

This fourth operating room commemorated 10 years of partnership between Celebration Ministries International and LEAP Global Missions and will allow for many thousands of children to receive their needed surgeries much earlier. Over time, this gift will continue to benefit countless children over several generations. There is truly no better way for us to invest in our global future!

CASA JOSEFINA – PERU

Through the generosity of our donors, funding was provided to enable the orphanage to continue to provide loving care for children, find them forever families, grow the clinic’s laser surgery program to give sight to the blind, and create the revenue needed to sustain the clinic and orphanage work.

• Honorary Expansion Project in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2016

• Operating room addition in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2014

• Education and expansion of plastic surgery and orthodontic programs in El Salvador in 2014

• Surgery facilities and dental clinic in India in 2009 and 2019

• Multipurpose building (school, orphanage, and medical) on the border of Laos and Thailand

• Prosthetic clinic in Belize

• Free-standing medical clinic in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico in 2002