What Medical Ambassadors International does

Medical Ambassadors International (MAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 and headquartered in Salida, California, that operates community-led development programs across 75 countries. The organization equips local trainers and volunteers with three proprietary methodologies: Community Health Evangelism (CHE), a participatory framework with a four-step Listen-Equip-Empower-Multiply approach; Integral Disciple Making Movements (IDMM), which fuses discovery-based Bible studies with community development; and the Health Education Program for Developing Communities (HEPFDC), a free, evidence-based toolkit of 50+ illustrated health topics aligned with WHO/CDC guidance and translated into 10+ languages. These methodologies are delivered through a tiered training curriculum (Vision Seminars, TOT1/TOT2/TOT3, CHE Internship) and supplemented by specialized modules covering Trauma Healing, Family Cycle of Life, Men Matters, First 1,000 Days, Anti-Human Trafficking, and Disaster Preparedness.

MAI's beneficiary footprint spans 2,674 communities with an estimated 3.08 million people impacted directly or indirectly through a network of 52,000+ field volunteers and regional/country coordinators organized across 11 regions. The organization reports a cost efficiency of approximately $0.93 per person served. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: programs are delivered by trained local facilitators who multiply training peer-to-peer, supported by in-person and virtual training events at the CHE Centre in Athi River (Nairobi, Kenya) and other global locations.

MAI is funded primarily through charitable donations from individuals, churches, and organizations, with designated giving programs allowing supporters to fund specific missionaries, regions, or projects. Secondary revenue comes from paid training events (e.g., $261 for TOT1 in Kenya, $1,650 for a CHE Internship, $125 per person for IDMM training in Beaverton, OR) and unit-priced food security kits. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating, ECFA accreditation, GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and has been ranked a Top 10 ministry for ROI by Calvin Edwards and Company for six consecutive years.

Name

Medical Ambassadors International

Legal name

Medical Ambassadors International

Website

https://medicalambassadors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Medical Ambassadors International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips local leaders in 75 countries with Community Health Evangelism, IDMM, and HEPFDC programs, reaching 3.08 million people through 52,000+ volunteers across 2,674 communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health and Development Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Community health education
• Community development training
• Faith-based humanitarian aid
• Disaster response training
• Health education curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Salida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: MAI operates primarily through donations from individuals, churches, and organizations. Donors can make one-time or recurring gifts, with options for designated giving to specific missionaries, regions, or projects. The organization maintains a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and ECFA membership for transparency.
2. Designated Giving Programs: Donors can designate gifts to specific purposes: support a missionary (training, travel, tools), support a region (training delivery, translation, field support), or support a project (time-bound initiatives like translation sets, water & hygiene modules, training launches). Monthly sustaining partnerships available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Medical Ambassadors International equips local leaders in vulnerable communities with faith-rooted health education and community development training through three proprietary methodologies: Community Health Evangelism (CHE), Integral Disciple Making Movements (IDMM), and the Health Education Program for Developing Communities (HEPFDC). It delivers in-person and virtual training programs (Vision Seminars, Training of Trainers Level 1/2/3, CHE Internships, Trauma Healing courses, and topic-specific trainings), free multilingual health education materials, and a Members-Only Partner Portal that provides curricula, facilitation tools, and field resources to approved practitioners. Services are funded primarily through charitable donations from individuals, churches, and partner organizations.

Product overview

Medical Ambassadors International (MAI) offers a portfolio of community transformation programs centered on three core methodologies: CHE (Community Health Evangelism), IDMM (Integral Disciple Making Movements), and HEPFDC (Health Education Program for Developing Communities). These are complemented by specialized training programs (TOT1/2/3, CHE Internship, Trauma Healing), topic-specific trainings (First 1,000 Days, Anti-Human Trafficking, Disaster Preparedness), demographic-focused programs (Women Cycle of Life, Men Matters, Family Cycle of Life), and a digital Members-Only Partner Portal providing access to curricula, facilitation tools, and resources. MAI also publishes books and the Healing Lives magazine documenting holistic mission in practice. The organization operates as a training-and-resources provider rather than a software-as-a-service product company; its offerings are designed for field practitioners, local leaders, and approved partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHE: Community Health Evangelism - MAI's primary methodology that equips neighbors to address the whole person through physical, spiritual, emotional, and social transformation.
• IDMM
• HEPFDC

Products and services

• CHE (Community Health Evangelism) A practical community development methodology that equips neighbors to address whole-person transformation across physical, spiritual, emotional, and social dimensions through simple, locally led lessons and home practices that multiply neighbor-to-neighbor.
• IDMM (Integral Disciple Making Movements) A wholistic, Spirit-led strategy that fuses Disciple Making Movements with Community Health Evangelism, using discovery Bible study groups to multiply disciples while integrating practical life skills.
• HEPFDC (Health Education Program for Developing Communities) A free, evidence-based, faith-rooted health education toolkit with 50+ illustrated topics aligned to WHO/CDC guidance, available in multiple languages for community-led health promotion.
• TOT1 (Training of Trainers Level 1) A foundational 3-5 day training covering CHE fundamentals, including how programs get started, participatory learning activities, and community entry approaches; required before receiving the complete CHE lesson database.
• TOT2 (Training of Trainers Level 2) Advanced training for committed CHE practitioners covering roles of key persons, training committees, and program mentorship; requires TOT1 completion.
• TOT3 (Training of Trainers Level 3) Advanced CHE training covering program monitoring and evaluation of successes and failures; requires TOT1 and TOT2 completion.
• CHE Internship A ~1 month field-based internship at the CHE Centre in Athi River, Nairobi, Kenya, covering TOT2 and TOT3 essentials for those starting and running CHE programs.
• Trauma Healing Training Training to help people cope with trauma and move toward healing, including a Spanish-language track; second week includes a children's camp practicum.
• Vision Seminar A 1-day introductory seminar providing an overview of MAI's approach and programs.
• Family Cycle of Life Training Training program addressing family health across the lifecycle, covering topics relevant to family well-being.
• Women's Cycle of Life (WCL) Training Women's health training addressing the unique needs of women across different life stages.
• Men Matters Training Training for healthy habits for men in the context of family, helping men become healthier spiritually, emotionally, and relationally for their well-being and the benefit of their families.
• First 1,000 Days Training Special topic training addressing the critical nutritional and developmental needs from conception to age two that impact a child's potential over their entire life.
• Anti-Human Trafficking Training Training addressing human trafficking prevention and awareness for community health workers and local leaders.
• Disaster Preparedness Training Training to prepare communities for disaster response and resilience.
• Members-Only Partner Portal Internal resource platform for approved MAI partners, practitioners, and national leaders providing access to training curricula, facilitation tools, templates, translations, field operations resources, and regional updates.
• Outside the Margins (Book) A field-tested book by Sharon Bieber examining CHE in action, sharing lessons from years of community work, what worked, what did not, and why ownership matters.
• Beyond Poverty (Book) A book by Terry Dalrymple presenting case studies from 900+ organizations in 135 countries using CHE, documenting pathways from one village to multiplying movements.
• Multiplying Light and Truth (Book) A book by Stan Rowland examining philosophies, principles, training curricula, and materials for establishing integrated community-based development programs combined with evangelism and discipleship.
• Food Security Startup Kits Food security and agricultural intervention kits supplied to CHE communities; $50 helps one family of 4-6, $100 helps two families, $250 helps five families, and $1,000 helps start a community garden.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% of global suffering is preventable through basic health knowledge and behavior change (WHO)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)coreOthersMAI is a member of ECFA, demonstrating commitment to financial accountability and stewardship standards expected by evangelical nonprofits.
• Charity NavigatorcoreOthersCharity Navigator provides charity ratings. MAI maintains consistent 4-star ratings, demonstrating financial transparency and accountability.
• GuideStar (Candid)coreOthersGuideStar/Candid provides nonprofit information and transparency verification. MAI maintains Platinum Seal of Transparency.
• Great NonprofitsminorOthersPlatform for peer-reviewed nonprofit ratings and reviews from community members and beneficiaries.
• Accord NetworkminorOthersChristian development organization network providing resources and connections for faith-based humanitarian work.
• Micah GlobalminorOthersGlobal Christian advocacy network working on justice, sustainable development, and relief efforts.
• ROI Ministry (Calvin Edwards and Company)coreOthersProvides rigorous evaluation of ministry effectiveness. Has recognized MAI as a Top 10 ministry with highest ROI for the Kingdom of God for 6 consecutive years.
• Excellence in GivingminorOthersAnalytics platform providing data-driven insights into charitable giving effectiveness.
• ROI Ministry (Excellence in Giving)coreOthersMinistry analytics platform showing MAI's impact data and effectiveness metrics.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Partners in Health: Global health nonprofit providing community-based health care in resource-poor settings; comparable because both prioritize local capacity building, community health workers, and accompaniment over direct aid delivery.
• MAP International: Christian global health organization providing medicine, health education, and medical missions; directly comparable as a faith-rooted nonprofit delivering community health programming and health education in low-resource settings.
• CURE International: Faith-based nonprofit operating pediatric surgical hospitals and medical training programs in developing countries; comparable because both combine Christian mission with health service delivery in low-resource geographies.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian relief and development organization using community-led transformation in 20+ countries; directly comparable to MAI's CHE methodology, which Food for the Hungry has historically adopted and is referenced in CHE case-study literature.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Evangelical relief and development organization providing medical care, disaster response, and community programs worldwide; comparable because of explicit Christ-centered mission, donor-funded model, and medical mission focus similar to MAI's roots.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Faith-rooted nonprofit delivering community-based housing and development programs globally; comparable for its faith-based community development methodology, donor-funded model, and emphasis on local ownership and dignity.
• World Vision International: Global Christian humanitarian organization operating community development, health, and child wellbeing programs across 100+ countries; comparable due to faith-rooted, area-development community transformation model with measurable health and livelihood outcomes.
• Compassion International: Largest faith-based child sponsorship and community development NGO; comparable because both run Christ-centered, donor-funded, community-led programs in dozens of developing countries and equip local partners rather than running direct service operations.

Regional players

• International Mission Board (SBC): Southern Baptist missions organization sending missionaries and supporting church planting and community development globally; comparable in faith-based missions orientation and use of volunteer-driven, field-team distribution model.

Emerging players

• Hope International: Faith-based microenterprise and community development organization; comparable for Christ-centered, community-led model of economic and social transformation in developing countries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCg38NKdmAdvXxo-Ps2vAAAw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/medicalambassadors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medical-ambassadors-international-official
• Instagraminstagram.com/mai_org_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@medicalambassadors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medical Ambassadors International