Rotary Club of West Bloomfield's International Project in Zambia

Dr. Henry W. Maicki graduated from Wayne State College of Medicine in 1964 and started his own ob-gyn practice.

In the mid 70s, he started his life of advocacy by founding the first accredited birthing center in Michigan. During the course of his career, he assisted in the delivery of a total of 10,000 births, in both hospitals and birthing centers.

Early in his practice, Dr. Maicki became aware of the seriousness of domestic violence and began lecturing on its medical aspects.

In the 1990s, Dr Maicki learned of a new field of medicine—palliative care—and started a palliative care program at St John Providence Hospital. This led to Dr.Maicki’s interest in hospice. He became a full-time hospice physician for the remainder of his career, before retiring in 2018.

In 2001, he joined a team of physicians traveling to Zambia. The trip was sponsored by OMNI, the Orphan Medical Network International. There, he saw a level of poverty and illness beyond belief in the United State. During his medical clinics in Zambia, he also learned of the frequency of domestic violence and human trafficking.

In addition, Dr. Maicki found that, in Zambian villages, many children have no opportunity to go to school. This led to him being a strong advocate of OMNI because of the benefits OMNI has provided to the George Community in Ndola. In 2005 OMNI built a school there. Children are now educated, fed daily, and provided with health care, two uniforms a year, mosquito netting, clean water, and sanitation. The school has more than 350 students, in grades 1 to 9. As a result of their education, the children’s risk of a life of servitude, violence, and trafficking is greatly reduced.

Dr. Maicki believes he has been Blessed to be a Blessing or, in Rotary terms, to provide Service Above Self.