Amidst nearly three decades of civil war, Dr. Stephen Foster and his wife, Peggy, have served the Angolan people by providing medical care in Jesus’ name. His sacrificial work, excellence in health care and training, and many visionary initiatives in a conflict-ravaged setting have earned him the 2010 Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award. Presented by The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the award recognizes the work of Canadian physicians who go beyond the expectations of routine practice to deliver medical services worldwide.

During the civil war which killed over a half million people, eleven of twelve mission hospitals were destroyed in southern Angola. An already inadequate health care infrastructure dwindled to almost nothing. Nevertheless Dr. Foster mentored dozens of surgeons and nurses, opened surgical units, helped design a postgraduate medical training program, and built a new medical center in the city of Lubango. The Centro Evangélico de Medicina do Lubango opened in 2006 with 46 beds.

Dr. Foster tells the Royal College, “Despite the apparent dangers, I’ve had more fun here than I would have had anywhere else. The average general surgeon in Canada does five or six different types of operations. I do more than 100 procedures, 1,400 times in any given year.”

Dr. Foster also flies to a rural hospital in Kalukembe,.Angola, to train nurses and perform surgeries. The Kalukembe facility is the only hospital in its region.

Dr. Stephen Foster is the son and grandson of AEF missionaries. His parents, Dr. Robert (Bob) and Belva Foster, were integral in founding Mukinge and Luampa hospitals in Zambia, and Cavango Hospital in Angola. Bob was also International Director of AEF (which merged with SIM in 1998) from 1981 to 1989. Stephen’s grandparents, Charles and June Foster, translated the Bible into Kikonde.

Four of Dr. Stephen Fosters siblings also serve in Africa: Stirling, Sheila, and Shelley in Angola, and Stuart in Mozambique.

Slideshow: Delivering Treatment in Angola