|
Crisis in the Congo:
A massive humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Central Africa where fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced nearly 200,000 people. We are working with partners on ways to best help families who have fled the violence.
|
AmeriCares delivers humanitarian aid, medicines and medical supplies to support clinics and hospitals throughout Africa. African countries receiving aid from our charitable nonprofit foundation include Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. AmeriCares is rushing aid shipments to drought-ravaged East Africa to help families struggling to survive a humanitarian crisis of historic proportions. The worst drought in 60 years has decimated livestock and crops, resulting in famine that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes in Somalia in search of food and water. AmeriCares is also responding with emergency medical aid to the Ivory Coast, where post-election violence killed 3,000 people, displaced 500,000 and left hundreds of thousands dependent on humanitarian aid.
AmeriCares has also been working to help African men, women and children in crisis since 1985 when a severe famine in Ethiopia claimed one million lives. During the height of Rwanda's civil war and violent strife in 1994, AmeriCares established a charity field hospital to help children and families in need of medical services.
Natural disasters are also common throughout the African continent, including severe floods, volcanic eruptions and drought. Deadly outbreaks are common in Africa, which has among the world's highest rates of infectious diseases, including a devastating cholera crisis in Zimbabwe. Complicating matters are extreme poverty and economic problems, which hamper the ability of doctors and nurses to give even the most basic care to their patients. An ongoing response to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and neighboring Chad has been underway since 2004. Working with local and international NGOs, AmeriCares Africa program includes:
HIV/AIDSAmeriCares delivers medicines and supplies to care for patients with HIV/AIDS and protect health care workers from occupational exposure to the virus. Learn more »
Maternal HealthMaternal mortality is a silent epidemic in Africa where hundreds of thousands of women die each year from preventable childbirth complications.
Strengthening African Hospital Program
AmeriCares delivers consumable supplies and medical devices to hospitals in Eritrea, Ghana and Kenya to strengthen local health infrastructures.
Blindness Prevention Program AmeriCares delivers Pfizer-donated Zithromax® to cure the trachoma infection that leads to blindness. AmeriCares also donates specialized surgical kits to surgeons in Ethiopia, Senegal, Malawi and Niger. Simple surgery prevents blindness by reversing the effects of the infection.
Learn more »
Excellence in Health Worker Safety
When one health care worker gets sick, thousands of patients can lose access to care. That's why AmeriCares is leading a three-year program in Tanzania to promote a Centre of Excellence for Health Worker Safety. The program helps protect health care workers against illness and injuries common in the hospitals, such as needle sticks and exposure to blood. Learn more »
|
|
