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International Medical Corps’ three month update on our response to the Nepal Earthquake
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International Medical Corps shares an update on the Nepal Earthquake response, while expressing their deep appreciation of the Earth Council Geneva’s modest support.
To date, in just over three months, International Medical Corps’ work has benefitted more than 200,000 people in the hardest-hit communities, including:
- 157,552 people will have greater access to care through 13 health facilities that International Medical Corps is rebuilding, in partnership with the Nepal government
- 28,200 men, women and children benefitted from the distribution of cash grants, helping them access food and other urgently-needed supplies
- 21,155 people are benefitting from the distribution of 4,231 hygiene kits, helping families purify water, wash their hands and maintain good hygiene practices
- 19,625 people are benefitting from 785 newly-built emergency latrines across 5 districts, thwarting the spread of disease
- 8,806 people have access to ongoing care through mobile physical therapy units, helping them overcome quake-related and other injuries
- And much, much more.
Today, 2.8 million people in Nepal are still in need of assistance; many of them are also at risk from landslides and other effects of the current monsoon season. Much remains to be done and International Medical Corps will continue to bring services to those most in need, and work with local partners and the government of Nepal to build back stronger.
EARTH COUNCIL GENEVA responds with INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS to the needs of the NEPAL earthquake
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Earth Council Geneva is responding to the Nepal earthquake by supporting International Medical Corps to provide emergency care to survivors with lifesaving medical supplies and care.
Two days after the massive earthquake rocked Nepal, International Medical Corps First Responders were on the ground in the hard-hit Gorkha district, at the epicenter of the quake, delivering urgently needed health care and distributing lifesaving supplies.
In Kathmandu, International Medical Corps teams visited overwhelmed hospitals and a displaced persons camp, the largest in town, with roughly 5,000 people. No shelter is available and water and sanitation systems are very limited. Roads are destroyed and blocked, making some communities accessible only by foot – at times, a 2 hour trek over harrowing terrain. The potential for outbreaks of waterborne illnesses and other communicable diseases is very high, and deteriorating weather conditions, including cold temperatures, rain and thunderstorms will only exacerbate already difficult conditions.
Earth Council Geneva, in line with many previous engagements, supports the efforts through International Medical Corps to provide clean water with the mobile medical units for people in need to prevent disease.
UPDATE ON THE EARTH COUNCIL-GENEVA PROJECT IN ETHIOPIA WITH IMC, DOW AND IBM
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INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS (IMC) - EARTH COUNCIL-GENEVA (ECG) PARTNERSHIP
With the support of Earth Council-Geneva, International Medical Corps identified specific activities designed to improve sanitation and hygiene practices at the community level in the Wolyata Zone in Southern Ethiopia beginning September 2014. This project is in line with the ECG Mission statement and is complementing and leveraging 500.000 euros in funding from ECHO.
The tools and approaches derived from the formative research and Sanitation Marketing Strategy carried out by DOW CHEMICAL and IMC will enable IMC and ECG to be pioneers in expanding the sanitation marketing approach in Ethiopia, influence other hygiene and sanitation actors in Ethiopia, and scale its contribution to the improvement of community health and livelihoods in Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities - with the view of replicating the process in other countries in need for such programs.
The sanitation Marketing Project in Boloso-sore and Damot-pulassa districts of Wolayita was launched to support the Community Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene Programs in those districts.
Both communities are receiving nutrition, mental health support and livelihoods through the program. The project is designed to increase adoption of safe hygiene practices and to ensure effective use of new WASH infrastructure, especially latrines and hand-washing stations, developed under the overall project.
The EARTH COUNCIL-GENEVA funded-project is implementing the sanitation marketing program developed by DOW and IMC.
NEXT STEPS FOR THE EARTH COUNCIL-GENEVA:
We are providing funds to document each step of the program and its implementation. This will allow us to replicate the project in other countries in need of improving sanitation and hygiene.
DETAILED ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Activities to date have included:
Government Participation
Working closely with district level officials to create buy-in; integrate local expertise; and help ensure successful adoption and implementation of the marketing program.
- International Medical Corps teams in Ethiopia brought together 20 district level officials (10 from each district) from the following units: Agriculture and Rural Development; Finance and Economic; Marketing and Cooperatives; Rural Job Opportunity; Small and Medium Enterprises; Microfinance; Health Office and Water; Mines and Energy, among other.
- Meetings included a presentation on the program; participatory discussion to answer questions and integrate local expertise
- As a result of the ongoing meetings and discussions, both administration units officially endorsed the marketing program, including adding it to the top of their respective agendas to be reviewed with International Medical Corps monthly over the length of the program, helping to ensure that learning is shared with district officials and that challenges can be addressed in a timely manner.
- International Medical Corps also worked with the government officials to select the four pilot kebeles, two in each region. Kebeles were chosen based on the fact that they had existing programs to combat open defection; easy access to markets; communities had some level of buying capacity; the presence of a dedicated, strong health extension agent; presence of cooperatives/associations; and availability of artisans to construct latrines and materials.
Sanitation Marketing Teams
International Medical Corps also worked with the government officials to form Sanitation Marketing Enablers Teams in each district – 9 district level experts in sanitation and marketing programs that will work hand-in-hand to implement the program with International Medical Corps and ensure that local knowledge and expertise is integrated into the program; and so that International Medical Corps can train these teams on the approach for future use.
- Sanitation Marketing Teams liaise with artisans building latrines and with government officials to ensure that local, government rules and regulations are met.
- Teams provide regular and ongoing communication with government and local leaders to create additional buy-in, expand outreach programs and encourage community participation through all channels
- Teams are working with religious leaders, health extension workers, agricultural health extension workers, heads of health centers and clinics, and key religious leaders.
Artisan Team
An artisan team of 15 local artisans trained in latrine and handwashing construction has been formed to support the project. These artisans are certified with the government, helping to ensure the supply chain and that latrines and handwashing stations can be built quickly and maintained.
Key Learnings to Date
- The project has reinforced the work required to build consensus among local government officials to ensure success of the project. The challenges in ensuring local buy in led to the creation of the Sanitation Team and Artisan Team – selected participants that already work with the government and local leaders and can ensure that the program follows local rules and regulations. The formation of these teams is an innovation in how we approach our work.
- Specifically, emphasis was initially placed on latrine construction by the government. It took quite a bit of meeting and discussion to help stakeholders understand the role of marketing in creating behavior change and adoption of safer practices.
Ongoing activities
- Marketing Campaign: Mass media radio messaging; Deployment of “development armies” who work with household leaders to deliver messages; ongoing work with community leaders to integrate messaging across sectors.
- Demonstration Latrines: Construction and “showcasing” of improved latrines
- Artisan Teams: Ongoing training and supportive supervision of artisan teams who are constructing/repairing latrines and handwashing stations.
Earth Council Geneva helps International Medical Corps to open a new Ebola Treatment Unit in Liberia
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With the support of Earth Council Geneva, International Medical Corps opened a new Ebola Treatment Unit in Bong County, Liberia.
With the opening of this unit, there are just six facilities in Liberia capable of treating Ebola in the country. International Medical Corps’ Ebola Treatment Unit is about 120 miles north of Liberia’s capital Monrovia - only the second treatment unit outside of that city. Earth Council Geneva has helped make this possible – and this support will help International Medical Corps save more lives and contain this deadly virus.
Once at full capacity, the facility will employ more than 200 specially-trained staff, 90% of whom will be Liberians. And while International Medical Corps fights to contain Ebola and save lives, it will also train healthcare workers and families in affected communities to help them become their own best First Responder to this and future outbreaks.
You can find out more about the new facility and the situation on the ground in the below video.
In the following video, 60 Minutes profiles International Medical Corps efforts to stop Ebola at its source in West Africa. Reporting from the Ebola Treatment Unit run by International Medical Corps in Liberia, 60 Minutes features healthcare workers fighting the battle against the deadly disease.
Earth Council Geneva Supports International Medical Corps to Deliver Improved Sanitation & Hygiene in Ethiopia
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November 6, 2014 – Los Angeles, Calif. – International Medical Corps will deliver a new program in sanitation marketing in the Wolayta Zone in Ethiopia with collaborative funding from Earth Council Geneva. Through this program, International Medical Corps will promote the construction of sustainable, affordable and safe latrines and hand washing facilities and deliver hygiene education for vulnerable communities.
“Earth Council Geneva’s timely and generous award will allow International Medical Corps to reach vulnerable communities plagued by chronic food insecurity and a lack of access to sanitation facilities and hygiene education, potentially saving countless lives,” said Rabih Torbay, Senior Vice President of International Medical Corps. “We are grateful to Earth Council Geneva for its support and collaboration to improve the health and well-being of these communities by focusing on sanitation and hygiene.”
Since 2011, with support from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection unit (ECHO), International Medical Corps has integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) into its programs in the region to bring communities access to clean water while curtailing open defecation through the construction of latrines and promoting safe hygiene practices. However, many latrines in the area remain in poor condition, are unsafe to use and are only functional for a short period of time. Education to improve latrine construction and increase knowledge on proper use and maintenance is crucial to the sustainable sanitation and hygiene of local families.
Through funding from Earth Council Geneva, International Medical Corps will promote an improved household latrine prototype and organize local builders to learn construction techniques. International Medical Corps will also produce promotional materials to distribute to households, coordinate with government partners to ensure sustainability and train local health workers and community members.
This program expands and complements work completed earlier this summer (August 2014) in Wolayta by DOW Chemical’s Leadership in Action (LIA) program and IBM’s Corporate Service Corps which together with International Medical Corps developed sanitation marketing activities and methodologies that can measure the effectiveness of its resilience building programs in the region.
“Earth Council Geneva is pleased to partner with International Medical Corps to build upon the effective marketing strategies and measurement tools developed in partnership with DOW Chemical and IBM to promote healthy hygiene and sanitation practices. This is an important step to creating sustainable solutions for sanitation in Ethiopia, a project replicable in other countries. We are proud of our partnership since 2009 with International Medical Corps and the many projects we could support during these years in several countries. It is particularly pleasing to see NGO’s and large corporations work together to make life better for people in need.” said Reto Braun, Chairman of the Board, Earth Council Geneva.
Since 2003, International Medical Corps has operated a diversified program in Ethiopia, providing training and services in WASH, livelihoods, prevention of gender-based violence, nutrition, mental health, sexual reproductive health, primary health care, HIV/AIDS and other essential needs. The organization’s programs in Ethiopia focus on rural, urban and refugee settings and are designed to be sustainable through full community participation.
About International Medical Corps
Since its inception 30 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services and sustainable development projects that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit: www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org. Also see us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.