Grant Funds Emergency Obstetric Care in Dadaab 

October 24, 2011  

Direct Relief International is granting $25,000 to support the people in the Horn of Africa who are facing the worst famine and drought conditions in over 60 years.

This $25,000 grant will be provided to the Women and Health Alliance International (WAHA), an international nonprofit organization committed to improving maternal and neonatal health in disadvantaged communities throughout Africa.  WAHA has a long history of working in this region and are collaborating with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Medecins du Monde (MDM) to scale up the maternal and child health services in the Dadaab hospital, the only public hospital in this region of eastern Kenya.

According to the United Nations, the refugee camp in Dadaab has now become the largest in the world and Kenya’s third-largest city with over 500,000 refugees. The hundreds of people arriving daily have strained the basic medical resources available in the camp.  Weekly admissions for severe malnutrition and traumatic injuries are increasing and water- and vector-borne diseases like cholera, measles, dysentery, and malaria have all broken out and are expected to worsen with the upcoming rains. Sexual violence against women is rampant, and an estimated 300,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding women are currently affected by acute malnutrition, according to news reports

The Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MPHS) reports that basic equipment and services for maternity and childcare is not available for the people living in the region. As a result, child and maternal mortality rates in the refugee camps and among the host population are among the highest in the world. The Dadaab hospital has not been equipped to provide quality maternal and neonatal health services or emergency obstetric care.

The $25,000 grant from Direct Relief will enable WAHA to purchase the specialized medical tools and instrumentation needed to provide emergency obstetric care services in the delivery room at the Dadaab hospital. WAHA expects to perform over 100 difficult deliveries per month.  While the goal of Direct Relief’s grant is to improve the existing public health structures to deliver quality reproductive and child healthcare for the host and refugee populations, it will also enable the Dadaab hospital to serve as a referral center for serious emergencies for people in the refugee camps.

Famine Relief to Support Patients at Refugee Camps in Northern Kenya 

September 16, 2011

Direct Relief has provided $30,000 in cash and $50,000 (wholesale) in medical supplies to respond to the Horn of Africa famine crisis that has affected nearly 1 million people along the northern border of Kenya. Provided primarily through the Kenyan NGO Council (of which Direct Relief’s Regional Medical Adviser in Kenya, Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, is a member), the aid supports both food and medical needs for famine sufferers, as identified by the organizations working on the ground in Kenya.

The $30,000 has been allocated to purchase essential food and medical supplies for weekly medical services at major refugee camps in the Turkana and Wajir regions, where the NGO Council, Ministry of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Kenya Red Cross, and other agencies are addressing the needs of the displaced. Each settlement has a Medical Outreach Station staffed by Kenya Ministry of Health and Kenya Red Cross medical personnel, who are seeing between 855 and 1,150 people each week, the majority of whom are children. Foodstuffs donated by Direct Relief have been distributed also through 15 feeding centers that have been established.

According to Dr. Mc’Obewa, the needs at each Medical Outreach station are currently not being met and many people are being turned away due to lack of medicines and supplies. Lack of funds to support care for the number of patients is the biggest issue, while bad roads and heavy rainfall make many areas difficult to access.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that the total refugee population in Kenya stands at 568,298 and food insecurity is affecting 3.75 million people around the country. An estimated 300,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding women are currently affected by acute malnutrition, with the majority located in the northwestern and northeastern districts of Turkana and Wajir—the areas where Direct Relief is focusing its efforts. The onset of Kenya’s annual “short rains” and flooding is also increasing the threat of measles, malaria, dysentery, and cholera.

Direct Relief is assembling an additional supply of nutritional products and oral rehydration solutions to the region and will continue to support partners in the region to assist those affected by the famine.

Direct Relief Delivering Medicines and Supplies for Famine Refugees 

August 16, 2011

In response to the famine and humanitarian health crisis unfolding in Southern Somalia and the surrounding region, Direct Relief is boosting inventories of medications and medical supplies for people seeking care in Northern Kenya.

Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, the founder of the OGRA Foundation in Kisumu, Kenya, who also serves as Direct Relief’s regional medical adviser, is coordinating Direct Relief’s humanitarian response from Kenya, where he sits on the special committee formed within the Kenya Council of NGOs to address the crisis. Listen to a radio interview with Dr. Mc'Obewa 

Because the crisis has not generated significant financial contributions, Direct Relief is is allocating an initial $50,000 from reserve funds to obtain and distribute essential medications and supplies in response to specific needs identified in the camps and settlements in and around Turkana, in northwestern Kenya near the Ethiopian border.

Many organizations and governments, including the government of Kenya, are mobilizing resources to address the severe needs for food, water, and sanitation services for the more than 400,000 people on the Kenya-Somalia border displaced by the drought conditions.

Direct Relief is focusing on expanding the pipeline of medical essentials that also are urgently needed and for which specific information, distribution, and expertise are required. Reports from the World Health Organization and field personnel at camps in Kenya indicate high incidence of acute malnutrition, acute respiratory infections and waterborne illnesses including cholera, as well as high risk for dengue fever and yellow fever.

Dr. Mc'Obewa is working with the medical personnel to identify the sites, health personnel, and specific needs within the region.

Direct Relief Reaching Out to Partners Assisting Famine Refugees in the Horn of Africa

August 1, 2011

Direct Relief International has reached out to partners in East Africa to offer medical aid in response to the drought crisis affecting parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya. News reports indicate that over 12 million people, including Somali refugees in surrounding countries, are suffering from or at risk of famine and malnourishment. Malnutrition is particularly severe among children in these areas.

Direct Relief has contacted several partners, including OGRA Foundation in Kenya, to determine what materials are most needed and how the organization can best support their efforts to care for people affected by the drought crisis.