Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 441 shipments of requested medical aid to 47 U.S. states and territories and 16 countries worldwide.
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
