COLLEGE STATION, Texas (FOX 44) – Texas A&M University says that during the fall 2022 semester, student organization BUILD converted four shipping containers into Texas Aggie Medical Clinics (TAMCs) to be shipped to communities in need – including one to Ukraine next month.

The clinic will provide aid to a community the university says has faced considerable damage due to the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia. The location of this TAMC will be decided when it arrives at the Medical Bridges facility for medical supply stocking in April. Due to the fluid nature of the conflict in Ukraine, the exact location remains undecided.  

The nonprofit Medical Bridges has been partnered with BUILD since 2014. The organization is based in Houston, and collects and distributes surplus medical supplies and used equipment to developing countries. Medical Bridges collaborates with BUILD by stocking each container with medical supplies and helping to identify and vet which NGOs to send clinics to.  

Texas A&M BUILD was founded in 2013 by Bryson A. Sutterfield – a former deputy commander of the Corps of Cadets. This is a collaborative project created in reverence of the tradition of Aggie Bonfire and the twelve students whose lives were lost when it collapsed in 1999. In 2014, BUILD began a three-year project called 12 for 12 – with the goal of converting twelve shipping containers.

A decade after the organization was founded, BUILD continues the tradition of selfless service. As of this month, the group has produced 41 medical clinics which are in 20 different countries across five continents. Each clinic is equipped with filtered water, A/C units, space for medical beds and ample storage for medical supplies. 

In addition to being a student organization, BUILD is also a nonprofit. In 2021, BUILD accomplished a major milestone of reaching $1 million in contributions from donors.  

The group recently established the BUILD Endowed Excellence Fund in which donations to the campaign will be processed. It also has developed a menu of funding opportunities at the $25,000 endowment threshold.

For information on how to donate and how to volunteer, you can visit BUILD’s website.