AmeriCares is a nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs for people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion.

Coronavirus Relief Food Banks , Health , Hospitals , International , International Development

Emergency response programs in all, in fy15 americares emergency programs provided medicine, supplies and project support to partners in 30 countries and 12 u. S. States across the spectrum of preparedness, response and recovery. Americares responded to 26 emergencies in 19 countries, including floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, tropical storms, conflicts, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and disease outbreaks. Our emergency programs work also included preparedness initiatives in five countries and recovery work to strengthen health system components following disasters in six countries. Preparedness: in fy15, americares conducted preparedness initiatives in five countries to assist an estimated 51,000 people in the event of a future disaster. These preparedness initiatives focused on preventing cholera, pre-positioning relief supplies and building the resilience of communities and health systems to withstand future disasters. In el salvador, americares collaborated with long-time partner fusal on a large-scale community-based disaster risk reduction pilot project to increase the level of resilience and reduce risks from disasters in five target municipalities in the department of la libertad. These five municipalities consist of 245 communities, with an estimated 49,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries. In fy15, we designed the curriculum, tools, mapping, and monitoring and evaluation platforms; hired and trained a team of risk reduction promoters; and piloted the curriculum in seven communities. The project will be completed and evaluated in fy16. In myanmar, americares is engaging 10 villages in the ayeyarwady region in community-based risk reduction, including identifying, reducing and managing chronic public health risks and acute emergencies. This project is in partnership with church world service-myanmar, along with several local ngo partners. The project began in fy15 and will benefit an estimated 10,000 people, including more than 2,000 direct participants and nearly 8,000 indirect community members. In the philippines, americares held two workshops in fy15 to introduce 50 local health workers to the concepts of preparedness, safety and risk reduction. These health workers were from health facilities that americares reconstructed and improved after typhoon haiyan. In fy16, americares will perform a final evaluation of this pilot project. In the united states in fy15, americares continued work with two community health centers affected by superstorm sandy to identify and close preparedness gaps and establish sustainable, functional and integrated emergency management plans. In fy15, americares also addressed gaps in the area of data collection and communication at the state-level by partnering with the community health care association of new york state to improve health services in emergencies. Response: in fy15, americares response in the immediate aftermath of 26 emergencies in 19 countries included product donations of enough medicine to fill more than 815,000 prescriptions to help health workers on the front lines care for survivors. Key items included vaccines, antibiotics, wound care items, chronic disease medicines and clean water supplies. Americares also assisted an estimated 218,000 individuals by collaborating with partners to develop and support emergency response projects. Key themes of these projects included restoring and expanding health services; fulfilling immediate health and survival needs; and early interventions to address psychological distress. Americares largest emergency programs responses took place in west africa and nepal. Americares response to the world's largest ebola outbreak in fy15 provided dozens of shipments of essential medicines and personal protective equipment to the most-affected countries, principally guinea, liberia and sierra leone. Coordinating with international, national and local organizations, americares provided over 2 million units of personal protective equip