Amid grim U.N. warnings about the deadly scope of
the Horn of Africa famine, AmeriCares has expanded its large-scale
emergency response in the region to help save as many lives as possible.
In
addition to a series of shipments of crucial medicines, nutritional
supplements, water purification tablets and supplies, AmeriCares is building a field hospital in Kenya to treat thousands of
vulnerable Somali refugees at risk of severe malnutrition, disease and chronic
illness.
Tens
of thousands of refugees have died and more than half a million children are on the brink of
starvation. U.N. officials stated that the famine continues to spread, warning
that 750,000 people could perish in the next few months unless humanitarian aid
increases.
As
the crisis worsens, the need is great. Help
AmeriCares reduce human suffering and save lives in Somalia, Kenya, and
Ethiopia »
Immediate
Response
As
news of the famine unfolded, a rush shipment was delivered to Mogadishu in
early August, supplying emergency medical aid to clinics and mobile teams to
treat 15,000 sick children and adults. This was followed by two shipments of
enough nutrient-rich meal packs to provide a daily supplemental feeding for 13,000
acutely malnourished people for one month.
In
the meantime, AmeriCares finalized plans to open the 4,500-square-foot
AmeriCares field hospital within the Kambioos refugee camp established
in Kenya to handle the overflow from the Dadaab camp. The hospital will house a
therapeutic feeding center, operating room, intensive care unit, as well as a
labor and delivery ward, laboratory and pharmacy. AmeriCares partner,
International Medical Corps will operate and staff the facility for an
anticipated two years. AmeriCares will outfit the hospital with equipment and
stock it with an initial supply of medicines and consumables.
Photo courtesy of International Medical Corps (IMC)
Humanitarian
Relief Pipeline:
A
series of new aid shipments now underway include:
- Water purification
tablets to help 34,000 people: Clean
water remains a constant challenge in the drought-ravaged region. AmeriCares
is providing 3.1 million water purifying sachets to be distributed through
training programs to replenish water stocks for three camp-based water and
sanitation programs in Kenya and for communities suffering famine in
southern Ethiopia. These sachets will produce enough water to
benefit 34,000 people for two months.
- Over
$1.2 million in medicines and supplies to stock clinic shelves: AmeriCares donors responded to an urgent emergency
appeal for needed
medicines for Somali
clinics and hospitals. Complementing
with stock from our emergency pharmacy, AmeriCares will deliver over $1.2
million in medicines and supplies for primary care clinics and mobile
medical teams working in camp settings around Mogadishu. Additionally,
AmeriCares will provide medicines and consumables to treat 15,000 patients
in the northern region of Mudug, Somalia.
- Emergency Cholera
Module to mitigate disease outbreak: Cholera outbreaks have begun to sweep
through refugee camps overflowing with sick and starving children and adults.
Deliveries of additional medicines and supplies to treat treatment cholera
and acute watery diarrhea are now being planned to help a growing number
of patients suffering with these life-threatening diseases.
Historic Aid to the Region
Since
1985, when severe famine claimed one million lives in Ethiopia, AmeriCares has
worked to help African men, women and children in crisis. Previous aid to
Somalia includes more than $3 million in medicines, nutritional supplements,
and vitamins during the height of the drought and war-stricken nation’s food
crisis of 2008-09.
