Direct Relief Commits Additional $50,000 For Urgent Humanitarian Services

In response to an urgent appeal from our Regional Medical Advisor Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, who is based in Kenya’s Rift Valley, Direct Relief is providing an additional $50,000 in emergency funds to address severe humanitarian problems that have arisen in the most recent flare-up of violence in Naivasha, Nakuru and Limuru. Since the December elections in Kenya that triggered protests and violence, more than 750 Kenyans have reportedly died.

Dr. Hezron has assumed the role of directing emergency health services in the Kisumu area on behalf of a consortium of the Kenyan Ministry of Health and non-governmental organizations on the ground in Kenya, including the Kenyan Red Cross, Action Aid, and AMREF.

The funds will be used to secure transport for more than 2,000 displaced persons caught up in the new wave of violence and the provision as well as the provision of health services to persons who are injured or sick.

Dr. Hezron reported that this week’s spike in violence was triggered by widespread media reports in Kenya showing violence against members of one Kenyan tribe.  “There were scenes of people being physically removed from buses and hacked to death,” said Dr. Hezron via e-mail communication. “Following these pictures last night, the youths here went on a revenge mission in Kisumu town today and caught everyone unaware, including the authorities.”

Dr. Hezron has been in close daily contact via email, text messaging, and telephone with emergency coordinator Brett Williams and Dr. Mike Marks, Direct Relief’s South Africa-based medical adviser.  The killing in Nairobi of Mugabe Were, an opposition leader in the Kenyan parliament, has been among the recent incidents of violence that has led to intensified concern and tension.

“Direct Relief has been the main force behind the medical and basic health care to IDPs within this region, as well as now within the slums where we have been running daily camps, but this new scenario is desperate,” said Dr. Hezron.

Direct Relief has already furnished $50,000 in emergency funds, matched by an anonymous donor in the UK, to help provide critically needed medicines and supplies, as well as an emergency module of medical aid sufficient for 10,000 people for a 30-day period.

Another air freighted shipment of wide-ranging antibiotics, wound care supplies, oral rehydration solutions, and anti-hypertensive drugs is set to leave Direct Relief’s headquarters for Kenya in the next two days.

Additional Emergency Health Supplies Arrive in Kisumu As Partner Treats Displaced, Wounded

The following is an update from Direct Relief’s Regional Medical Advisor and founder of Kenya-based OGRA Foundation, Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa. Dr. Hezron is currently in Kisumu treating victims of the country’s outbreak of violence following recent elections. He is also overseeing the health projects of the Kisumu area’s humanitarian aid committee, coordinating activities between the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Kenyan Red Cross, and non-governmental organizations.

Direct Relief has provided a $50,000 infusion of cash, which has been matched by an anonymous donor in the UK, to provide critically needed medicines and supplies at the start of the violence. A Direct Relief-supplied emergency module of essential medicines and supplies – sufficient to provide basic care for 10,000 people for a 30-day period – arrived yesterday in Kisumu. In addition, a scheduled shipment of antiretroviral drugs for displaced persons who need to maintain their treatment regimens has been expedited.

I have collected the emergency health kit, and we are starting distribution of it this morning (Kenya time) to various points, mostly government health centers near camps of displaced people. We will also use some of the surgical stuff in our basic theatre to help with the injured.

Things are stable now with other agencies now also starting to operate, and regions have been divided as well to enable us to work more efficiently. OGRA’s – and our partners’ – current focus over the last two days has been operating on the young people shot mostly in the limbs and shoulders and also a few injured through machetes. So far we have done 14 such serious cases with our surgical team and 11 have been discharged. Three will stay for at least three weeks as inpatients until stabilized.

We have a team going door-to-door in the Kisumu slums (Nyalenda, Obunga, Manyatta, Kasagam) looking for injured people who are unable to come out. This was highlighted at one of our inter-agency meetings on Saturday and it is through this that we are encountering some people with, literally, rotting limbs – how some haven’t died, only God knows.

Food and non-food items are now sorted by a subcommittee headed by a World Food Programme representative now in Kisumu and covering the western region, and displaced people are getting food and non-food items. The team is also starting to consider slum dwellers affected by the violence and we hope they, too, can be given some food rations.

Kisumu has been calm for three days on the trot now with only a handful of pockets of violence but nothing as major as in the previous week. Today and tomorrow will be the deciding days given the opening of parliament as well as planned mass action countrywide. We hope police will not fire live bullets into the crowds tomorrow.

OGRA is now heading the medical team, and we have essentially two teams; a counseling and sanitation team, and a purely medical team. We also are now working with local Ministry of Health officials and government health institutions to offload some of the patients to them once stabilized. Still, finding medical staff is a challenge but we continue to 'overwork' the ones we have.

I feel that Direct Relief’s contribution, and the fact that we were first on site for a full week running and financing the emergency effort has been highly appreciated not just by local Red Cross but also by both government and other NGO officials with whom we have been working. Our leadership and fast response saved a lot of lives and we continue to provide leadership and work with other partners. I would also like to mention that Dr. Mike Marks was able to talk to AMREF and Mildmay International (both Direct Relief partners), who have been very helpful to me in providing my medical teams two vehicles for the last week.

I am praying that the worst is over and we can go back to normal life in the near future!

Violence has escalated since Dr. Hezron sent this update on Monday, as opposition groups resumed their protests of the sitting government. According to the New York Times and other outlets, much of the worst violence in this spike has occurred in Kisumu.

Emergency Funds to Kenya Partner Doubled to Provide More Essential Medicines

Yesterday Direct Relief International wired an additional $25,000 in additional emergency funds to Kenyan partner OGRA Foundation to help procure essential medicines in the Rift Valley region of the country, which is continuing to experience violence in the aftermath of national elections.

This commitment, coupled with an earlier grant of $25,000, will bring essential medicines to individuals and families who have been affected by the strife. “I think Direct Relief’s commitment so far, plus the IDA emergency health kit, should now be able to meet the immediate needs of the patients on our rapid assessment assuming we do not discover any more hiding somewhere,” said Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, Direct Relief’s regional medical advisor and founder of OGRA, via e-mail communication from Kisumu.

Dr. Hezron, who is also the head of the local humanitarian aid committee, reported that trauma patients continue to come into OGRA-run clinics, many of them children. “Our surgical team have now lined up 8 patients for theatre this morning; four children (shot in the crossfire by police) and four adults, three shot by police and one hacked by machete.”

Incidents of malaria continue to rise, due to poor sanitation and stagnate water pools in areas crowded with displaced people. According to Dr. Hezron, roughly 60 percent of the malaria cases being seen are in children. Of these, 42 percent are cases of moderate to severe malaria. The lack of adequate sanitation is also affecting the rates of water-borne diseases, including cholera and typhoid fever.

Camps in the Rift Valley region this week received nearly 60 tons of food from the World Food Programme, and the local humanitarian aid committee is starting full scale distribution within the region.

Security continues to be an issue, even for humanitarian aid staff at OGRA and other groups. OGRA lost use of one vehicle this week due to damage from youth throwing stones. Direct Relief regional partner AMREF has given OGRA an additional vehicle to help compensate for the loss and to ensure that patients who cannot transport themselves can gain access to medical attention.

Direct Relief Funds Provide Essential Medicines in Kisumu, Galvanizes Additional Support

The following is an update from Direct Relief’s Regional Medical Advisor and founder of Kenya-based OGRA Foundation Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa. Dr. Hezron is in Kisumu treating victims of the country’s recent outbreak of violence following elections. Dr. Hezron is also the head of the Kisumu area’s humanitarian aid committee, coordinating activities between the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Kenyan Red Cross, and non-governmental organizations.

Direct Relief has provided $25,000 in cash support, which has been matched by an anonymous donor in the UK, for the response effort. Direct Relief also has supplied an emergency module of essential medicines and supplies sufficient to provide basic care for 10,000 people for a 30-day period.  In addition, a scheduled shipment of antiretroviral drugs for displaced persons who need to maintain their treatment regimen has been expedited.

We have been progressing well but now have better statistics for the western region where we are covering. So far we have 96,000 internally displaced persons scattered in greater western Kenya and the north Rift Valley where we work. Here is a breakdown of the needs and situation so far:

1. We have been able to spend three-fourths of the cash donation ($50,000, of which $25,000 was from Direct Relief and $25,000 matched by a UK donor) on essential medicines for eight camp sites totaling 38,000 persons in total so far. We need an extra $72,000 in drugs and logistics support, as well as for paying medical volunteer allowances.

2. The rest of the money has gone towards purchasing blankets, nets and tents.

3. We now have received 30 tons of food from the World Food Programme and World Vision (just arrived today for distribution), and Action Aid have also donated $6,000 towards medicines in the western region. We have 18 wounded from gun shot wounds in the remote villages requiring surgery at present and reports of many more hacked but we haven’t reached them yet. These surgical cases will be brought to Kisumu and treated at one of our hospitals and we will pay the surgeons to get them sorted.

4. The disaster management team has now divided roles, and OGRA Foundation/Direct Relief will now continue only with medical and health intervention.

5. ARVs: There are reports of over 8,100 patients with AIDS on antiretrovirals who have run out of their drugs. I have pledged to give them medicines for 4 weeks for the time being, but this will mean I may run out in the not-distant future and will need to expedite the next consignment of ARVs to Kenya.

6. Violence: The level of violence within Kisumu town remains on and off but police are still shooting two to three people daily. So far we have over 100 dead locally, and we estimate that the same or more have died within villages because of injuries sustained during the conflict. Houses and buses are still being torched sporadically and it all will depend on the political solution to come sooner than later.

7. AMREF has kindly agreed to give me a desk in their local office and also are considering giving us a vehicle to use, as we are unable to reach most places without 4x4s. OGRA has committed all three of its vehicles to the cause together with Red Cross’ two vehicles. This is still not enough, but we have to hire some vehicles and their impact will be greatly appreciated.

I may not be able to access e-mail tomorrow due to a planned rally in Kisumu town but my mobile will still work as usual.

I will keep you updated as things progress.

PS: Currently I am using a 12 person team (one surgeon, two physicians including myself, five clinical officers, and four nurses), besides other general operatives.

Hezron

Direct Relief Steps Up Cash Commitment to $25,000 to Help Kenyan Health Needs

Direct Relief today increased its cash commitment to $25,000 to assist with the humanitarian crisis that has gripped areas of Kenya in the aftermath of recent elections.

Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, Direct Relief’s regional medical adviser and founder of the OGRA Foundation, is leading the humanitarian coordinating council in the Kisumu area.  In a Friday evening (Kenya time) call, Dr. Hezron reported that estimates of displaced persons are still imprecise, but he believes as many as 200,000 people nationwide have been displaced, in many cases because their homes were burned. As an example of the level of displacement, he mentioned that his team had just learned today of a school in which 3,000 people have seeking shelter for several days without any supplies.

He reported that the level of violence in Kisumu has decreased over the past day, but that the road network is still insecure and obstructed by barricades that have been formed by burned trucks.  These impediments hamper the resumption of normal commercial activity in outlying areas.  Resulting shortages of items such as diesel fuel, the price of which has spiked 50 percent in Kisumu, has prevented assessments in outlying areas and complicate relief efforts.

With Direct Relief’s initial commitment of $10,000, Dr. Hezron has been able to purchase on the local market essential medicines and supplies to care for the more than 9,600 displaced people in his immediate area. However, these initial supplies are sufficient for only the next three days, according to Dr. Hezron. Some of the displaced persons are patients with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy medication furnished by Direct Relief, and Dr. Hezron advised that they had been able to maintain the daily therapy despite the situation.

In addition to the cash commitment, Direct Relief has made an initial airfreight shipment of essential medical supplies, will be providing an emergency module donated by Johnson & Johnson, and will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

Direct Relief Grants $10,000 in Emergency Funds for Response in Kenya

Direct Relief International today granted $10,000 in emergency funds to local partner the OGRA Foundation to assist with the in-country purchase of critically needed materials.

Direct Relief’s emergency response team was in touch with Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, founder of the OGRA Foundation and Direct Relief’s regional medical advisor, yesterday evening Pacific time (daytime in Kenya).

“We are trying to save the injured, but may need to purchase some drugs locally or buy some fuel,” he said during a text message exchange, one of the only currently reliable forms of communication, since most email access has been limited. Direct Relief’s extension of funds will enable the OGRA Foundation to fill these needs.

Dr. Hezron has been named chair of the local humanitarian aid committee in Kisumu and is helping coordinate activities with the Kenyan Red Cross, Ministry of Health, and other on-site responders.

Direct Relief has also contacted partner AMREF to offer assistance in whatever response efforts they may undertake.

As diplomats and officials of international bodies arrive in the country, the current civil strife shows few signs of abating soon. Though a planned opposition rally was called off today, there continue to be reports of new violence.

Direct Relief Responding to Needs of Those Affected by Civil Strife in Kenya

Direct Relief is releasing aid in response to the outbreak of violence in Kenya that reportedly has resulted in at least 300 deaths and the displacement of thousands of people.

Direct Relief’s response is being coordinated by our regional medical adviser in Kenya, Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa.  Dr. Hezron also is the founder of the Kenyan-based OGRA Foundation that operates health clinics in Kisumu and Nyabondo Districts.

Dr. Hezron reported today that his own office burned down in Kisumu, but the two clinics were intact.

Direct Relief is mobilizing an emergency health kit containing antibiotics, antifungals, antiseptic, wound care supplies, and sutures to the OGRA Foundation clinics which have are filled with patients seeking medical attention.

Dr. Hezron reported that an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence in the Rift Valley area alone.

A Direct Relief partner since 2006, OGRA Foundation is a community-based organization that provides health care and promotes socio-economic and cultural development. In addition to receiving standard material support, the foundation administers a Direct Relief-supported antiretroviral therapy (ART) program for those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Direct Relief has experience responding to emergencies in Kenya, having responded to severe flooding in December 2006 that directly affected 1.8 million people across the Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Since 2005, Direct Relief has provided $4.5 million worth of medical material aid to Kenyan partners.