History

From 1952 to 1954, Michael Spiger lived with his family in Morocco while his father, a U.S. Air Force pilot, was stationed near Rabat. Forty years later, in 1995, Dr. and Mrs. Spiger launched the precursor to Gateway Medical Alliance, following several visits to the country he had loved since his childhood.

Collaborating with several friends who lived in Morocco, the first container arrived in 1997, shipped by well-known, international non-governmental organization (NGO), Medical Teams International. The shipment contained medical supplies and equipment, and those Moroccans who benefited greatly appreciated this humanitarian action. The Spigers quickly made plans to begin an effort to send more containers.

Realizing that the work of both raising funds and gathering donated medical supplies was to be a full-time job, Dr. Spiger took early retirement from his medical practice and began to build shipping and distribution teams both in the U.S. and in Morocco.

An all-volunteer team quickly learned how to list, count and organize the donated medical supplies and manage the shipping process. In 2002, the Spigers launched their own NGO, and named it “Gateway Medical Alliance” (GMA).

In 2004, the Gateway Medical Alliance team responded to a major earthquake in Al Hoceima, where thousands of mountain homes were destroyed, and began helping to rebuild homes and lives. That same year, GMA opened the first of several therapy centers for disabled children.

Now four children’s therapy centers are operating, and GMA has shipped 47 containers of medical supplies and equipment, including three containers of wheel chairs with a value of more than $13 million. In addition, GMA established a wheelchair repair facility in a central-Morocco location.

To complement donations of medical supplies and its children’s therapy centers, GMA co-sponsors and organizes short-term medical and dental campaigns to rural regions in partnership with Moroccan health care professionals.

GMA continues to grow and expand its activities.  Recently, a community health education program teaching basic health issues, nutrition and hygiene to rural villagers was started.