The shipments contained 2.8 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including vitamins, insulin, pain management medications, and more.

24/7 Maternity Services Continue in Haiti, Despite Ongoing Unrest

In recent weeks, Haiti, particularly the capital city of Port-au-Prince, has been engulfed in a deepening crisis marked by escalating violence and insecurity. The situation reached a critical point with the declaration of a state of emergency in early March after a mass prison break that occurred as gangs overran two of the country’s largest prisons, leading to the release of thousands of inmates and further exacerbating the already volatile situation.

In response to the ongoing unrest, Direct Relief provided $1 million in financial support to nine healthcare organizations providing essential health services across the country, including Maison de Naissance, a non-profit maternal health center.  The grant helped sustain 24/7 maternity services, providing support for personnel salaries, medical supplies, and fuel during what the Maison de Naissance staff described as the most difficult 3 months experienced since the clinic’s inception in 2004. 

Brazil Flood Response Continues

Heavy rain hit southern Brazil last weekend, exacerbating the already extreme flooding the region has undergone since April. Resulting health issues include respiratory illnesses and a bacterial disease called leptospirosis that has already killed more than a dozen people.

Direct Relief’s response efforts in the region continue. With support from PAHO (the Pan American Health Organization), the organization delivered 100 emergency medical backpacks to the Brazilian Ministry of Health (SAES – Secretariate of Specialized Healthcare) to equip their mobile medical teams providing health services in the flood zones. The organization is also coordinating with the MOH on other medical supplies that are in short supply.

Fires Burn in California, New Mexico

As of Friday morning, the Point Fire in Sonoma County, California, has burned over 1,200 acres, destroyed three structures, and damaged two others. Direct Relief received a request for an emergency shipment of supplies (containing 50 hygiene kits and 100 N-95 masks) from Alliance Medical Center on Tuesday, which arrived a day later. The fire is now 75 percent contained, and evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday.

Direct Relief has also recently supported Alliance Medical Center with funding to install solar panels and a backup battery system. This microgrid has now been operational for a month and provides up to 15 hours of resilient, clean power. The Center is in an area called “the geyser” — extreme winds and fire threat cause frequent PSPS (Power Safety Public Shutoff) events and loss of power.

Earlier this week, Sue Labbe, CEO of Alliance, said that “the smoke, ash and air pollutants from the fire are definitely impacting our air quality but we remain open, and we are continuing to see patients. We do feel relieved knowing that if the grid power is cut off, we will be able to continue to serve our community thanks to the solar Power for Health microgrid.”

In New Mexico, the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, which have grown over 23,000 acres with 0% containment thus far, have caused two known deaths, destroyed approximately 1,400 structures, and forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate. Compounding the problem, thunderstorms that began Wednesday afternoon led to flash flood warnings for areas that were newly burned. Roads have been closed, and communications systems across the affected area have been down, after public communications towers and essential power lines were destroyed by the blaze. 
 
Direct Relief has offered support to the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, local community health centers, and tribal contacts in the area, and will continue to respond to needs as requested.

Operational Snapshot

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 300,000 defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 571 shipments containing over three tons of medications during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 11,100 shipments to 1,835 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 75 countries.

These shipments contained 206.8 million defined daily doses of medication totaling 3 million lbs.

IN THE NEWS

• Climate Change Hurts Mothers and Babies. Midwives Are on the Frontlines. – Angels in Medicine
• Biden’s Green Investments Aren’t Just Benefiting Cities – Progressive.org
• Community Health Centers’ New Crisis: The Need for Backup Power – Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Direct Relief Announces Appointment of Three Directors to Board – 3BL Media

The post Maternal Health Update from Haiti, Brazil Flood and California Responses Continue appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 15.5 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including cardiovascular medicines, insulin, trauma response essentials, nutritional products, and more.

Supplies for Young People with Type 1 Diabetes Arrive in Djibouti

This week, Centre du Jeune Diabétique de Djibouti, a Direct Relief NGO partner in Djibouti, received 120,000 insulin pen needles. These needles allow the children who are patients of the clinic to reuse insulin pens, a tool for insulin injection that was also donated by Direct Relief (in coordination with Australian NGO Life for A Child) and has been shown to improve outcomes in diabetes management over the previously used method of insulin injection via vial and syringe.

Since 2021, Direct Relief has provided insulin, insulin pens, and insulin pen needles, among other supplies, for around 500 children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in Djibouti. A solar-powered refrigerator was also recently donated to Centre du Jeune Diabétique, equipping their facility with reliable cold storage space for insulin.

Learn more about Direct Relief’s support for those living with diabetes here.

Cambodian Ministry of Health Receives Large Vitamin Shipment

Direct Relief shipped over 64,000 bottles of a micronutrient formulation of 15 vitamins and minerals known as UNIMMAPS MMS, which are proven to have a positive impact on maternal and child health, to Cambodia, where they were received by longtime Direct Relief partner Hope Worldwide and passed on to the Cambodian Ministry of Health.

Hope Worldwide is a U.S.-based organization that operates Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital, a large nonprofit hospital in the Kampot region of southern Cambodia with a special focus on maternal and pediatric care. This region is among the lowest income in the country, and access to prenatal health services remains challenging, and the hospital does not have the logistical infrastructure to support other health facilities. For this reason, Hope Worldwide requested that Direct Relief consider the opportunity to donate critically needed prenatal vitamins directly to the Ministry of Health for distribution around the country to women who are at risk of maternal malnutrition.

Since 2009, Direct Relief has shipped over 43 million defined daily doses of requested medicines to partner organizations in Cambodia and is continuing to investigate ways to increase support to health-focused organizations in the country.

Increasing Medical Capacity in Honduras

Direct Relief and Ruth Paz Foundation unveiled a new medical distribution center in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, at an event on April 4, and the facility will support distribution across Honduras, connecting communities in need with medical aid. Ruth Paz Foundation operates a pediatric hospital in San Pedro Sula, as well as clinic sites and health brigade outreach efforts to bring health care to people in need.

Direct Relief has supported the Ruth Paz Foundation with $34.2 million in medical aid since 2013, in addition to financial support.

Ruth Paz Foundation was able to purchase and modify the facility with a $780,000 grant from Direct Relief, and will eliminate some of the logistical and warehousing barriers faced by nonprofits in the country receiving medical aid.

The warehouse will be a national distribution center for medications and supplies and will provide “a vital support point for the effective distribution of medical donations and supplies to vulnerable communities in an efficient, transparent and rapid manner,” the organization said in a statement.

Direct Relief staff attended the inauguration, including Thomas Tighe, President and CEO, Erick Molina, Senior Manager for Latin America, Ellen Cho, Director of Special Programs, and Jonathan Mangotich, Manager of Corporate Engagement.

operational Snapshot

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 14.5 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 323 shipments containing over five tons of medications during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 6,137 shipments to 1,402 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 58 countries.

These shipments contained 103.3 million defined daily doses of medication totaling 2 million lbs.

In the News

Four Medical Institutions of Kherson Region Received 16 Energy Storage Systems from Benefactors – Ukrinform

Recibe Cruz Roja Mexicana 12 Mil Vacunas Contra Covid-19 de Pfizer y Direct Relief – Diario Amanecery

Fundación Ruth Paz y Direct Relief Inauguran Centro de Distribución de Medicinas – Iconos Mag

Cruz Roja Mexicana Recibe Donación de 12 Mil Vacunas Contra Covid-19 – El Universal

Cruz Roja Recibe Vacunas Contra COVID que Aplicarán Gratuitamente – El Valle

2024: Donations Urgently Needed for Sudan – Charity Watch

The post Medical Aid Arrives in 11 Countries, Humanitarian Aid Warehouse Opens in Honduras, and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

Shanti had been taken from her job in Nepal and forced into sex trafficking in India as a teenager. After escaping and returning home, Shanti’s family and community rejected her upon learning she was living with HIV, and she was forced to find work and housing on her own. For a time, she was so unwell that she had to leave her daughter, Kranti, at an orphanage. 

Then, in 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, and a border blockade between Nepal and India, cut off the supply of critical medications into Nepal, including the HIV treatment on which Shanti’s life depended. 

“She contacted all her friends to help her find the medicine or to get me adopted because I had no one besides her,” Kranti said. 

Despite her personal desperation, Shanti threw herself into the post-earthquake relief efforts. “With no hope of survival, I resolved that even if this was my destined death, I would want to die working for my community,” she said.

The Start of a Movement

With the help of a friend, Shanti connected with Direct Relief, which provided a supply of antiretroviral drugs for a number of Nepali people living with HIV, including Shanti.

“We love to say that Direct Relief saved my mother’s life,” Kranti shared. “And when she felt that she had been given a second chance to her life, she had to do more for her community.”

In 2016, Shanti and six other women founded the Shanti Foundation, a year after the devastating earthquake. The organization quickly got to work educating the Nepali public and government officials about trafficking, HIV, and sexual and gender-based violence. Their team also helps rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate trafficking survivors and people living with HIV. Even though she was still a teenager, Shanti’s daughter, Kranti, played a critical role for the new organization as she had learned English and could help translate information from Nepalese for people and organizations who were willing to support their movement.

And given the story behind her name, Kranti is a true embodiment of this movement. The doctor who delivered her called her “Kranti,” which means “revolution” in Nepalese because she was the first baby in Nepal whose mother received antiretroviral therapy treatment, which reduces the risk of a mother with HIV transmitting the disease to her newborn. 

In Nepal, HIV is still highly stigmatized. It is not uncommon for children whose parents live with HIV to be kicked out of school, and for children to abandon their parents when they learn about their parents’ condition. Kranti shared that not having HIV prevented her from experiencing much of the fear and isolation faced by her friends who are living with HIV.

“It was very hard for my friends with HIV every time they would have to take the medication during the school day. Everyone would come and ask them, ‘What are you taking medication for?’ And, of course, they will not tell it’s about HIV, but they’ll always have this fear that they’d be found out.  And one time, my friend’s mother began talking about her story and joining the [anti-trafficking, anti-HIV stigma] movement. And her friends found out, and she was just isolated.”

A Dream Come True

The persistent stigma and lack of resources for those living with HIV led Shanti and Kranti to the dream of having a community house in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. 

All advanced healthcare services for people living with HIV are based in Kathmandu, and even if one is lucky enough to know someone in the city, housing is often refused during treatment because of the stigma around HIV. Many are coming from poorer, rural areas of the country and can’t afford a hotel or other accommodations while they seek treatment.

With funding from Direct Relief in 2021, the Shanti Foundation was able to buy a two-story building to provide housing and community for these people left with nowhere else to go. It features two rooftops – one contains a communal kitchen, where residents take turns cooking meals, and the other provides space for a garden that produces fresh vegetables for the community. Handicraft classes also teach women skills to make and sell bracelets, necklaces and other items. “They have made [the center] very beautiful,” Kranti said.

Since the home’s opening, over 70 people living with HIV have lived at the house. Some stay for a few days, and others – often elderly or those living with advanced stages of the disease – anticipate living the rest of their lives at the center.  The center also accommodates sex trafficking survivors.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead 

Eight years after the Shanti Foundation’s beginning, Kranti is now 21 years old, in her final year of university, and is a volunteer at the Kathmandu center as well as a volunteer development officer for the Shanti Foundation. 

The challenges and opportunities ahead of the foundation are especially clear to her now as she recently returned home from her first trip outside Nepal. After being nominated by staff at the American embassy in Kathmandu, she flew to the U.S. for a three-week leadership program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, where groups from 22 different countries came together to learn and share about anti-trafficking efforts in their own countries and in the U.S. 

“We went to the Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Department of Justice; everyone had their own task force for anti-human trafficking,” Kranti shared. “Each law enforcement has victim advocates, investigators, and prosecutors dedicated and trained to these programs.”

In contrast, “trafficking is regarded as just a ‘woman thing’ in our country,” she said. 

“And it is only operated by the Ministry of Women, which is always falling short on resources and things that they want to really do. And we are pressing on the Ministry of Women, because that is also that is only the institution that is really internalizing this issue. But I think we might have to embrace the challenge and go with other ministries like transportation, labor, etc., that have a big role to play in order to prevent this crime.”

Also, Kranti learned from other members of the leadership program that over 50 Nepalese women were being rescued from trafficking in Greece, and other Nepalese people had just been rescued in Cyprus.

“When they have to be repatriated back to the country, they do need support, and we’re in the country to provide that,” said Kranti. “Before now, we knew our people were there, but we didn’t know whom to contact. Now we know whom we can contact, and we can help each other.”

For Kranti, this trip was “most importantly about spreading the words of my mother around the [U.S.] and beyond.”

“Through [Direct Relief’s] support, Shanti was saved, but the impact goes far beyond, now supporting the lives of countless others.”

The post Kranti Tamang on the Anti-Trafficking, Anti-Stigma Revolution appeared first on Direct Relief.

Pilar Gomez, DiabetesLATAM’s founder and director, started the NGO after moving to Panama in 2017. Until then, Gomez had worked as an instructional designer and project manager for Citigroup in Emerging Markets and as a freelancer designing training programs for Shell, Petrofac, Kaplan and Schlumberger in the U.S., UK, Latin America and Asia.

She also had a son and a daughter, and with time, they both were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

“I met with one of the seven endo pediatricians in the country, asking her where the charities, summer camps and support groups were,” Gomez recalled. “She replied, ‘There is nothing in Panama and a lot to do.’”

Type 1 Diabetes In Panama

In Panama, there are currently 1,755 people with Type 1 diabetes. This is according to the Type 1 Index, a data simulation tool informed by published data and a survey of over 500 endocrinologists across the globe. The Type 1 index also estimates that 600 of these people in Panama are children.

Two government agencies run the public Panamanian healthcare system: (1) the paycheck-fueled Social Security (Caja de Seguro Social, or CSS) and (2) the Ministry of Health (MINSA) system, which is typically utilized by people who are unemployed and for those working in the informal sector and not registered as employed. There are also private hospitals that require private insurance or payment out of pocket.

Though treatment provided by both public options is equally comprehensive in theory, the reality is that the country’s health system is short-staffed, making it challenging to provide timely care. “They’ll say to you, yeah, we can get you an appointment, and you can pay $5,” said Gomez. “But the waiting list to see an endocrinologist can be five years. So effectively, there’s no coverage.”

There is also a severe shortage of medications throughout the year at the hospital network funded by the Social Security Fund. “If you read their list of medications, you’ll find all the different kinds of insulins, but you must go every month to collect your insulin. And one month, they might have insulin, but they don’t have test strips, the next month, they might have test strips, but they don’t have glucose meters. And then they don’t have one of the two types of insulins,” said Gomez. “So effectively, there’s no there’s no insulin and supply security.”

Pushing for Change

Gomez was determined to help — kids like her own needed reliable access to insulin. Through contacts at the International Diabetes Federation, she got in touch with the Life for a Child team, an Australia-based NGO that, in partnership with Direct Relief, provides insulin to young people in 45 under-resourced countries. 

When plans to provide insulin and education through a local hospital fell through, Gomez created a completely volunteer-run program separate from the hospitals for families that don’t have guaranteed insulin access. The program began in August 2022 with 30 kids enrolled, and in the last two years, it has grown to support 150 kids with diabetes care. That means that DiabetesLATAM now provides care for roughly 1 out of every 10 people living with Type 1 in Panama, according to the prevalence numbers from the Type 1 Index.

Given the importance of education in diabetes management, there are three education days each year. At the end of those days, the program participants receive the insulin and other medical products they need for the next four months. Snacks and lunches with the appropriate amount of sugar are provided, and education sessions are customized for the different age groups. Participant caregivers also undergo their education sessions. They also have a medical room where each kid is weighed, their A1c level (average blood sugar measurement) is checked, and their medical record is updated digitally. 

“What we’ve done is create a diabetes clinic because we see people every four months, which is roughly how often you’d see your doctor in the private sector,” said Gomez.

And recently, DiabetesLATAM garnered some public support from the Ministry of Health. On September 12, 2023, the organization participated in a public signing of a memorandum of understanding with Panama’s Ministry of Health, which was essentially an agreement to help expedite the complex process of importing donated medical products and support the organization’s outreach efforts.

What Now?

For Gomez and her team, advocacy begins with patient education and empowerment. On education days, caretakers are taught how to make the most of the 15-minute consultations provided by doctors in public systems. DiabetesLATAM has also introduced the use of insulin pens to patients. There are several benefits to using an insulin pen over using a vial and syringe: it increases dose accuracy, features less painful needles, and allows for easy insulin injection outside the home. 

Patients now talk about these new devices and research on their effectiveness with their doctors, helping them realize that pen use increases adherence to a treatment plan. “And so [the patients] become the people who open the mind of their doctors,” Gomez shared.

Her team recently used this time and ran focus groups to gather information for patient roadmaps that outline all the steps patients have to take if they need diabetes care and are a part of the Ministry of Health or Social Security system.

“When we do advocacy [with government officials], we take these documents with us,” said Gomez. “Some people say, ‘Oh, but those people have medical coverage, and at such and such hospital, there’s that insulin,’ and then we reply, ‘Yeah, but look at the roadmap for them; they have to follow 25 steps, they have to queue in the pharmacy for two hours, then they have to go back to the doctor for another stamp, then they need to wake up at four in the morning to do their lab work.’ So it [acceptable diabetes care] might be in writing, but this is in reality what people are going through.”

For Gomez, this was never about just handing off insulin. 

“Inevitably, when you get 400 people in the same space for eight hours, there’s something that changes within them, even if it’s very difficult to measure,” said Gomez. “I think you feel lonely battling the system, poverty, difficulty, sleepless nights. And then when you come together, and you realize that you’re one of many, something changes within.” 

“And I believe people become stronger, either to carry on living the way they are because they know that they’re not alone or to make certain changes and to approach their life and the system that they’re obliged to use in a different way.”

Since 2022, Direct Relief has provided DiabetesLATAM with over $950,000 worth of insulin and other medical products, as well as a double-door pharmaceutical-grade refrigerator for insulin storage.

The post In Panama, Type 1 Diabetes Care Improves by Empowering Young People appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 3.2 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including diabetes medications, wound care supplies, nutritional supplements, and more.

Amputees receive free prostheses in Ukraine

Earlier this week, the Danish organization Levitate hosted a prosthetics sports event along with Unbroken Rehabilitaion Center (both partner organizations of Direct Relief). Levitate specializes in creating prosthetics sports gear that’s affordable, durable, and easy to use; and now Levitate will be able to help Ukrainian amputees get on their feet.

With funding from Direct Relief, their team will supply running blades and other prostheses to patients at the country’s largest rehabilitation centers, Unbroken and Superhumans, as well as other partners identified throughout the program. The Levitate team will also personally do the training, fitting, and adjusting of prosthetics for the patients in Ukraine.

The founder of Levitate, Lasse Madsen, is an amputee himself and had to overcome a considerable series of financial and emotional hurdles to get the gear he needed, including time-consuming appointments and costly equipment that often failed to deliver on quality. He and his team are determined to make the process easier for others.

Mountain Heart Nepal Receives Medical Products from Direct Relief

Native Hawai’ian health care continues to respond to Maui fires

The Maui wildfires last August, which claimed the lives of 100 people, presented a series of tragic circumstances. However, healthcare professionals with deep roots in the community, none of whom had emergency response experience, refused to be deterred and responded to the specific needs of their patients. And they did so in a way that reflects the benefits of building trust and familiarity with the local culture.

“We know Hawaiʻians. Even if it’s free, no one is going to come in and just take. That’s not our style. If we have nothing to contribute, we’re not going to take,” said Mālia Purdy, executive director of Hui No Ke Ola Pono, one of five Native Hawaiʻian healthcare systems.

Read the full story here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 940,000 defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 535 shipments containing over nine tons of medications during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 1,588 shipments to 771 partner organizations in 51 U.S. states and territories and 29 countries.

These shipments contained 98.2M defined daily doses of medication totaling 320,619 lbs.

The post Medical Support for Ukraine, Nepal, and Maui Continues appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 10.3 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including insulin, vaccines, emergency hygiene kits, and personal care products.

Hurricane Otis response continues

In response to Hurricane Otis, shipments of Sanofi insulin and hexavalent vaccine products donated by Direct Relief were delivered to impacted regions in Mexico. The shipment of vaccines was received by the Guerrero Ministry of Health at Hospital Raymundo Abarca Alarcón in Chilpancingo. The donated shipment of insulin was received by Federación Mexicana de Diabetes at Hospital Naval in Acapulco.

midwives address health needs in morocco

Since the devastating magnitude 6.8 earthquake that shook Morocco in September, AMSF (L’Asociation Marocaine de Sages femmes or the Moroccan Midwives Association) has been hard at work providing healthcare to women in the localities affected by the quake.

With grant funding from Direct Relief, the non-profit has launched a health caravan, essentially a clinic on wheels, that is providing sexual and reproductive health care and psychological support. Their team is also now able to undertake a preparedness and recovery training in reproductive health via a distance learning module provided by the Women’s Refugee Commission.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 9.2 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 503 shipments containing over 10 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since January 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 21,600 shipments to 2,568 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 88 countries.

These shipments contained 549.2 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $2 billion (wholesale), totaling 6.2 million lbs.

IN THE NEWS

Last-minute distribution helps provide toys, hygiene kits, blankets to 100+ Santa Maria families – KSBY

‘The Bell’ Symphony for Cello and Orchestra to support Direct Relief efforts in Ukraine – The Strad

Nourishing Brands: How Liquid IV Became A Billion Dollar Hydra – The Marketing Sage

AbbVie spends $350M to bolster healthcare, education; ‘We look forward to the impact we will make in the decades to come’ – Chicago Tribune

America’s Top 100 Charities – Forbes Magazine

The post Disaster Relief Efforts Continue in Mexico and Morocco appeared first on Direct Relief.

Each year, before storm season begins on June 1, Direct Relief assembles and stages large caches of emergency medical supplies and collaborates with national health care and emergency response authorities in countries located in storm-prone regions.

Prior to the 2023 hurricane season, Direct Relief strategically placed emergency medical supplies in every Southeastern and Gulf Coast state of the United States, from Virginia to Texas, along with several locations throughout the Caribbean and Central America.

These hurricane preparedness packs contain the most commonly required medical supplies during and after a disaster, including trauma supplies, wound care supplies, and antibiotics. Additionally, they also contain medications for conditions like diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems, psychological issues, and gastrointestinal problems.

This season, Direct Relief responded to the health needs that arose after three major storms, namely Hurricane Hilary, Hurricane Idalia, and Hurricane Otis. Direct Relief is currently continuing its response to these storms.

Hurricane Hilary

Hurricane Hilary formed on August 16, off the western coast of Mexico, and quickly grew into a Category 4 storm. It later weakened into a tropical storm before making landfall in Baja California. This was the first tropical storm to enter California since 1997. It continued to cause flooding as it moved across the southwestern United States and eventually dissipated over the Rocky Mountains.

Direct Relief took proactive measures before Hurricane Hilary made landfall by communicating with state and local organizations in Mexico to identify potential medical needs. Prior to the storm, Direct Relief supplied 18 emergency medical backpacks to the State of Baja, California, to equip first responders with medical essentials for triage care outside of clinic walls.

After the hurricane, Direct Relief sent additional medical support to the State of Baja California Sur, including ten emergency medical backpacks and an emergency health kit containing essential medicines and supplies usually requested after disasters.

These supplies were sent to Fundacion Astra in Baja California Sur, a non-profit organization that provides acute and preventive health services to vulnerable populations such as mothers and children, at-risk youth, injured and chronically ill people, and older adults.

Direct Relief was established as a Civil Association in Mexico in 2014 and has been an authorized donee since 2015. It is the only humanitarian wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals in Mexico that fully complies with COFEPRIS regulations. This means Direct Relief can receive and process donated goods, and it’s well-positioned to respond to both immediate public health requirements and long-term healthcare service needs in underserved communities.

Hurricane Idalia

Hurricane Idalia began as a tropical depression in the Caribbean and eventually made landfall at Keaton Beach on Florida’s northern gulf coast, specifically in the Big Bend region, on August 30. This was the first major hurricane on record to hit this part of the Big Bend, and it caused significant damage to trees and structures across multiple counties. The hurricane brought winds of up to 125 mph and a storm surge of seven to 12 feet.

In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, Direct Relief had positioned 14 hurricane preparedness modules across Florida. Each module contained enough medical supplies to treat 100 patients for various conditions such as trauma injuries and chronic illnesses for a 72-hour period. The caches were strategically placed in secure locations near vulnerable areas, with seven of them located within the path of Hurricane Idalia.

After the storm, Direct Relief coordinated with the Florida Association of Community Health Centers and the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to provide more than one ton of requested medications and medical supplies, including insulin, wound care items, vitamins, and antibiotics, to healthcare facilities in these associations’ networks across Florida.

In North Miami, Mercy Mobile Clinic Provides Care Amid Chaos

One organization that provided crucial care in the aftermath of the hurricane was the North Miami Beach Medical Center. The center has been offering on-site medical assistance to victims of disasters since 2004 through its mobile health unit, which was purchased with the help of Direct Relief. When Hurricane Idalia struck their community in August, the center immediately sprang into action, providing healthcare services to the injured and those who had lost their medications and medical supplies in the storm, within the shelter setting.

People staying at the shelter reported multiple medical needs, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and Parkinson’s disease. There were also those with injuries, including people experiencing homelessness, older adults and young children, who were treated. Two medical team members also went to those living in damaged homes to help and encourage them to come out to the shelter.

During the storm, some people with behavioral health conditions lost access to their required treatments. The Mercy Mobile team provided prescriptions and arranged for medications to be delivered to the shelter.

In the subsequent days, clinic staff treated approximately 150 patients.

Hurricane Otis

Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm—the strongest hurricane to hit Mexico’s Pacific Coast in recorded history—made landfall in Acapulco, Mexico, on Oct. 25, 2023, killing dozens with more still missing.

Property damage from the storm is also extensive. Otis damaged 80% of the hotel infrastructure and 96% of businesses in a city that lives mostly from tourism. More than a month after the storm, business owners and employees are still clearing debris and rubble from the streets.

Direct Relief and FedEx collaborated to pre-position three emergency health kits in Chilpancingo Guerrero, Mexico ahead of Hurricane Otis. Additionally, Direct Relief provided 53 field medic packs, containing medical essentials for providing care outside of clinic walls to health providers on the ground.

After the storm, Direct Relief immediately pledged $200,000 to support medical care providers on the ground. The organization also dispatched additional supplies to assist first responders in search and rescue operations and to help healthcare professionals in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Among the groups that received support from Direct Relief was Medical Impact, which was granted an emergency operating fund of $25,000. The group sent 12 doctors to Acapulco to provide medical aid in the affected area. The medical providers were equipped with field medic packs and an emergency health kit from Direct Relief, which included essential medical supplies commonly requested during disaster situations.

During the first week of November, Direct Relief coordinated the delivery of 20,000 liters of diesel to power the backup generators at Acapulco’s general hospital. The hospital was running out of fuel and required the generators to keep functioning. To help prevent the spread of disease, Direct Relief also delivered 100,000 units of hand sanitizer to the regional ministry of health. These units were then distributed to affected communities. Direct Relief is continuing to receive requests and assess needs, and more donations are forthcoming.

The post The 2023 Hurricane Season: A Recap appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 2.9 million defined daily doses of medication, including insulin, antibiotics, and cardiovascular and other chronic disease medications.

Direct relief provides aid for Acapulco and surrounding region

Three weeks after Hurricane Otis swept through Acapulco and the state of Guerrero in southwest Mexico, electricity is back up and running, and most places in the region have intermittent cell phone service. Some of the beaches have been cleaned of debris, but there is still substantial damage to buildings and rubble remains.

Those who continue to be most impact by the storm’s damage are infants and older adults who don’t have the resources to leave their communities to get access to cleaner drinking water and sanitation.

This week, Direct Relief staff in Acapulco met with Dr. Abel Peralta, who coordinates Mexico’s federal government-run medical campaign. The program has received volunteers from over 20 states and has conducted over 45,000 medical consultations in the past three weeks. Direct Relief gave his team 30 additional emergency medical backpacks for doctors deploying to rural areas to conduct more consultations.

Dr. Peralta mentioned that more donated medicine will be needed in the coming weeks, including medications for non-communicable diseases, since they are caring for a population of 800,000 people.

Direct Relief is continuing to assess needs and will continue to respond to Hurricane Otis throughout the recovery phase.

Morocco Earthquake Response

On September 8, 2023, Morocco was struck by a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake. The earthquake’s epicenter occurred in the High Atlas Mountains, approximately 40-miles southwest of the densely populated city of Marrakesh. Nearly 3,000 people have been confirmed dead and approximately 5,500 suffered serious injuries. This was Morocco’s most powerful earthquake since 1960, damaging over 60,000 homes and displacing more than 500,000 people.

Fortunately, the healthcare system did not sustain major damage and medical care has continued. Though the government has not made requests for international support, some local NGOs are experiencing shortages of supplies and are requesting support for mobile medical teams.

Direct Relief staff have been responding to the earthquake by coordinating responses with multiple groups, including the High Atlas Foundation, Association Amal Salè, Association Marocaine des Sages-Femmes, Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras, International Confederation of Midwives, and MedGlobal.

This week, a four-ton shipment of vitamins, wound care products, cardiovascular medications, and other medical supplies arrived at local NGO La Fondation du Sud pour le Development et Solidarité, in coordination with the regional health services for the city of Agadir.

Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Hurricane Mitch

Direct Relief this month staff participated in the fifth Regional Platform for Anticipatory Action – Mitch +25 Forum – in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to review progress made since Hurricane Mitch made landfall 25 years ago. The storm killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Honduras and Nicaragua, and was the second deadliest Atlantic storm on record.

The event was hosted by the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America and brought together more than 200 representatives of the emergency response sector, including humanitarian agencies, risk management experts, government officials and the private sector.

Direct Relief staff presented during the event on the need and promise of mobility data in disaster readiness and response efforts. Andrew Schroeder, Direct Relief’s vice president of research and analysis, compared mobility data for Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Otis, emphasizing how mobility data from sources like Data for Good at Meta allow response teams to evaluate evacuation dynamics, resource overload, and demographic vulnerability in near real-time.

Read more about the event here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 1.3 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

Direct Relief also issued a $25,000 grant to Mountain Heart Nepal, a long-standing partner of Direct Relief, to support their emergency response efforts after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the western region of Nepal. Funds from Direct Relief will enable the deployment of a 10-person medical team to the earthquake impacted areas.

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 476 shipments containing more than 16.1 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since January 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 19,300 shipments to 2,413 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 86 countries.

These shipments contained 490.4 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.9 billion (wholesale), totaling 5.8 million lbs.

in the news

Direct Relief deploys doctors to Mexico for medical care after Hurricane Otis – KEYT

Noozhawk’s Nonprofit Guide to Giving – Noozhawk

Best Humanitarian Charities to Donate to on GoFundMe – GoFundMe

The post Disaster Recovery Continues in Hawaii, Acapulco, and Morocco appeared first on Direct Relief.

At this time, Hiba, who asked that her last name not be used for safety reasons, was working as a midwife at Al-Rafah Specialized Hospital in Jindires, a town in northwest Syria. She was also eight months pregnant with her first child.

Hiba, fortunately, wasn’t hurt in the earthquake, and she gave birth to her baby without complications a month later in March. She now brings him to work at the hospital, where a private attendant watches him between Hiba’s breastfeeding breaks. But the trauma from the earthquake lingers on.

“Every day I come to the hospital, and I feel like maybe it’s the last day in my life,” Hiba shared with Direct Relief through a translator. “When I feel anything that reminds me of the earthquake, any tremor and anything else around me that makes it feel like there’s an earthquake again, I take my baby and go outside the building because the building is cracked and affected by the earthquake.”

New Trauma Added to War and the Pandemic

Hiba is one of around 500 midwives in northwest Syria who face tremendous challenges in their work and personal lives amidst the overlapping crises of the last few years—including not only the February earthquake but also war and Covid-19.

Syria’s protracted civil war has lasted over a decade, and more than 12 million people (half of Syria’s pre-war population) are refugees abroad or are internally displaced, and over 2 million people are living in Syrian tent camps with limited access to basic services.

The health needs here are immense, and almost all healthcare services for the 4.6 million civilians in northwest Syria are provided for by a patchwork of NGOs and UN humanitarian assistance, which makes health funding gaps inevitable.

Health facilities have also been actively targeted. Dr. Okba Doghim, a physician and the programs director at Syria Relief and Development, an NGO based in Syria and Turkey that Direct Relief has supported since 2018, said that many people, like Hiba, are afraid to enter hospitals due to the risk of an airstrike combined with infrastructure damage from the earthquake.

Medical staff also often choose to relocate away from risk, and the remaining personnel cannot meet the present health needs. This has translated to a decrease in the quality of care in safer areas as the health system’s capacity there has not been able to scale with the population growth caused by people fleeing danger. “And we already had a staff shortage after Covid-19,” said Dr. Doghim.

“If She Will Not Die, I Will Not Go to the Health Facility”

Women of reproductive age are especially vulnerable to inadequate healthcare, particularly in the more than 1,400 camps for internally displaced people, or IDPs, in the northwest of the country. 80 percent of IDPs are women and children, and although 40 percent of the population lives in camps, only 18 percent of all health facilities are in camp settings. Because of these gaps, it is particularly critical to know what to do and where to go in a health crisis, but unfortunately, many don’t have this knowledge.

“The conflict interrupted education about sexual reproductive health, as well as regular information about the need for sexual reproductive health services,” said Dr. Doghim. “And there is no public transportation. In some communities, they prevent women and girls from going to the services without being accompanied by a man.”

And male accompaniment is not always a given. Dr. Doghim and his team recently visited an IDP camp, and he asked a resident, “When your wife is pregnant, what do you do? Do you go to antenatal care?” He said, “If she does not die, I will not take her to the healthcare facility; it’s 35 kilometers from here.” Gas is scarce and costly, making it a significant factor in this decision.

Also, there are no family planning services offered in that camp. “Almost 100% of those girls are married under 18,” he said. “All those women, they cannot go to toilets at night because they are at risk of violence and rape. They take showers inside their tents—they use clothes to cover the place where they shower. So there’s a lot of risk for gender-based violence in that camp. And all the families depend on women to work in the field. They work all day to get almost 25 Turkish Lira, which cannot do anything because it’s less than $1 for the family.”

Midwives Provide Support, but They Also Need It

Hiba shared that most of the pregnant women coming to the hospital live in an IDP camp. Implementing medical advice there is difficult due to unmanageable temperatures, lack of proper food and lack of privacy for applying medication. The number of C-sections has doubled, which Hiba attributes to the stress of the war and earthquake. “Before the earthquake, there were typically four C-sections a day, but now it is usually seven or eight,” she said.

Hiba’s hospital, even though there’s been a rise in pregnancies and risks involved, does not have the resources to hire more midwives, and the current staff is overloaded. For example, just one midwife assists with the labor and delivery process on any given day.

“We at least want another midwife to stay with the doctor in the clinic so I can then go work with the midwife who is working in the labor room,” she said. “It is a tiring process and very hard for just one midwife.”

There is a parallel shortage of nurses, which also ends up affecting the midwives. Because it is common in Syrian culture for a man to refuse to let a male nurse assist his wife in any way, a female nurse is often called upon to assist the male nurse, and she asks for the midwife’s assistance if there is more than one emergency case.

Unsteady Access to Medicines

Medicines and medical staff are in short supply, and this issue is often exacerbated by the current system for allowing aid into the country.

Every six months since 2014, the UN Security Council must reauthorize the humanitarian border crossing from Turkey into Syria. The border crossing reauthorization negotiation most recently lasted from July 10 to September 20, causing a gap of over two months in supplies and UN funding for the NGOs that run health facilities in Syria.

And the flow of supplies often halts before the border crossing renewal times out. For instance, Dr. Doghim shared, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sends family planning supplies for the first quarter (three months) after reauthorization, and then in the few months leading up to the next reauthorization there is often another interruption as the parties begin to discuss the agreement and its renewal is again in limbo. According to Dr. Doghim, the effects on medical material supply have been detrimental.

“Since the earthquake in February, there was no distribution of reproductive health kits, and many health facilities complain of supply shortages, including some critical items like oxytocin, which is given after each delivery to prevent postpartum hemorrhage.”

Fortunately, Direct Relief has recently been able to send 35 midwife kits to Syria Relief and Development during this most recent UN supplies lapse. Each kit contains the 61 essential items a midwife needs to perform 50 facility-based safe births.

“These are the best kits we receive,” Hiba said. “The contents are all there, like the scales and other delivery tools. And especially in the cases of emergency delivery attempts, everything is there, and we don’t have to buy any additional items to be prepared.”

A Sign of Hope, and a New Challenge

Despite all the challenges for families in northwest Syria, Hiba and her colleagues have seen a sign of hope: a significant increase in the number of women who want to have more children.

“Many women lost one, two, or three children [in the earthquake], and now they are coming to the hospital pregnant or trying to get pregnant, even though in many cases they are over 40 years old. This is a risk for them,” Hiba said. “And this is a new thing for us [the hospital staff]. These women didn’t want to become pregnant anymore before the earthquake, but now they are hoping to become pregnant to compensate for the loss.”

“Also, before the earthquake, when women were asked to return to the hospital for a follow-up appointment during their pregnancy, they mostly were not coming. But now, after the earthquake, most of them are committed to come and sign up for additional appointments to help implement what advice they were given,” Hiba said. “They are even now more cheerful about themselves and their children.”

“Those who live in the camps find difficulties in applying medical advice, but now they want to.”

Since 2010, Direct Relief has supported Syria Relief and Development with more than $28.2 million in medical and financial support, including for midwifery.

The post Mothers & Midwives Hope for New Life in Northwest Syria appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 7.8 million defined daily doses of medication, including insulin, cardiovascular medications, antibiotics, chronic disease medications, PPE, and more.

Assessing Needs after Nepal Earthquake

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook northwestern Nepal on Friday night. At least 69 people have been reported dead, with the number expected to rise this weekend. Direct Relief is reaching out to non-profit partner organization Mountain Heart Nepal to assess medical needs.

Responding to Hurricane Otis in Acapulco

A week after Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm, made landfall in Acapulco, Mexico, at least 58 people are still missing, according to the Mexican government. So far, 46 people have been confirmed dead. Hurricane Otis is the strongest hurricane to hit Mexico’s Pacific Coast in recorded history, recording winds of up to 165 mph.

With assistance from FedEx, Direct Relief pre-positioned three emergency health kits in Chilpancingo Guerrero, Mexico, and 53 field medic packs, filled with medical essentials needed for care outside of clinic walls, with health providers on the ground, prior to Hurricane Otis’s landfall.

Since then, additional supplies have been sent to the affected region to aid first responders in their search and rescue efforts and to support the work of other healthcare staff in the wake of the hurricane.

In addition, Medical Impact, an organization that Direct Relief supported last week with a $25,000 emergency operating grant, deployed 12 doctors to Acapulco this week to provide medical care in the area. Field medic packs and an emergency health kit, which contains medical essentials commonly requested after disasters, are outfitting the medical providers during their trip.

Direct Relief will continue to respond to Hurricane Otis throughout the coming days.

Responding to the Highland Fire in California 

Fueled by Santa Ana winds, the Highland Fire erupted earlier this week in Southern California and grew to cover nearly 2,500 acres. While the fire is now 50 percent contained, the less than 25 percent containment two days ago prompted evacuation orders and warnings in parts of Aguanga, Riverside County, located around 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 75 miles northeast of San Diego.

In response to the wildfire, Direct Relief has dispatched an emergency wildfire health kit shipment, which includes respiratory medications, eye drops, chronic disease medications, first aid supplies, and PPE, including N-95 masks to protect against inhalation of fine particulate matter from ash and smoke. The kit will be delivered to Health Center Partners, the regional primary care association for Riverside County, to begin assisting patients in impacted areas.

Direct Relief will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and provide updates as they become available.

Keiki Health Fair in Maui Supported by Direct Relief

The Keiki Health Fair for Lahaina residents in Ka’anapali, Maui, took place last week, when over 2,500 people attended to receive physicals, vaccinations (RSV, flu, COVID, and TDAP), and to have lost medical records recreated. The fair was designed to provide services and support to residents, in addition to healthcare, and local groups provided free haircuts, nail salon services, and face painting for children.

Direct Relief staff were present and helped at the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies table. This maternal and child health-focused nonprofit provides social services, clinical care, and behavioral health services across Maui, O’ahu and the Big Island, and they have been providing care to those affected by the fires since the disaster in August.

People received flu shots, and women could receive ultrasounds out of the mobile clinic (ultrasound devices, flu shots, and a vaccine fridge were donated by Direct Relief). Two pregnant women who had not received any prenatal care thus far received their first ultrasounds and were connected with Malama I Ke Ola Health Center to schedule prenatal appointments.

Last Friday, over 2,000 Lahaina residents returned to their homes for the first time after the fire. This zone was one of the most devastated and one of the largest to be opened at one time; almost every home was completely destroyed. About 1,000 kits of protective equipment donated by Direct Relief are being distributed daily.

About 20 of the 84 total zones have now been opened for reentry, and while the reentry schedule is partially determined by how quickly the Environmental Protection Agency can work, the Department of Health anticipates the reentry phase to last at least through the end of December.

Direct Relief Strengthens Disaster Response in the Philippines

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), the country’s leading private-sector-led non-profit organization, recently held its annual Cluster Connect Conference (CCC). During the event, Direct Relief’s Ledrolen Manriquez, who is based in the Philippines, and PDRF signed an open Letter of Partnership, as a commitment to collaborate towards accountable, transparent, and inclusive strategies in responding to emergencies.

The two organizations are also committed to leveraging each other’s expertise, resources, and networks to enable effective disaster management and to foster resilient communities in the Philippines. Since 2010, Direct Relief has provided over 20.8 million doses of medicines to a network of 58 healthcare providers in the archipelago nation.

According to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes the Philippines and the nine other countries that sit on or near the “Ring of Fire,” the zone around the Pacific Ocean that is known for natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, this zone is the most natural disaster-prone region in the world. More than 50 percent of global disaster mortalities occurred in the region during the period of 2004 to 2014.

“We cannot do it alone. We need to ensure not only a whole-of-nation approach, but a whole-of-society approach to address the needs of Filipinos affected by disasters,” the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian shared at the meeting.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 7.1 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 641 shipments containing more than 12.1 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since January 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 18,200 shipments to 2,377 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 86 countries.

These shipments contained 459.5 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.8 billion (wholesale), totaling 5.6 million lbs.

in the news

Eugenio Derbez & ‘Acapulco’ Producers Send Donation & Messages Of Support Following Hurricane Otis Devastation In Mexico – Deadline

The scale of Hurricane Otis’ damage to Acapulco is coming into focus – The World

Direct Relief and FedEx Team Up To Respond to Dengue Outbreak in Mexico – Yahoo Finance

Disaster medics warn of infectious disease outbreaks in Hurricane Otis aftermath – Courthouse News Service

Direct Relief Reaffirms Commitment to Puerto Rico’s First Responders – BNN

Better Business Bureau: Donating for Relief Efforts – Quad-City Times

The post Assessing Needs after Nepal Earthquake, Response to Hurricane Otis Continues, and Mothers Receive Care in Maui appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 5.1 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, insulin, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is in its 19^th month.

With another winter looming, Ukraine’s healthcare system is bracing for more strikes on energy infrastructure. Many hospitals are still badly damaged, and millions of people are displaced around the country, stretching medical services to the limit. Demand for psychological support among the population is snowballing, according to experts on the ground.

Since the war broke out, Direct Relief has deployed more than 1,550 tons of medical aid, 294.9 million defined daily doses, $35.2 million in financial assistance, and $1.1 billion in material aid assistance to a network of government and non-profit health care providers across Ukraine.

Also, non-profits that Direct Relief supports in Ukraine are starting new psychosocial initiatives across the country, including a center providing free psychosocial support for kids called the Kimnata Pidtrymky (“Room of Support”) recently opened by Kharkiv Renovation Fund, are helping normalize reaching out for psychological help.

Read the full story here.

global collaboration for health

Direct Relief’s President & CEO, Thomas Tighe, provided the closing remarks this week at a Devex event in New York City. He and other experts from the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and other organizations discussed how to build a more resilient and coordinated response to global crises.

Their conversation specifically explored the lessons learned through INITIATE² , a five-year initiative that has developed innovative solutions for health emergencies, and apply this partnership model to other areas of global cooperation.

“Because Direct Relief is both privately funded as a public charity, our view is you have to invite the participation of everybody,” said Tighe. “No one with a job in humanitarian aid or in government cares more about society than anyone else. If you think differently, it can lead to a sense of superiority and that’s really damaging. Much of the scale and pace of innovation has come from the private sector… we have more resources and more tools today to solve all these vaccine problems that we have ever had in the history of humanity, and that gives me great hope.”

To watch the full event, click here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 2.6 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

Direct Relief also issued a grant for $90,000 to the Baylor College of Medicine-Children’s Foundation Malawi to build a 15 X 4.5 meter temperature controlled permanent storage unit for their Area 25 Maternity Hospital, which in light of recent growth, has been unable to keep up with storage and inventory infrastructure needs. Funds will also be used to support the salary of an inventory management specialist who will manage medications and supplies for the hospital, which will allow for the transition to an electronic cloud-based systems and a more integrated system overall.

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 504 shipments containing more than 22 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

In addition, Direct Relief issued an operating grant of $750,000 to the MAVEN Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization with the mission of improving access to high-quality specialty care among diverse and underserved communities. This grant will support their core functions and increase their partner numbers across the U.S. Direct Relief has worked with the MAVEN Project for nearly four years and this operational grant builds upon previous funding for projects such as telehealth, virtual education sessions around patient care, and counseling services for busy clinic staff.

Direct Relief also issued two grants to Puerto Rico: The first to Iniciativa Comunitaria de Investigacion, Inc., in the amount of $224,110, which was the last of four grant payments to support their work in the recovery and rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Maria. The second grant for $50,000 was issued to Hogar del Buen Pastor, Inc., an organization that provides a holistic approach to homelessness so people can rehabilitate and find a way to return to a prosperous life. This grant will support their continuity of services.

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since January 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 14,900 shipments to 2,209 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 83 countries.

These shipments contained 400.5 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.5 billion (wholesale), totaling 4.9 million lbs.

in the news

• Doing more good: three trends tech companies should consider in supporting humanitarian response – The Independent
• Upcoming Event: Data-Driven Decision Making in a Changing Climate – Harvard University
• SAC Health Wins National Award for Innovative Care in Vaccine Delivery – MarketWatch
• CHARGE partnership helps health centers transition to clean energy, boost climate resilience – The Kresge Foundation

The post Medical Aid to 49 US States & Territories, 8 Countries appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 12.1 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, insulin, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

One Month After Fires Erupt, Direct Relief’s Response in Maui Continues

One month after fires tore through Maui, Direct Relief continues to field and respond to requests for medicines and medical supplies from clinics and emergency responders on the island. Alycia Clark, Direct Relief’s Senior Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Affairs, was in Maui last week, where she and other Direct Relief staff met with local healthcare providers, including Mauliola Pharmacy. See the post below for her video update describing how Direct Relief is supporting these organizations and plans to do so in the near- and long-term recovery phases.

Since the fires began on August 8, Direct Relief has sent 51 shipments of requested medicines and medical supplies, including first aid kits, emergency medical backpacks, insulin, inhalers, and naloxone, to 12 nonprofit health providers on the island.

Direct Relief is also supporting residents of Lahaina with critical protective gear as they return to their homes to begin clean-up. In coordination with local volunteers, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency, and Hawaii State Emergency Management will provide Direct Relief-donated protective gear for residents returning to retrieve belongings and assess damage to their property.

Direct Relief is providing 20,000 N95 masks, 5,000 P100 respirators, coveralls, safety goggles, work gloves, boot covers, and drawstring bags for the effort. The last shipment of these supplies, 60 pallets in total, shipped from Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara warehouse today and will arrive in Maui next week.

Doctor Training Takes Place in Istanbul

The health system in northwestern Syria was fragile even before February earthquakes rocked the region, exacerbating the situation. More than 50,000 people were killed in Turkey and Syria, and more than 100,000 were injured, and hundreds of thousands were displaced by dangerous and uninhabitable buildings and forced into temporary shelters. The ongoing medical training of the doctors and the healthcare providers became a regional priority to strengthen healthcare services.

To help meet the urgent needs in the region, Direct Relief has, among other activities, been supporting the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), Independent Doctors Association (IDA) and Syrian Relief Development (SRD). Most recently, doctors from these three societies were invited to the 16^th World Intensive and Critical Care Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, to be equipped with new skills and professional support as they face tough conditions.

Turkish doctors from various professional societies, including those in earthquake-affected cities, also attended with Direct Relief’s assistance. In total, Direct Relief provided funding for 182 doctors, including 29 from northwest Syria and 153 from Turkey, to attend the training, where hundreds of healthcare professionals from various countries gathered.

The training focused on emergency and essential critical care, an approach that helps decrease mortality by detecting patients who are critically ill.

The Fundamental Critical Care Support Course, led by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and supported by Direct Relief, was provided for two groups: one for Turkish doctors and the other for Syrian doctors, conducted in Arabic. This two-day intense course covered detecting critically ill patients, management of critically ill patients, mechanical ventilator management, electrolyte and fluid treatment management and case discussions.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 10.7 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 265 shipments containing more than 8.5 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since January 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 14,000 shipments to 2,157 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 82 countries.

These shipments contained 34.8 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.4 billion (wholesale), totaling 4.6 million lbs.

in the news

• Santa Barbara Neuroscientist to Give Talk on Current Landscape of Women’s Health — and How It Might Be Improved – Santa Barbara Independent
• Direct Relief Bringing New Tech to Disaster Prep – Techstination
• How to Give or Get Hurricane Idalia Assistance – Tampa Bay Times
• Dialysis Clinic Undamaged after Maui Fire, but Power, Water Keep Doors Shut – Healio

The post Medical Support Ongoing for Maui Fire, Training for Doctors in Turkey and Syria, and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 13.7 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Shipments Arrive in Baja California in response to Hurricane Hilary

In advance of Hurricane Hilary’s potential landfall and impacts, Direct Relief communicated with state and local organizations in Mexico about potential medical needs. Recently, Direct Relief provided 18 emergency medical backpacks to the State of Baja, California, to equip first responders, and the packs contain medical essentials for triage care outside of clinic walls.

Last Friday, Direct Relief dispatched another infusion of medical support to the State of Baja California Sur, including ten emergency medical backpacks and an emergency health kit containing essential medicines and supplies often requested after hurricanes and other disasters. The products arrived this week at Fundacion Astra in Baja California Sur, a nonprofit that delivers acute and preventive health services to vulnerable populations, including children, at-risk youth, mothers, the injured, the chronically ill and the elderly.

Direct Relief was incorporated in Mexico as a Civil Association in 2014 and has been an authorized donee since 2015. As the only humanitarian wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals operating in Mexico that is fully compliant with COFEPRIS regulations, it can receive in-country and process internationally donated goods and is positioned to respond to both immediate public health requirements and long-term healthcare service needs in underserved communities.

Maui Fire Response Continues

Direct Relief continues to field and respond to requests for medicines and medical supplies from clinics and emergency responders in Maui. Nine shipments departed from Santa Barbara this week filled with diabetes supplies, personal care items for people who are displaced from their homes, power banks, N95 masks, and first aid kits, among other items. A donation of naloxone, needles, and syringes was also sent to the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center.

Last weekend, Direct Relief staff completed several in-person deliveries of supplies to aid distribution hubs in the Lāhainā area. Please see the photos and captions below to learn more. For a comprehensive overview of the organization’s response thus far, click here.

Direct Relief Participates in ASEAN Disaster Resilience Forum

This week, Direct Relief staff in Singapore participated in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Disaster Resilience Forum and the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management.

The resilience forum and strategic policy dialogue bring together government and non-government agencies from across the ASEAN community to discuss ways to strengthen disaster response and resiliency within the region.

Direct Relief has had a close partnership with the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre (AHA Center) for more than seven years now. This strategic relationship in the ASEAN region has been mutually beneficial, with Direct Relief supporting the AHA Center’s mandate with medical materials, grant funding, and information, and the AHA Center connecting Direct Relief with ASEAN member state governments as well as facilitating the delivery of medical materials during disasters in the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Cambodia. In addition, prepositioned disaster supplies, donated and procured by Direct Relief, have been dispatched by the AHA Center to multiple member states during disasters.

Most recently, Direct Relief supported the AHA Center with a grant for $270,000 that will enable them to localize their Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN ERAT) training in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.

At this forum, Direct Relief staff continued the discussion around receiving medical aid donations from within the region. There remain large populations of need, a very high rate of natural hazards, high levels of vulnerability across many areas, and, at the same time, a load of pharmaceutical manufacturing and regional companies actively trying to engage in the humanitarian space.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 8 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Fiji
• Malawi
• Paraguay
• Iraq
• Honduras
• India
• Sudan
• Guatemala
• Lebanon
• Uganda
• Guyana

Also, Direct Relief issued a $108,000 grant to Medical Impact, a Mexico-based nonprofit with a mission of providing medical outreach campaigns to areas outside of the government’s coverage area. This grant will support their ongoing work in rural areas and help strengthen their capacity to respond immediately in case of a disaster.

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 560 shipments containing more than 19 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• The Agape Clinic, Texas
• EXCELth, Inc., Louisiana
• Volunteers in Medicine, Florida
• Crossroads Family Care, Texas
• Guadalupe Clinic, Kansas
• Orange Blossom Family Health Center for the Homeless, Florida
• MAHEC Community Pharmacy at Biltmore, North Carolina
• Roane County Family Health Care, West Virginia
• Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, Hawaii
• Findley Foundation Inc. The Findley Foundation, Wisconsin

This week, Direct Relief issued a grant for $100,000 to NeoMed Center, Inc., a social-based nonprofit with eight sites across Puerto Rico, offering out-patient clinics, patient home visits, community pharmacy and outreach programs to low-income and uninsured populations. This grant will enable them to acquire a van-style mobile unit and extend their health services to farther reaches of the community with limited access to healthcare.

Additionally, El Punto en la Montaña, a community-based nonprofit with a mission to reduce drug-related harm caused by intravenous injections in the central area of Puerto Rico, received a $100,000 grant from Direct Relief. These funds will allow them to hire additional personnel to complement existing case management services, along with the purchase of a mobile unit, which will strengthen their capacity to expand participant services.

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 13,400 shipments to 2,126 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 79 countries.

These shipments contained 365.7 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.3 billion (wholesale), totaling 4.3 million lbs.

in the news

Emergency Humanitarian Aid on the Ground in Maui and California – NPR

Mental Health Services for Emergency Workers Gets Boost with Direct Relief and Yardi Systems Donations – Santa Barbara Independent

Direct Relief Provides Medical Supplies to Maui Wildfire Survivors – NewsNation

Direct Relief Sends Emergency Medical Shipments to Maui for Wildfire Response – Noozhawk

Direct Relief Deployed Medical Support to Baja California in Preparation for Hilary – Fox Weather

The post Medical Support Reaches Flooded Areas in Mexico, Continued Response for Maui Fires, and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

Every year, nonprofits across the United States offer the opportunity for thousands of children living with diabetes, hemophilia, and other chronic medical conditions to go to summer camp. Staffed by experienced healthcare providers and trained counselors, these camps offer disease management education while at the same time providing traditional camp activities like swimming, hiking, ziplining, and team sports where children can come together to have fun.

Character building and fun go hand in hand

Camp leadership and staff are also focused on empowering each camper and providing opportunities to build the character needed to look up from their health frustrations and out towards their community.

Dr. Ernie Fernandez, the medical director of Camp Sweeney, one of the oldest diabetes camps in the country located an hour and a half north of Dallas, Texas, shared about why type one diabetes is particularly frustrating.

“With all the new technologies that are available today, you would think it’d be super easy to take care of type one diabetes. But let me tell you, as somebody that’s done this for almost 40 years, you can have every new thing… and everything is still just as variable.”

Dr. Fernandez described how with this chronic condition, a person’s body stops making insulin, but it also stops making several other hormones that aren’t replaced via injection. So even when kids diligently monitor their blood sugar levels, take it slow, and eat a fixed amount of carbs at each particular meal– in other words, do all the right steps– their blood glucose level, and how they are feeling as result, is always going to be different. And it’s incredibly frustrating and so easy to feel unwarranted guilt.

So one of the practices that camps employ is creating space for affirmation for each other and celebration of learnings. Dr. Fernandez shared that the campers at Camp Sweeney do this through daily “virtue circles.”

“Kids stand up,” he explained, “And they’re recognized for some of the things that they did that were virtuous, things that they really do possess. And they are affirmed for that, they get little beads that they earn for that. And day in and day out, their kids get better and better about recognizing that in each other, and they started recognizing virtue in themselves.”

Megan Castellano is managing director of camps at the American Diabetes Association, which this year ran 33 different camps across the United States. She was able to go visit five of those camps this summer and believes the deep friendships, the kind that include giving and receiving accountability, are one of the camps’ key distinctives. “If someone’s pump site falls off, they’re like, ‘Hey, I need two friends to go with me to the Med Center,’” she said. “So [each camper] knows the camp rules and the safety they bring. Their friends aren’t like, ‘Oh, well, I want to stay at the water.’ Like they’re like, ‘Okay, pack up, let’s go.’”

Collective empowerment is also the goal of the Painted Turtle, a specialty condition camp in California that welcomes kids with over 120 different conditions, including hemophilia. Hemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly, can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery, so kids have to learn how to inject themselves with the missing blood clotting proteins (factor VIII or factor IX) so that the blood can clot properly. Michelle Melendez, health center director of the Painted Turtle, shared it’s a “big deal” when a camper can master this technique, a multi-step process that includes reconstituting their factor, putting a tourniquet on themselves, finding a vein, then administering the factor via injection.

“For many of [these kids], they can’t really go overnight, anywhere, if they don’t know how to self infuse, or if there isn’t somebody there that knows how to infuse their factor,” she explained.

“If we have a child at camp that is able to do everything from start to finish on their own independently, we call it the big stick award,” she said. “They literally get a big stick that is decorated by the oldest campers who also learned how to self infuse at camp. So the oldest boys will decorate these sticks, we make a certificate, and then after dinner that night, we celebrate it in the whole camp cheers them on. They get put into a big chair and pushed around in a circle and then they get awarded their big stick. Last year, we had 11 boys and 2 girls learn to self-infuse at camp.”

camps face organization-level Challenges

While campers have their own unique obstacles to overcome, running these complex camps comes with challenge as well, including heat waves and lingering effects of Covid-19.

Florida Diabetes Camp is a nonprofit that typically runs six different diabetes camps across Florida every summer. This year, however, the consistently high temperatures meant that the number of campers was lower at two of the camps, according to Gary Cornwell, the organization’s executive director. It also forced his team to cancel the cycling camp, where teens bike an average of 20 miles a day and sleep in tents as they go. “[It’s] something we don’t like doing,” Cornwell said. “But you can’t put a kid on a bike and ride that many miles out in the hot sun every day.”

Also, this is only the second summer that camps have been open, post Covid-19 pandemic, but the two years (2020 and 2021) of either no camp or virtual camps still have had a lingering effect on participation for some camps. Melendez said that both recruitment of campers as well as volunteers has been a big challenge at The Painted Turtle. More kids have aged out of camps given the Covid-19 gap years, so getting the word out to the new families with kids aging in or becoming eligible for camp takes extra work. Also, The Painted Turtle’s contacts with hospitals and clinics are no longer in their same positions, so they are trying to reestablish new connections.

“There’s a lot of nurses are burnt out and overworked after they’re no longer working as nurses. Or the hospitals are so short staffed that a lot of the times the nurses that normally volunteer aren’t getting time off from work to be able to come to camp. It’s unfortunate.”

Terry Ackley, executive director of the Diabetes Education and Camping Association, described a disconnection post-Covid as well, specifically connection with the financial donors that make these camps possible.

“Because virtual camps didn’t cost as much, some of the donors that may have given at a higher level may not have given us much during Covid. But then they come along and they start supporting [a different organization], too,” he said.

And the fundraising required is no small feat. The diabetes camps Direct Relief supports all provide generous financial scholarships to all campers that are in need, enabling anyone eligible to come to camp no matter their ability to pay. And The Painted Turtle camp offerings are completely free of charge.

On top of all of the costs associated with a regular summer camp, these nonprofits provide most, if not all, of the supplies a child may need to manage their condition for the duration of the camp. The camps rely on charitable donation programs to ensure kids have access to the medications and supplies they need. Direct Relief works network of healthcare companies to donate products to camps to ensure kids have fun while staying healthy.

“We’d really be up a creek without the glucose strips [donated by Direct Relief],” said Dr. Hernandez. “Without those, that would be another $100,000 to $150,000 we would have to fundraise.”

Camps Continue Serving Throughout the Year

In spite of the present set of challenges, camp and camping association staff are continuing to push ahead, continuing summer camps and while also starting and growing various programs, such as webinars and weekend retreats, to help keep kids and their families connected to each other and to camp throughout the school year.

The mission to help children manage their health is a deep part of their lives. Cornwell manages type 1 diabetes himself, for instance, and Melendez first got involved with the Painted Turtle after her son, who was diagnosed with kidney disease as a baby, had a transformative time there.

“The thing that makes [campers] different out in the world, like at school and in their neighborhoods, in their community– their medical condition– is what makes them different from everybody else,” said Melendez. “But when they come to camp, it’s what connects them. It’s what makes them the same.

And so, by coming into camp, and being with kids like themselves, it really normalizes everything for them. The kids can walk away feeling a little bit like they’ve found their community and they’ve found their connection and they’ve found other people like them.

I think there’s so much power in that for everyone.”

Since 2013, Direct Relief has supported over 200 camps, located in 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, focused on diabetes, hemophilia, asthma, and other chronic medical conditions requiring specialized care with donations of critically needed medical supplies and medications.

This camp season, Direct Relief is sending supplies, including glucose meters, test strips, lancets, and epi-pens to 90 camps that support over 16,250 campers with diabetes in 38 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Direct Relief is also sending medications, including factor VIII and IX, epi-pens and supplies to eight camps that support over 500 campers with bleeding disorders in eight states.

The post Kids Managing Chronic Illness Experience Connection at Specialized Camps appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 12.5 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Response to Fires in Hawai‘i Underway

The wildfire impacting Lahaina in western Maui was 80 percent contained, with firefighters making progress on two other large fires burning across Maui. Approximately 80 percent of the town of Lahaina has been destroyed; the population of Lahaina was about 13,000 before the fire. The confirmed death toll from these fires now stands at 55 people.

There have been widespread communications challenges across the impacted area, including power, phone, internet, cell, and radio outages. Six shelters (five in Maui and one in Honolulu) were open as of Wednesday night and had reported over 1,000 total residents by Thursday evening. One of Direct Relief’s partners, ‘Malama I Ke Ola’ (Community Clinic of Maui), has a clinic site in the Lahaina fire zone that they have been unable to reach to assess the level of damage. They have other sites throughout Maui, including a mobile clinic and are currently assessing their needs and will then communicate with Direct Relief for needed support.

Direct Relief has been in contact with its existing 19 nonprofit partners organizations, as well as government and statewide organizations across Hawai‘i, sharing with them available inventory, including wildfire response kits and emergency medical backpacks, which contain medicines commonly requested after and during fires. Four shipments with requested wildfire kits, hygiene kits, emergency backpacks, and various medications have already been sent to the local nonprofit Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai‘i, whose staff is currently supporting relief efforts, and the shelters in Maui.

Direct Relief will continue responding to requests for medical products, which are anticipated to increase over the weekend.

Personal Care Products Reach Earthquake Survivors in Turkey

Six months after the Turkey/Syria earthquakes, life for survivors in Hatay province remains extremely challenging. Thousands are still displaced, living in tents or container shelters, with summer temperatures rising to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

In these conditions, which are ideal for the spread of infectious diseases, hygiene items are in high demand. In response, Direct Relief delivered an 80-ton (132 pallet) donation of requested personal care items from Kenvue, including feminine hygiene products, mouthwash, baby bath soap, and body wash to Adana Metropolitan Municipality (Adana MM). Adana MM has played a pivotal role in supporting neighboring Hatay province with both material aid and distribution logistics since the earthquakes. These items will be distributed throughout Hatay to increase both patient and medical staff’s level of comfort during this extended disaster response phase.

Click here to learn more about Direct Relief’s response to the February earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Hospitalito Atitlan in Guatemala Receives Medical Oxygen Equipment

Hospitalito Atitlan is a rural hospital in Guatemala that provides healthcare about 75,000 patients annually, primarily of indigenous Mayan background. Direct Relief recently purchased medical oxygen equipment for the hospital, which will upgrade its medical oxygen system and output, allowing it to expand and improve its health services and reduce its reliance on renting and purchasing oxygen cylinders.

These items are expensive, and their quick delivery is easily hindered by bad weather as the hospital is located in a rural part of Guatemala with poorly maintained roads, hours from the capital. Lyn Dickey, Hospital Director, thanked Direct Relief staff for “making this dream a reality.”

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 5.8 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Iran
• Ethiopia
• Syria
• Egypt
• Ukraine
• Burkina Faso
• Syria
• Uganda
• Liberia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Cambodia
• Kenya
• Morroco
• Jordan
• Bangladesh
• Panama
• Sierra Leone
• Honduras
• Guatemala
• Madagascar
• Tanzania

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 504 shipments containing more than 14.6 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Samaritans Touch Care Center, Inc, Florida
• PanCare of Florida, Inc. Malone, Florida
• Flagler County Free Clinic, Florida
• Faith Community Health Center, South Dakota
• James Valley Community Health Center, South Dakota
• Crossroads Family Care Henderson Family & Dental Care, Texas
• Barnabas Health Services, Florida
• Hope Clinic and Care Center, Wisconsin
• Franklin County Community Care, Texas
• Community Care Center, North Carolina

In the past two weeks, Direct Relief also issued a $464,115 grant to Goshen Medical Center, Inc. to support the installation of a clean power system at two health clinics in North Carolina as part of its Power for Health initiative.

In addition, Fundación CAP, a mental health-focused nonprofit based in Puerto Rico, received its second grant payment of $50,000 ($100,000 in total) to fund two clinical psychologists who currently provide pediatric services to cancer patients of the Hospital Pediátrico de Puerto Rico’s oncology unit. The mission of Fundación CAP is to ensure that all pediatric cancer patients, regardless of their income, can enjoy access to the best quality care in Puerto Rico while staying near their homes and family.

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 12,400 shipments to 2,072 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 79 countries.

These shipments contained 339.4 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.3 billion (wholesale), totaling 4.1 million lbs.

in the news

Where to Give – Hawaii Wildfires – Charity Navigator

Direct Relief sends aid to Maui as death toll rises from raging wildfires – KEYT

How To Help Hawaii Wildfire Survivors Right Now – AOL

Direct Relief Sends Emergency Medical Shipments to Maui for Wildfire Response – Noozhawk

The post Responding to Fires in Maui, Health Support Globally Continues appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 11.7 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Medical Aid Requested for Refugee Camp in Lebanon

The largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Ein El Hilweh, has been engulfed in intense clashes since Sunday, July 30. The Ein El Hilweh camp provides services to nearly 50,000 people and is operated by UN agency, UNRWA.

As of August 3, the fighting has killed 13, wounded over 60, and displaced more than 2,000 people. The displaced have found shelter in nearby schools and mosques since the clashes began. UNWRA highlights the impact of the fighting on this particularly vulnerable population as“refugees of Ein El Hilweh are reliving traumas and shocks. Many have been displaced multiple times in the past decades.” In addition to the immediate danger from an array of weaponry, road closures and lockdowns in the surrounding region have disrupted access to essential services, including grocery stores and health facilities.

In response to the escalating situation, long-time Direct Relief partner Anera has initiated critical interventions to aid those affected. To support Anera’s emergency efforts, Direct Relief is working with its team to identify critically-needed products that can be shipped quickly from the Direct Relief headquarters to help provide necessary medical aid to injured parties and hygiene items to displaced individuals.

In the last six months, Direct Relief has sent six shipments to Anera Lebanon, totaling over 30 tons, including anti-infective agents, oncology medicines, cardiovascular drugs, orthopedic products, personal care items and PPE.

Mental Health Support for Earthquake Survivors in Turkey

Many regions in Turkey remain in the recovery phase after the devastating February 2023 earthquakes. In Hatay, the most affected province, projects supporting earthquake survivors have been funded by a recent round of Direct Relief grants.

The association deploys volunteer psychiatrists to the earthquake-impacted areas to provide psychosocial services for survivors and first responders. The organization also holds regional-certified disaster mental health training for medical professionals in the field to support a sustainable, integrated approach to care. To ensure the Syrian refugee communities also have access to these services, the Turkish Psychiatrists Association employs trained Arabic translators based out of refugee settlements in the earthquake zones.

Click here to learn more about Direct Relief’s response to the February earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

NGO Hospitable Hut Distributes Direct Relief Aid in Dnipro, Ukraine

This week, Hospitable Hut received an operational grant of $230,000 from Direct Relief to cover their operational expenses related to the receipt and distribution of donated medical material. Their team also shared the following update about their recent placement of Direct Relief-donated medications: “We have shared another part of our stock with UpUpUkraine Foundation, which also works as a humanitarian hub in Dnipro and distributes big amounts of goods within many healthcare facilities and has wide connections with local hospitals and [internally displaced people].” Distributions will be dispersed among five hospitals in rural areas of Dnipro, “which will be amazing support for them,” the team reported.

To date, Direct Relief has provided Hospitable Hut with 207 tons of medical products worth over $84.2 million for distribution to their network of local health-focused non-profits, hospitals, and clinics.

To read more about the organization’s response to the war in Ukraine, click here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 8.6 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Liberia
• Lebanon
• India
• Tanzania
• El Salvador
• Dominican Republic
• Guatemala
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Turkey
• Ethiopia
• Morocco
• Burkina Faso
• Cuba
• Nigeria

Over the last two weeks, Direct Relief provided $830,000 to nonprofit partners in Slovakia and Ukraine. Notably, Direct Relief issued a $600,000 grant to the League for Mental Health Slovakia to continue their work offering mental health and psychosocial support for Ukrainian refugees. The League has received $3,600,000 in funding from Direct Relief to continuously provide these critical services to Ukrainian refugees.

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 415 shipments containing more than 7.6 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• The Agape Clinic, Texas
• Good Samaritan Clinic, Arkansas
• EXCELth, Inc., Louisiana
• Santa Clara County Better Health Pharmacy, California
• Cactus Health Services, Inc., Texas
• Western Sierra Medical Clinic, California
• Phoenix Allies for Community Health, Arizona
• Harm Reduction Ohio, Ohio
• Marjorie Wilson, Idaho
• Health Services Inc., Alabama

Direct Relief also provided $242,280 to Harmony Health in Marysville, California, as part of its Power for Health initiative. This kicks off the installation of a clean power system to be paired with a future energy storage system, which will enhance the resiliency of their clinic.

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 11,800 shipments to 2,046 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 78 countries.

These shipments contained 327 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.1 billion (wholesale), totaling 3.9 million lbs.

in the news

Best Emergency Relief Charity to Donate to (2023), GoFundMe

Video: Nonprofit organization steps in to help during weather disasters

Startup Curae Pharma360 partners with Direct Relief to distribute free contraceptives to safety-net clinics

Direct Relief designates Puerto Rico as its Caribbean hub – NotiCel – La verdad como es – Noticias de Puerto Rico – NOTICEL

The post Responding to Conflict in Lebanon, Ukraine and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 11.4 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Solar Power and Battery Installed at Planned Parenthood in Ventura, CA

Direct Relief recently donated the battery component of Planned Parenthood – Ventura Health Center’s resilient power system. Planned Parenthood also partnered with Santa Barbara’s Community Environmental Council, which provided the solar array on the building. Adding a battery to the solar array provides Planned Parenthood with its own microgrid and adds energy resiliency via battery storage, enabling the building to stay powered and operational during emergencies and power outages.

Direct Relief’s Power for Health initiative has several projects that provide grant funding for battery storage only, in part as a result of the State of California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program run by the California Public Utilities Commission, which incentivizes a variety of energy systems via rebates.

The new system at Planned Parenthood in Ventura is estimated to save the facility approximately $100,000 in electricity bills over the next 30 years, allows the facility to use 100% renewable energy to power the building, and supports new EV charging stations. Direct Relief is also currently completing design work for a resilient power system for Planned Parenthood’s Santa Barbara clinic location, including a full microgrid system (solar + battery storage). This system’s capability is estimated to provide a minimum of 10 hours of clean backup power independent of the utility.

Click here to learn more about Direct Relief’s Power for Health initiative.

Thousands of Dental Hygiene Kits Packed for Santa Barbara County

On Monday, at Direct Relief headquarters in Santa Barbara, a group of local volunteers packed 3,000 dental kits. These kits contain toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss items and will be sent to health centers, schools, and social service agencies in Santa Barbara County, California.

Fistula Repair Modules Arrive in Nigeria

Six Fistula Repair Modules from Direct Relief recently arrived at Evangel Vesico Vaginal Fistula Center in Jos, Nigeria. The Center anticipates being able to complete 300 surgical repairs with the products in the modules, which contain a standardized pack of high-quality medicines and surgical supplies necessary for fistula repair surgery and post-operative care. The comprehensive module was created in close consultation with leading surgical experts and is endorsed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).

Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal that is caused by prolonged and obstructed labor. If untreated, a woman with obstetric fistula will experience constant and uncontrollable leakage of urine or feces. In addition to physical injuries, many women with fistula experience isolation and stigma, and in most cases of obstructed labor in which a fistula develops, the baby is stillborn.

To learn more about Direct Relief’s work to help end obstetric fistula, click here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 7.8 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Malawi
• Ukraine
• Tanzania
• Iraq
• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Ghana
• Honduras
• Tajikistan
• Sudan

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 662 shipments containing more than 15.9 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Flagler County Free Clinic, Florida
• Tarzana Treatment Center, California
• LaSante Health Center, New York
• PanCare of Florida, Inc. Malone, Florida
• Hardeman County, Tennessee
• Highlands Health Laurel Highlands Free & Charitable Clinic, Pennsylvania
• Amistad Community Health Center Robstown, Texas
• Victoria Community Health, Texas
• Oasis Free Clinics, Maine
• Health Partners Free Clinic, Ohio

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 11,400 shipments to 2,012 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 77 countries.

These shipments contained 315.2 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.1 billion (wholesale), totaling 3.7 million lbs.

The post Resilient Power Project Switches On, Medical Shipments Arrive in Nigeria and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained five million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, PPE, antibiotics, and more.

Aid En Route to Asylum Seekers in U.S.

On Tuesday, Direct Relief received an urgent request for medical aid from Jericho Road Community Health Center based in Buffalo, New York, as their team began to see a large influx of asylum seekers in Buffalo. Their staff shared that “New York City is presently overwhelmed with asylum seekers who are being bused [there] from the Texas/Mexico border.

New York City is now busing some of these folks to other cities like Buffalo. In Buffalo, Jericho Road is leading the effort to resettle these folks. We presently are helping about 700 asylum seekers here in Buffalo at our VIVE shelter, three hotels, a college dorm, and several shelters.” They also expect about 1,000 more refugees to arrive in the coming days.

Jericho Road specifically requested over-the-counter products like personal hygiene products and cough medications, along with some basic medications. Direct Relief then let the staff select items from available inventory, which resulted in a 4-pallet shipment of emergency family hygiene kits, emergency medical backpacks, multivitamins for kids, bandages, and antifungal medication, among other items. The donation is scheduled to arrive at their center in Buffalo early next week.

Jericho Road Community Health Center (JRCHC) was originally started in 2007 as a private family medical practice and specializes in primary medical care services to Buffalo, New York’s underserved, predominantly refugees and other low-income members of the community. In addition, JRCHC provides wrap-around support services through programs that address non-medical, poverty-related issues and also now operates the nation’s largest asylee temporary shelter for those seeking asylum. Direct Relief began a partnership with Jericho Road in 2015 and has since sent the organization 115 shipments with over 517,000 defined daily doses of requested medical products.

Field Medic Backpacks Arrive in the Dominican Republic

Earlier this year, Patronato Benefico Oriental (PBO), an non-profit partner of Direct Relief that is located in the Dominican Republic, received field medic backpacks and then redistributed them to 29 health institutions across the island. A training was also carried out on how to use the backpacks. Rafael Vicioso, Director of the Civil Defense of La Romana, facilitated the training and gave attendees detailed information on the products in the backpacks.

In addition to its broader community health support work, PBO operates a large children’s project called Hogar del Niño (Children’s Home) that includes medical and dental health care, daycare services, a primary school, a vocational school, and tutoring for 85 deaf, mute, and blind children. The home also provides nutritious meals to thousands of children. The availability of daycare frees up the Dominican and immigrant Haitian parents of these children to work.

Ukrainian partner Delivers field medic backpacks

Earlier this week, Direct Relief’s Ukrainian partner NGO Zhytomyr Hub delivered 15 emergency medical backpacks to the DSNS state civil defense service in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. As well as tackling the full range of civilian-context accidents and emergencies, the local regional branch of the service dealt with the aftermath of more than 100 missile, bomb and drone strikes since the start of the war in February 2022. Zhytomyr is also Ukraine’s most forested region, and wildfires such as the one that destroyed around 40,000 hectares (about 100,000 acres) of forest in 2020 are a constant threat in the summer months.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 1.7 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• El Salvador
• Ukraine
• Syria
• Dominican Republic
• Morocco
• Malawi
• India
• Republic of the Congo
• Somaliland
• Pakistan
• Barbados
• Sri Lanka

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 549 shipments containing more than 11 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Welvista, South Carolina
• NC MedAssist, North Carolina
• St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, Texas
• UNC Health Care, North Carolina
• Palmetto Health Council, Inc., Georgia
• LaSante Health Center, New York
• Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic Pharmacy, Virginia
• Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• NOVA ScriptsCentral Inc Pharmacy, Virginia
• Greenville Free Medical Clinic, South Carolina

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 10,700 shipments to 1,990 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 74 countries.

These shipments contained 304 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.1 billion (wholesale), totaling 3.6 million lbs.

The post Critical Aid Shipments Depart for New York, Arrive in the Dominican Republic and Ukraine appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 6.1 million defined daily doses of medication, including first aid kits, vitamins, cardiovascular medicines, antibiotics, and more.

Personal Care Packs En route to the U.S.-Mexico border

Among this week’s shipments were requested personal care items for displaced people living in shelters in El Paso, Texas. Centro San Vicente, a federally qualified health center providing health care in the region, requested the packs for people who have recently migrated to the United States. Seventy-five personal care packs containing soap, shampoo, dental hygiene products, and more were shipped. Direct Relief has supported Centro San Vicente with $2.3 million of medical aid since 2009, including essential medications for chronic disease management and personal care products for displaced people.

The center also received financial support from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity to fund a mobile health clinic staffed in part with university students, serving homeless and uninsured individuals with primary, dental, pharmacy, and mental health care.

Mental Health medications reach hospital in Pakistan

Karwan-e-Hayat, Psychiatric Care & Rehabilitation Center in Karachi, Pakistan, recently received a shipment from Direct Relief containing mental health and psychiatric medications and 200 personal care kits filled with hygiene items and menstrual products. Hospital staff shared, “These medicines will be provided for the treatment of our outpatients, inpatients, and at our community outreach camps. Karwan-e-Hayat Institute for Mental Health Care has been providing quality treatment, mainly to the underserved…patients since 1983, through our two static sites and 19 community outreach locations.

[Our hospital] has a capacity of 110 patients and… we envision a society that understands and values good mental health practices, protects and treats people suffering from mental disorders with dignity, fairness and respect. We continue to remain indebted to Direct Relief for the continued assistance and support that has been extended to Karwa-e-Hayat and look forward to further strengthening the relationship between our two organizations.”

Tetanus and rabies vaccines reach northwest Syria

The IDA (Independent Doctor’s Association) in Syria recently received 3,400 doses of tetanus vaccine and 1,489 vials of rabies vaccine via refrigerated, cold chain shipment from Direct Relief after submitting a request for these drugs. They will be administered to health facilities around northwest Syria via the Syrian Immunization Group and WHO. The region still faces heightened health challenges post the February earthquakes, which killed over 4,500 people there and damaged 55 health facilities.

Direct Relief has worked with IDA in Syria since 2017, and has donated $11.4 million worth of health products, including wound care items, antibiotics, cardiovascular medications, vaccines and more.

Response to Flooding in Kherson, Ukraine, Continues

Hospitable Hut, an NGO based out of Odesa, Ukraine, continues to address urgent health needs after the flooding in Kherson, Ukraine, that began in early June after the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse. They recently received an emergency shipment from Direct Relief which contained family hygiene kits, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, vitamins and other medications.

Partnership coordinator Olexandr Cherepanov shared this feedback with Direct Relief: “These goods were really timely because the rural population doesn’t have proper medications and hygiene items and is severely restricted, in terms of finances, in their ability to purchase what they need for the survival.

We expect that this humanitarian crisis will last for many months because this population is totally dependent on the land and farming, but now it is impossible to make an income from these means due to the damage caused by the flood. Crops, animals, and food storages are gone, so the part of local population which cannot live their homes needs continuous support. This help [we provided] was literally direct relief for many vulnerable and sometimes desperate people.”

Direct Relief will continue to respond to requests for support from Hospitable Hut and other local response organizations.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 5.5 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Ukraine
• Bangladesh
• Liberia
• Tunisia
• St. Lucia
• Mexico
• Burundi

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 312 shipments containing more than six tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Catherine’s Health Center, Michigan
• St. Clare Medical Outreach, Maryland
• St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy, Ohio
• Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks, Missouri
• West Virginia Health Right, West Virginia
• Washington State Department of Health, Washington
• Triangle Area Network, Texas
• St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, Texas
• Granville Vance Public Health Granville County Health Department, North Carolina
• Acacia Medical Mission, Texas
• Santa Clara County Better Health Pharmacy, California

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 9,676 shipments to 1,928 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 71 countries.

These shipments contained 283.9 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1 billion (wholesale), totaling 3.5 million lbs.

The post Medicines En Route to U.S.-Mexico Border, Pakistan, Syria and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 6.1 million defined daily doses of medication, including vitamins, cardiovascular medicines, antibiotics and more.

Field Medic Packs Reach Mexico’s West Coast

This week, Direct Relief staff in Mexico delivered requested field medic packs to equip first responders in Nayarit, a state on Mexico’s western coast. The packs, which contain medical essentials to provide triage care, went to first responder agencies in cities of Tepic, Xalisco, and Bahia de Banderas.

The packs, provided with support from FedEx, were requested as the region endures seasonal wildfires and is frequently affected by hurricanes.

New study finds Many Americans unprepared for natural disasters

A survey of more than 3,300 people in hurricane- and wildfire-prone states conducted for Direct Relief by Atomik Research has found how unprepared many residents of disaster-affected states are. Among those surveyed:

• Two in five (41%) of people said they would have enough medication on hand for only seven days or less if they had to evacuate right now
• Nearly half (47%) of people in at-risk areas say they don’t have a digital backup copy of their medical documents in case they lose access during an emergency.
• 77% of people living in these states express worry about their health if they did not have their medications during an emergency.

Read the full report here.

Emergency Psychology training Underway in Ukraine

HromadaHub, a Ukrainian NGO, is currently providing emergency psychological aid trainings with funds from Direct Relief for first responders in frontline areas. During intensive five-day courses, more than 300 participants so far learned new skills that are applicable in crisis situations, rather than in serene surroundings one might expect in psychological care, like quiet rooms with deep armchairs and potted plants.

“By organizing the training, we are not giving the fish but the fishing rod to the psychologists so they can start helping their communities,” says the NGO’s head Lily Bortych. The goal is to build up the resilience and sustainability of the country’s psychological support system: “Ukraine doesn’t have to rely only on foreign specialists but can build up an army of trained emergency psychologists speaking the same language, living in the same area, and sharing the same problems with the people they help.” 

Read the full story here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 4.32 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Paraguay
• Uganda
• Togo
• Central African Republic
• India
• Israel
• Ukraine
• Türkiye
• Afghanistan
• Dominica
• Anguilla
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Mexico
• El Salvador
• Syria

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 525 shipments containing more than 11 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Texas
• Open Door Health Center, Florida
• St. Gabriel Eastside Community Health Center, Louisiana
• Tarzana Treatment Center, California
• Community Health & Emergency Services, Inc, Illinois
• Samaritan’s Touch Care Center, Inc, Florida
• CommunityHealth, Illinois
• St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, Texas
• El Dorado Community Health Centers, California
• HIV Alliance, Oregon

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 9,364 shipments to 1,857 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 70 countries.

These shipments contained 271.5 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $980.0 million (wholesale), totaling 3.3 million lbs.

IN THE NEWS

Video: Why war is a problem in terms of potential politicisation of aid deliveries

Treating Autoimmune Diseases in Gaza: “Shifa Hospital is the main hospital in Gaza and there is always an urgent need for medicines that are constantly in short supply. That includes adalimumab, an injectable medicine to treat autoimmune diseases. Thanks to the medical donation program and a generous donation from Direct Relief, Anera has provided a shipment of the medicine to the Gaza hospital. The shipment also included cold chain medicines used in anesthesia rocuronium bromide.”

The post Responding to Both Physical and Mental Health Needs Around the World appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 4.3 million defined daily doses of medication, including vitamins, cardiovascular medicines, antibiotics and more.

Update on Turkey-Syria Quake Response

The major earthquakes in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria this February caused unprecedented devastation. More than 60,000 people lost their lives, while over 110,000 have been injured as a result of the disaster. In northwest Syria alone, where years of conflict have severely debilitated infrastructure, needs are particularly acute, and conflict-affected communities are without adequate shelter and cannot meet basic needs – in particular, those of women and children. There are an estimated 4.1 million people in need, with 2.9 million classified as internally displaced, and 1.8 million living in camps.

Direct Relief has supported local response organizations in the region, including Syrian American Medical Society, or SAMS, which received $600,000 in emergency operating grant funding the day after the first earthquake struck. One in five patients in all of northwestern Syria receives healthcare services at a SAMS-operated facility and SAMS was quick to ramp up its operations in the initial emergency phase.

Below are a few highlights of SAMS’ completed 4-month response:

• 3,350 trauma cases were treated in the first 15 days after the earthquake.
• 239,534 beneficiaries have been reached in the four months after the earthquake.
• 25+ hospitals and healthcare facilities have been supported.
• Surgical, orthopedic, and laboratory supplies have been procured to treat earthquake survivors.

Read more about Direct Relief’s response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria here.

Responding to The Dam Explosion in Ukraine

Three days after the dam destruction, the Direct Relief reached out to Hospitable Hut, Kharkiv Renovation Fund and Hromada Hub, three Ukrainian NGOs that conduct their activities in the disaster area. With medical product requests from these groups in hand, Direct Relief compiled a list of products that are in high demand in emergencies of this type. These include, among many others – water purification tablets, disinfectants, antibiotics, and hygienic kits. The list of inventory was shared between these three NGO partners as well as the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

In total, twelve shipments have been sent (or are in process) to Ukraine, two shipments each for the NGOs mentioned above and six shipments for the Ministry of Health, which includes requests for three most flood-affected cities – Mykolaiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. Also, Direct Relief has supported NGO partner Association Іnternationale de Сoopération Médicale, or AICM, with 300 family hygiene kits (each kit is for a family of 4) and 36 emergency backpacks.

To date, Direct Relief shipped 72 pallets of medical aid for people that suffered as a result of the Kakhovka Dam destruction, and the total value of all shipments is approximately $9,120,583.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 1.9 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Syria
• Central African Republic
• Ukraine
• Morocco

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 407 shipments containing more than 9.9 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• St. Gabriel Eastside Community Health Center, Louisiana
• End Overdose, California
• Franklin County Community Care, Texas
• Cabell-Huntington Health Department, West Virginia
• Mission Arlington Medical Clinic, Texas
• Community Care Center, North Carolina
• Washington State Department of Health, Washington
• Parker Family Health Center, New Jersey
• Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Texas
• Palestine – Crossroads Family Care, Texas

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 8,818 shipments to 1,801 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 66 countries.

These shipments contained 274 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $962.2 million (wholesale), totaling 3.3 million lbs.

IN THE NEWS

Video: Relief organization sending needed items to Haiti ahead of possible tropical activity

Anera Delivers Cancer Medicines to Gaza’s Only Hospital Specialized in Cancer Treatment: “The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital is the only facility specialized to treat cancer patients in Gaza. Supplies of critical cancer drugs were temporarily out of stock and patients had to go through the arduous months-long process of transferring outside Gaza for their treatment. The World Health Organization reports about 42 percent of medical referrals from Gaza to the West Bank are denied or receive no response.

Anera now has delivered a new supply of medicine, thanks to a generous donation from Direct Relief. The shipment contained 255 vials of docetaxel. The drug is used to treat advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have already taken other cancer medications after chemotherapy failed.”

The post Continuing to Respond to Health Needs in Syria and Ukraine appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 12.6 million defined daily doses of medication, including vitamins, cardiovascular medicines, antibiotics and more.

Direct Relief convenes Caribbean Resilience Summit in Puerto Rico

This week in Puerto Rico, Direct Relief met with top health officials from 15 Caribbean nations to discuss increased collaboration of emergency response activities and risk mitigation due to the increased frequency and intensity of disasters and emergencies across the region.

The summit brought more than 40 leaders from across the Caribbean together to hear from medical and industry experts on the increased risk of disasters and the threats such events pose to health infrastructure in hurricane-prone areas around the region.

Read more here.

Midwife Kits arrive in Kampala, Uganda

This week, 90 Safe Birth Kits, which contain medical essentials for midwives assisting with birth, cleared customs in Kampala, Uganda, and are now safely stored at the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU). UNMU will collaborate with Uganda’s Ministry of Health to distribute the kits to health providers.

This week, Direct Relief staff also participated in the International Confederation of Midwives 33rd Triennial Congress in Bali, sharing insights on data science and the role of midwives in humanitarian emergencies.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) supports, represents and works to strengthen professional associations of midwives worldwide. There are currently 140 Midwifery Associations, representing 119 countries across every continent. Together these associations represent over 1 million midwives globally. 

Responding to Smoke from Canadian Fires

In response to widespread smoke impacts in U.S. cities in the Northeast and Midwest, Direct Relief dispatched more shipments of medical aid to health centers in New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania this week. Air purifiers, N95 masks, and respiratory and ophthalmic medications are bound for health centers in smoke-impacted areas.

Responding to The Dam Explosion in Ukraine

Ukrainian and international organizations, including Direct Relief and its local partner organizations, are scaling up operations to replenish medical stocks at local hospitals following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on June 6. Waters reportedly rose as much as 10 feet above normal levels in parts of the Kherson region, prompting a massive exodus of people

On June 13, the Chernivtsy-based NGO Hromada Hub delivered two truckloads of Direct Relief donated medicines, hygiene products and 20,000 liters of bottled water to Korolenko’s hospital. Having first consulted with the hospital about its needs, Hromada Hub delivered a range of medicines, including more than 900lbs (400kg) of Moxifloxacin hydrochloride, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections.

Other Direct Relief-supported organizations in Ukraine also dispatched truckloads of medical products to Kherson. Since the dam collapse, Humanitarian Hub Zhytomyr, located in the eponymous western Ukrainian city, sent five tons of medicines and supplies. It also delivered gasoline-powered water pumps.

In the central city of Uman, the Ukrainian charity Modern Villages and Town sent a truck full of Direct Relief medicines, disinfectants and bottles of water. The organization has also been responding to the aftermath of Russian missile strikes in Uman on April 28 and June 8 that killed 23 people and injured dozens more.

In Ukraine’s east-central Poltava region, Direct Relief’s French partner Association Іnternationale de Сoopération Médicale (AICM) is coordinating a large planned delivery to Kherson with the local health authorities, given the looming threat of diseases like cholera.

Read more here.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 7.5 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Sri Lanka
• Palestinian Territories
• Ukraine
• Bangladesh
• Ghana
• Nicaragua
• Paraguay
• Djibouti

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 434 shipments containing more than 30.9 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• Welvista, South Carolina
• NC MedAssist, North Carolina
• Clinica Colorado, Colorado
• St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy, Texas
• HealthNet of Rock County, Inc., Wisconsin
• Korean Community Services, California
• CommunityHealth, Illinois
• Sierra Health Center – Fullerton, California
• Hope Clinic and Care Center, Wisconsin
• UNC Health Care, North Carolina

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 8,397 shipments to 1,771 healthcare providers in 55 U.S. states and territories and 65 countries.

These shipments contained 269.7 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $942.2 million (wholesale), totaling 8.3 million lbs.

IN THE NEWS

How Direct Relief prepares for severe storms – Fox Weather: The humanitarian organization Direct Relief is gearing up to help those in need during severe weather and hurricanes.

Can off-grid energy solutions be the answer to climate-related disasters in the MENA region? – Fast Company Middle East: “Direct Relief is a not-for-profit helping deliver off-grid power to health centers for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Their President and CEO, Thomas Tighe, explains, “Modern health care presumes constant power availability. But successive years of record-setting wildfires, hurricanes, cold snaps, and flooding that have resulted in extended power shut-offs have eroded the validity of that presumption.”

Donated Intravenous Nutrients Are a Lifeline for Patients in Lebanon – Anera: “Lebanon’s economic crisis is making it more and more difficult to supply TPN bags because they are expensive and growing scarce. In its constant efforts to respond to Lebanon’s health needs, Anera has facilitated the distribution of a much-needed donation of more than 4,800 TPN bags for public hospitals across Lebanon. The donation was provided by Direct Relief, which has supported the Lebanese healthcare sector for years and continues to do so in partnership with highly active organizations like Anera.”

The post Mobilizing Health Crisis Response in the Caribbean, Ukraine, and Around the World appeared first on Direct Relief.

The shipments contained 10.4 million defined daily doses of medication, including prenatal vitamins, naloxone, PPE, antibiotics and more.

Responding to Smoke from Canadian Fires

In response to widespread smoke impacts in U.S. cities in the Northeast and Midwest, Direct Relief has dispatched shipments of medical aid to health centers in New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, with more to come. Air purifiers, N95 masks, respiratory and ophthalmic medications are bound for health centers in smoke-impacted areas.

To understand the spread of smoke from the wildfires burning in Canada, Direct Relief created a map that illustrates how a wildfire’s impact extends far beyond its burn perimeter. Smoke is now blanketing highly populated areas as far as 700 miles away, from Ottawa, Canada, to North Carolina, with severe health implications, particularly for children and older adults with pre-existing heart and lung disease, pregnant women, people who work outside, and people with low incomes.

Read more here.

Direct Relief will continue to respond as requested.

Responding to Dam Explosion in Ukraine

Direct Relief is currently responding to requests for medications and funding following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine. Waters reportedly rose as much as 10 feet above normal levels in parts of the Kherson region, prompting a massive exodus of people.

Nick Allen, a program reporting analyst for Direct Relief, is in the region assessing needs and communicating health needs to local nonprofits that Direct Relief supports with medical supplies.

Read more here.

earthquake response in Turkey and Syria

Direct Relief this week announced the latest round of financial support to local health providers and first responders in Turkey and Syria, $2 million in total, as the region continues to recover from a devastating series of earthquakes.

The death toll from the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquake has risen to more than 50,000, with more than 200,000 injured. Direct Relief is focused on mental health services and psychosocial support for people impacted by the quakes, maternal and child health, surgery services for those injured and needing rehabilitation, and bolstering primary care services.

Read more here.

Direct Relief and oecs Renew Partnership

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, or OECS, and Direct Relief have renewed their partnership for emergency preparation and response. Renewal of the original 2019 agreement will allow the two organizations to deepen their regionwide approach to helping small island nations in the Caribbean prepare for and respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Warmer oceans caused by climate change have increased the severity of the hurricanes that batter the region year after year. The Caribbean experienced 70 named tropical cyclones across 19 countries between 1980 and 2019.

The original 2019 partnership agreement enabled Direct Relief to strengthen its emergency preparation and response capabilities across the Caribbean following 2017’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated islands across the region. Direct Relief collaborated directly with the Ministries of Health in Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Dominica to respond to the 2017 hurricanes, leading to the broader partnership with the OECS.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 6.6 million defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

• Uganda
• Palestinian Territories
• Ukraine
• Peru
• Pakistan
• Turkey
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Malawi
• Lebanon
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Syria

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 451 shipments containing more than 8.5 tons of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:

• JFK Global Prayer Ministry, Texas
• LaSante Health Center, New York
• Community Medical Wellness Centers USA, California
• A+ Counseling Center and A+ Health Center, Maryland
• Alpha Omega Alliance Inc dba Riviera Beach Integrated Care, Florida
• Wesley Community and Health Centers, Arizona
• End Overdose, California
• FAVOR Upstate, South Carolina
• Pocatello Free Clinic, Idaho
• Hope Clinic, North Carolina

YEAR-TO-DATE (GLOBAL)

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Direct Relief has delivered 7,945 shipments to 1,748 healthcare providers in 54 U.S. states and territories and 64 countries.

These shipments contained 260.2 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $863.3 million (wholesale), totaling 3.2 million lbs.

The post Response to Smoke from Canadian Fires, Dispatches from Ukraine Dam Explosion, and More appeared first on Direct Relief.

As doctors were leaving, patients still had medical needs, and an estimated 139,000 Ukrainians were living with newly diagnosed cancer before the full-scale invasion. And lack of medical professionals was just the beginning of the unprecedented challenges ahead.

In the city and region of Kharkiv, which borders Russia in the east of the country, conditions were especially dire immediately after the conflict began. The Ministry of Health-run cancer center was destroyed, leaving the Grigoriev Institute for Medical Radiology and Oncology, or GIMRO, a public research center operating on a tight budget in normal times, as the only hospital in the oblast where cancer patients could get the full spectrum of diagnostics and treatment. 

“Despite the attempts to evacuate the majority of the cancer patient population deeper into Ukraine and abroad, many still decided not to leave their homes and so continued living in Kharkiv. And given the circumstances, for the first three months after the beginning of the invasion, I had to live in the Institute. So I left my home and slept there,” Dr. Artukh Sergii, an oncologist at GIMRO, told Direct Relief.

And some patients were forced to live at the Institute as well during this time.

“Some patients left Lugansk suburbs before the Russian forces entered the city and occupied it. They didn’t have a way home because of their houses had been occupied or entirely destroyed. So about 30 patients stayed for some period of time in the Institute before they could finally be evacuated or found a temporary place for them to make their living,” he said.

On top of these challenges, patients also relied on the Institute for food, so GIMRO’s staff went to the market and bought food for patients with their savings. Then the cancer medicines they had in storage were gone after a few weeks.

“The basic medications like infusion solutions, some paracetamol, and some antibiotics had been supplied in the first weeks and months of war, all thanks to the volunteers and humanitarian organizations. But in the first six months of the war, we had no cancer medication supply,” said Dr. Artukh.

At this time, logistics companies were afraid to risk themselves by trucking medications to the east. In the west, there were huge chemotherapy shortages as well as patients moved west and overwhelmed cancer clinics in that part of the country. On top of that, in Kharkiv and other oblasts in red zones (those deemed the most dangerous), the electricity infrastructure was bombed, and suppliers couldn’t guarantee the security of the cold chain, which was a big issue as many cancer therapies require refrigeration. 

Mission Kharkiv is born

In mid-March 2022, Stan Polozov, a Ukrainian oncologist and biomedical researcher, was flooded with a massive wave of requests for cancer medications from across Kharkiv, including from GIMRO.

In 2017, Polozov moved from Kharkiv to Great Britain for school and then started a biotech company called HQ Science. However, right before the conflict broke out, he was temporarily back in his hometown to lead a clinical study with the Institute for Inherited Incidence of Medical Radiology and Oncology. When Russia invaded, the research was paused.

“So I sat down and thought, okay, what can I really do?” Polozov said. “And then I said directly to the oncologists I’ve been in touch with in Kharkiv, ‘Okay, I’ll try to activate all my network to find the potential donor entity and to find a way to actually manage a humanitarian program.’”

Polozov was soon introduced to Ross Filippenko, a fellow Kharkiv native and mathematician who had started a volunteer medicine distribution project. They teamed up, set up an NGO called Mission Kharkiv, which now has several health-related programs. Polozov became the director of its oncology program, which fields requests from oncologists and patients in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and uses a thorough vetting and tracking process to fill cancer medicine and treatment needs. 

Mission Kharkiv has so far been able to provide 700 cancer patients with the treatments they need, and the organization has been able to support over 30 patients who needed to travel outside Ukraine for treatment (providing connections and funding for housing for the patient and family members, transportation, and treatment). In mid-February, they also completed the construction of an underground cold room, which is equipped with backup power and ensures that medicines will be preserved in the event of shelling.

The majority of cancer patients in Ukraine can receive treatment in-country now, as 60 to 80 percent of Ukrainian oncologists have returned home in recent months, according to Polozov. He shared that “now most clinics we work with… work under full operational capacities. I’ve even seen new faces [of young doctors coming on board], which is kind of nice.” And with the recent donations from Direct Relief, Mission Kharkiv currently has enough of the medication used to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia for all the patients in need in Kharkiv through the end of the year, and so their team is expanding distribution to other regions in Ukraine as well. 

“In a year of collaboration with the Mission Kharkiv, hundreds of cancer patients have received the necessary chemotherapy and supportive therapy during a difficult time when Kharkiv is under constant rocket fire, experiences blackouts, and faces significant logistical problems, including medicine shortages,” said Dr. Artukh. 

Challenges and opportunities Remain

While the treatment pipeline has been strengthened, cancer care challenges in Ukraine remain. Certain medications continue to be very limited. “There are extreme shortages for some of the positions,” Polozov shared. “Extreme shortages is one of the reasons that we have observed enormously high prices, which most cancer patients won’t be able to afford.”

Also, the hospitals in Mission Kharkiv’s network have backup generators, but fuel prices remain sky-high. Dr. Artukh mentioned that, like food in the first few months of the conflict, fuel is being purchased out of pocket by the Institute staff.

However, on the whole, Polozov remains hopeful. Continued international support seems likely, and he sees a potential silver lining: the situation may precipitate systemic improvement in cancer patient diagnosis and treatment.

“The Mission Kharkiv protocol [for medicine distribution] is an example showing that it’s possible to make everything digitalized and make patients follow the path,” he said.

Since February 2022, Direct Relief has shipped over 2.45 million defined daily doses of cancer medications to Mission Kharkiv and other partner organizations in Ukraine, totaling over $113 million in product value.

In total, Direct Relief has sent over 271.7 million defined daily doses of medicine worth $930.5 million to Ukraine since the start of the war.

The post Chemotherapy in Ukraine Continues, Despite the Challenges of War appeared first on Direct Relief.

Like much of the Ukrainian people’s response to the attack on their country, the rehabilitation effort is marked by scrappiness, speed and adaptability.

In a three-month sprint, Unbroken turned a vacant seven-story building adjacent to the Lviv First Medical Union hospital, where it had already been operating, into a modern rehabilitation center. The building, which opened April 11, is equipped with a robotic walking system, exoskeletons, robotic gloves to move arms, a swimming pool for water rehabilitation, a simulated store where patients can practice shopping with their prosthetic arms, and an ergotherapy apartment with a kitchen where patients can learn to care for themselves once again.

The organization’s rehabilitation program includes amputation recovery, speech therapy, and psychosocial support. Occupational therapists help patients relearn how to hold a toothbrush or pen.

Unbroken manufactures and fits prostheses to help people return to normal life. In a comprehensive approach to the patient’s needs, a patient’s multidisciplinary team includes a surgeon, a traumatologist, a prosthetist, a rehabilitation specialist, and a psychologist or psychotherapist.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), More than 14,600 Ukrainian civilians have been injured since the start of the war. Over 5,000 Ukrainians have lost limbs since the start of Russia’s invasion, according to Unbroken.

On April 11 and 12, more than 300 leading scientists, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and patients met at the new Unbroken facility to share knowledge and experience on rehabilitation services, during the first International Rehabilitation Forum.

The gathering opened with a panel of Unbroken patients who shared their stories. Among them was Olena Svitlova, a teacher who was walking down the street when a cruise missile flew into a nearby nine-story building. Debris flew in all directions, hitting her directly in the face, destroying her right eye and carving a large hole in her nose.

She ended up coming to Unbroken, where maxillofacial surgeons perform the most complex reconstructive surgeries, literally putting patients’ faces back together, closing wounds and holes in bones. In a matter of weeks, Olena was able to return her job teaching chemistry, though she shared that she doesn’t turn on her camera because she knows her students will be afraid of her. According to Project Director Iryna Gudyma, Unbroken’s “Unbroken Beauty” project is raising funds for the equipment needed for more advanced facial reconstruction surgeries, which Olena will need so she can connect face-to-face with her students.

After that, healthcare and rehabilitation leaders from Ukraine, the United States, Australia, France and Israel joined panels on rehabilitation policy, mental health, rehabilitation for war-traumatized children, the use of multidisciplinary teams in rehabilitation and more.

Attendees heard from the representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, who discussed their plans for making multi-disciplinary rehabilitative care teams available across the country. Specialists from the United Kingdom, United States and Israel provided strategic guidance and offered to continue to help support Unbroken’s staff with specialized training.

Prior to the war, rehabilitation had been a neglected topic in Ukraine, said Vasl Strilka, Director of the Department of High-Tech Medical Care and Innovations at Ukraine’s Ministry of Health. The country has since developed rehabilitation capacity, with 8,000 beds now available for patients undergoing rehabilitation. The country has defined rehabilitation as starting the day after the injury and made multi-disciplinary teams the standard of care, Strilka told the attendees.

A strong rehabilitation program is crucial not just for affected individuals but all of Ukraine, said Major General Tim Hodgetts, Surgeon General for the U.K.’s Headquarters Defense Medical Services. If soldiers know that they will be cared for, he told the gathering, it provides a huge morale boost for the war.

On April 11, Direct Relief announced plans to infuse an additional $10 million to support rehabilitation efforts for people with war injuries in Ukraine. The funding announcement was made by Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe at the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv during the first International Rehabilitation Forum.

Since the war’s start, supporting rehabilitation and recovery from war injuries, both physical and psychological, has been a core focus of Direct Relief. The April 11 announcement brings to $15 million the amount Direct Relief has allocated to specifically support rehabilitation and injury recovery efforts in Ukraine.

Direct Relief has helped Unbroken procure rehabilitation equipment, develop treatment protocols, and train rehabilitation personnel.

The post Ukraine’s War-Wounded: Gravely Injured but Unbroken appeared first on Direct Relief.

Weeks turned into months of conflict, and as they waited in Slovakia, Mariniuk was able to help other new arrivals from Ukraine. Formerly an ESL instructor in Kharkiv, she is now the program manager at the League for Mental Health, a Slovakian nonprofit started last spring to provide mental health support by Ukrainian refugees, for Ukrainian refugees.

Currently, the number of Ukraine refugees in the country hovers around 105,000, according to the UNHCR. Since May of 2022, Direct Relief has provided the League for Mental Health with $3 million to fully fund a mental healthcare project they launched country-wide to help Ukrainian refugees who are living in Slovakia.

Anxieties of Two Worlds

The League currently has 112 Ukrainian refugees on staff as mental health specialists to help provide counseling, support groups, and other free psychosocial services to their fellow Ukrainians scattered throughout the country’s eight regions and the capital of Bratislava (for a total of nine teams). Though Slovakia currently provides emergency medical services to Ukrainian refugees free of charge, mental health is not covered, and the League is filling an essential gap in care and doing so with a team that shares the unique refugee experience of the people it serves. The League provides services to Ukrainian refugees living in refugee centers as well as those being hosted by local families.

Last October, Direct Relief staff visited the League and spoke with several staff involved in the project. Most of the staff are women with children and share the experience of having to leave their homes and resettle in a new country like Mariniuk.

Andrej Vršanský, the League for Mental Health executive director, met Mariniuk through a mutual friend, and her passion for the idea of helping other Ukrainians was immediate. After a 10-minute phone call and a meeting, she was hired the next day. Only later would he find out what Mariniuk and her daughter had been through just a few weeks prior, “how she got through the border with just a suitcase with her daughter, that she has two university degrees, that she in fact is a much better manager than I am. I cannot imagine we would have been able to kick off and run the project without her now,” he said.

Direct Relief also spoke with Svitlana Muravska, the chief of the expert board, a sub-group of hired psychologists that provides supervision, training, and HR support across the regional teams. She described the unique challenges the group faces as refugees, (oftentimes) mothers, and mental health providers to fellow refugees all at once.

With a son and daughter still in Ukraine, she feels pulled in opposite directions by the anxieties of her two worlds, the old and the new. She must put aside her personal situation to help the community in front of her. “I feel like someone who is trying to start a car that won’t start, and then someone tells me, ‘Let’s go– you can start the car later,’” she said.

The League also takes care to protect the mental health of its own employees. Ukrainian staff members are given week-long holidays, provided with Slovak language classes, and regularly create and facilitate team-building activities. They also have conference days and knowledge-sharing sessions where different teams present on topics, like how teenagers are dealing with the situation and how best to support them, that are relevant to their work.

Creating Bright Spaces

One of the League’s psychologist teams is based at Gabčíkovo Asylum Seeker Accommodation Centre, a refugee center 40 minutes from the capital city of Bratislava. The center currently hosts about 1,000 Ukrainian refugees, more than a third of whom are children.

The League has four different meeting rooms at the location, decorated by yellow and blue paper sunflowers and eye-catching coloring pages, a bright contrast to the rest of the building. In these rooms and the common areas, the League’s staff facilitated film and shadow theater clubs for senior citizens, a large variety of group activities for kids, evening concerts and poetry readings, and individual counseling services for anyone who calls in. The League’s 24-hour helpline was clearly visible at each doorway, along with the schedule, an anonymous question/comment slip, and other helpful information in Ukrainian.

A cooking class proved helpful for an elderly man who was a professional chef back at home. He had been very depressed and never left his room before this, Mariniuk said but was filled with joy and pride as he was able to serve the porridge the class had made. Even though there is a small kitchen area in each unit, power is not available for the refrigerators and other appliances, so residents cannot cook for themselves. The UN delivers boxed meals daily so everyone is able to eat.

Mariniuk said that all their activities were implemented with a psychosocial framework tailored to each group served. When some of the children first arrived, they were completely silent and unwilling to interact with their peers. With the patient care of the League’s staff, they were making friends and participating in games and crafts. The staff is documenting their progress and finds it encouraging. “Every day, the ladies write what has been done, and every month there is this general report of activities,” she shared. “They are also writing the daily needs of the children. And this way, we can see what’s going on – where they started and where they’re moving.”

As the conflict nears the one-year mark, Mariniuk, Muravska, and the entire team are invested in the mental health and well-being of the group. “This is part of the lived experience the team members share with their clients,” said Vršanský. “They have been through the same experiences, and they prove themselves that no matter how hard the situation may be, it is worth any effort.”

Since the start of the war, Direct Relief has provided 2.3 million pounds of medical aid and $23.9 million in financial support to meet the health needs of people living in Ukraine and those forced to flee elsewhere.

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