#Snapshots November 2022
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From Lebanon to Zimbabwe, see the impact you’ve had as a supporter of our work.
Bringing Critical Drugs to Yemen
Yemen is in its eighth year of grinding civil war. The conflict has caused the living conditions of civilians to deteriorate rapidly and has had devastating effects on Yemen’s healthcare system. Many hospitals lack vital medicines and other lifesaving medical supplies — including the National Oncology Center, Yemen’s largest cancer hospital, which is located in the capital city of Sanaa.
In response, International Medical Corps has begun supporting the purchase of medications needed to treat patients seriously ill with cancer and other non-communicable diseases, including kidney failure, diabetes and blood disorders. Recently, the first shipment of treatments arrived at the warehouses in Saana.
Providing Clean Drinking Water in Pakistan
The flooding in Pakistan throughout the summer led to widespread destruction, mainly in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Not only has standing water led to outbreaks of water- and vector-borne diseases, but the floodwaters have contaminated drinking water across the country.
In Pakistan, International Medical Corps partners with Association for Water, Applied Education and Renewable Energy (AWARE), a local emergency response nonprofit that focuses on providing clean water to remote communities. Working with AWARE, we set up a mobile solar-powered reverse-osmosis unit that converts contaminated floodwater into safe, clean water.
Over the past month, we provided 624,000 liters of water to affected communities, including 200,000 liters provided via the mobile unit.
Celebrating Global Handwashing Day in Zimbabwe
Global Handwashing Day is held annually on October 15 to increase awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent disease.
As part of festivities being held around the world, our Zimbabwe team hosted events in the Nkayi and Binga districts that reached more than 340 people. The celebrations kicked off with an educational session from the Ministry of Health and Child Care on the importance of handwashing, followed by an explanation of the five critical times for handwashing and the 10 steps to proper handwashing.
The information was well-received, with our staff members encouraging participants to share what they learned with fellow community members.
Changing Lives with Toilets in Afghanistan
Barely a quarter of Afghanistan’s population is estimated to have access to sanitation facilities , which creates fertile ground for outbreaks of disease. Those in poor and rural communities are the most at risk.
After International Medical Corps determined that the local health facility in Torkham district was in desperate need of a flushing latrine system, our water, sanitation and hygiene team built five flushing latrines in the health facility.
Before our teams installed the new latrines, people were using dry toilets that are not as sanitary as flushing toilets. Poor water quality and lack of sanitation facilities frequently contributed to community members contracting preventable illnesses, such as diarrhea.
International Medical Corps is continuing to help ensure access to safe water sources and sanitation across eastern Afghanistan.
Girls’ Empowerment in Lebanon
As part of our adolescent girls’ empowerment programs, our Lebanon team organized a filmmaking workshop in Bekka that included six sessions where the girls learned about basic animation, storytelling, lighting and more. This activity is one of many psychosocial support activities we offer to girls in Lebanon.
At the end of the workshop, the girls were asked to create a short animated video on a social topic of their choice. To raise awareness and encourage other girls and women to seek support when needed, they chose to shed light on the types of violence that commonly affect girls in their community.
Distributing Dignity Kits in Somalia
International Medical Corps’ Chief Operations Officer Ky Luu recently traveled to Somalia to assess our programs there. During his trip, he attended a meeting between our Somalia team and the Ministry of Health, distributed dignity kits to community members and received updates from our team providing gender-based violence services at women’s and girls’ safe spaces.
The effects of drought, flooding and displacement, combined with the ripple effects from the war in Ukraine, have left millions in Somalia teetering on the edge of famine, with about one-third of the population dependent on outside support for their survival and livelihoods.
Ongoing Support in Ukraine
Following the Russian invasion in February and despite challenging conditions such as shelling and power outages, we have been able to complete thousands of health consultations, including mental health consultations. In total, our services and supplies have reached more than 3 million people in the country.
For example, in the newly liberated areas around Kharkiv, International Medical Corps is assessing needs and distributing household hygiene kits. And across Ukraine, we’re continuing to provide medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and generators to regional and city health authorities, to ensure continuity of healthcare services in the face of attacks on the civilian population.
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International Medical Corps is a global first responder that delivers emergency medical and related services to those affected by conflict, disaster and disease, no matter where they are, no matter the conditions. We also train people in their communities, providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, we are a nonprofit with no religious or political affiliation, and now have roughly 7,500 staff members around the world, 97% of whom are locally hired. Since our founding, we have operated in more than 80 countries, and have provided more than $3.9 billion in emergency relief and training to communities worldwide.
Our staff includes experts in emergency medicine, infectious disease, nutrition, mental health, maternal and infant health, gender-based violence prevention and treatment, training, and water, sanitation and hygiene, all within the humanitarian context.
To arrange an interview on or off the record, contact our Media Relations team at media@internationalmedicalcorps.org.
