Giving Back Health Abroad

In Memory of Dr. Shannon Bloch

Changing Lives Forever

Thank you for your support of Giving Back Health Abroad. Our mission is to expand evidence-based chiropractic care and provide Doctors of Chiropractic and other healthcare practitioners with the opportunity to volunteer with World Spine Care in Botswana and now South Africa. The Dr. Shannon Bloch Grant offers a chance to give back to communities in Botswana while gaining invaluable clinical experience—without the added stress of loan payments and other financial responsibilities. Your contributions will not only change the lives of people in these communities and the volunteers, but also help honor Shannon's life.

Building Better Doctors

While becoming a doctor means earning a degree, becoming a proficient healthcare provider means so much more.

Did you know:

• More than a billion people in the world today experience spine-related disabilities?

• The greatest burden of disability worldwide is attributed to neck and back pain?

• This condition disproportionately affects women, the elderly, rural communities, and those in lower-income countries?

A New Clinic in Hoedspruit, South Africa (June 2025)

With the BH3 clinic nearing capacity and the clinics in Mahalapye and Shoshong thriving, a brand-new clinic in Hoedspruit, South Africa, will be opening soon. While the model will change slightly, the mission remains the same—and we couldn't be more excited to witness so many lives being transformed.

Dr. Mufudzi Chihambakwe continues to be our guiding light. His passion and commitment to the success of the clinic and the improvement of care throughout southern Africa truly warms our hearts.

With this expansion, however, comes the need for more support and more volunteer doctors. Please help us continue to grow and improve lives on the other side of the world.

An Update on the BH3 Clinic in Botswana (June 2023)

Thanks to the generous support of our donors—and the hard work and dedication of Clinic Supervisor Dr. Mufudzi Chihambakwe—the BH3 clinic continues to grow and provide care to more and more people in the city of Gaborone.

Dr. Chihambakwe is now supported by his new assistant, Onkabetse Mothomme, a recent graduate of the Health Assistant Program at the University of South Africa. Both Mufudzi and Onkabetse were able to continue their education this past year thanks to grants from the Giving Back Health Abroad program.

In addition to the expansion of the Gaborone clinic, we are pleased to report that World Spine Care has recently been able to reopen the other two clinics in Botswana, located in Mahalapye and Shoshong.

We know Shannon would have been thrilled to see the resurgence and continued success of World Spine Care’s efforts in Botswana, and we can’t wait to see what opportunities lie ahead.

Introducing the New BH3 Clinic (June 2022)

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we are pleased to share that Giving Back Health Abroad has established a new World Spine Care clinic in Botswana. The Broadhurst 3 (BH3) clinic in Gaborone will be overseen by Clinical Coordinator Dr. Mufudzi Chihambakwe.

Dr. Chihambakwe brings his passion for patient care and clinical expertise to lead this exciting new initiative. He is a particularly good fit for this role, as he and Shannon became friends during their time volunteering together.

“It is an honor to be able to continue providing patient care in Gaborone and to establish this new clinic in Dr. Bloch’s honor,” said Dr. Chihambakwe. “To have the opportunity to support a new clinic, to do more to help the community, and to build upon the great work that World Spine Care has accomplished in Botswana to date is incredible. I look forward to the future good we can achieve together.”

Support Our Work

Giving Back Health Abroad is proud to support the BH3 Clinic in Shannon’s honor, and we are deeply grateful to those supporters who have made this dream a reality.

Because of you, underserved and medically naïve populations—who depend on manual labor for their survival and livelihood, and who have very limited access to spinal care—are now able to receive the help they need.

Our hope is that, with your continued support, Giving Back Health Abroad can keep supporting Dr. Chihambakwe—and eventually other volunteers who want to follow in Shannon’s footsteps—to improve spine health in Botswana.