DAN AND ELIZABETH TURK
ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

Dan and Elizabeth Turk were invited to serve in Madagascar through the development branch of Fiangonan’i Jesoa Kristy edo Madagasasikara (FJKM). Within FJKM are departments of health, environment, agriculture, and safe drinking water. The FJKM believes that Christian witness should include ministry both to the physical and spiritual needs of God’s people and care for all of God’s creation. Dan and Elizabeth work as advisors to FJKM’s environment and health departments.

Elizabeth helps the staff of the FJKM health department design and implement a community health program. The program works with rural communities to prevent and treat the major illnesses that threaten health. As part of this program, 34 of the 39 FJKM doctors have received training in community health, and over 150 community health volunteers from rural areas are receiving training in health education techniques and basic health messages. These volunteers teach others in their communities how they can prevent and treat illnesses before they become life-threatening. Elizabeth also advises the family planning program and serves on the national AIDS Committee. AIDS awareness and education is a major focus of FJKM.

Dan works with the FJKM environment department to help people improve their lives while living more in harmony with creation. With per capita income less than $250 per year, many Malagasy people have difficulty feeding their families. FJKM has helped people plant trees for fuel and construction wood, by promoting environmental awareness in primary schools and rural communities and by encouraging more intensive agriculture through growing fruit trees and off-season crops. Dan is especially involved in efforts to plant fruit trees and native trees.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Dan graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He earned a master of science in agronomy and soil science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a PhD in forestry from North Carolina State University. His doctoral research focused on the growth rates of over 60 native Malagasy trees. Dan spent two years as a consultant in agroforestry to the Ranomafana National Park project in Madagascar. He is the author of A Guide to Trees of Ranomafana National Park.

Dan and Elizabeth are members of West Raleigh Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. They have a son, Robert, and a daughter, Frances.