Recent Reports

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Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of 191 countries,…

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Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of 191…

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Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of 191…

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Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out…

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Project Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of…

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Project Background:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of…

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Project Goal:

Real Medicine Foundation, supported by World Children’s Fund, has partnered with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Youth Service Corps and the Gure Gwassoro Ward Development Committee to support the previously abandoned Gure Model Health Center. Situated near the Nigeria/Benin Republic border, the clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government Area and its surrounding towns. Patients even cross the border from the Benin Republic to seek treatment at the clinic.  Nigeria has the 4th lowest survival rate of children under five out of…

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Project Goal:

Upgrade of the existing clinic and managing of the clinic according to RMF's global standards, improving hygiene, function and safety as well as standard of medical operations; restore community faith in clinic’s operations.

Photo: A group of newborn babies with their mothers. These babies have been delivered in our facility and are now waiting to receive routine immunization.

Project Objectives:  

Human capacity building and upgrade of the clinic for better health care delivery Provide regular Medicines and Medical supplies to the clinic Provide support to existing Medical Personnel…
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Photo: Women attending maternal and child health presentation at the Gure Clinic

Project Goal:

Upgrade of the existing clinic and managing of the clinic according to RMF/WCF’s global standards, improving hygiene, function and safety as well as standard of medical operations; restore community faith in clinic’s operations.

Project Objectives:

Human capacity building and upgrade of the clinic for better health care delivery Provide regular Medicines and Medical supplies to the clinic Provide support to existing Medical Personnel Investigate Solar electrical supply Bore Hole for drinking water…
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Project Goal:

Upgrade of the existing clinic and managing of the clinic according to WCF/RMF’s global standards, improving hygiene, function and safety as well as standard of medical operations; restore community faith in clinic’s operations.

   

Project Objectives:

Human capacity building and upgrade of the clinic for better health care delivery. Provide regular Medicines and Medical supplies to the clinic Provide support to existing Medical Personnel Investigate Solar electrical supply Bore Hole for drinking water and water to clinic Review urgent needs to increase…
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Summary of RMF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective (note any changes from original plans):

Treatment of patients at the clinic, focusing on Malaria, Diabetes and Prenatal care and observation Continued purchase and delivery of medicine and medical supplies; additional mattresses, cleaning supplies, and other general supplies to continue the improvements to the clinic’s service. Upgrading the Head Doctor’s living quarters that are attached to clinic building with TV/Satellite Upgrading of drug storage room with Air Conditioning and Generator

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

Purchase and…
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In recognition of his work in forging a partnership between Real Medicine and the Nigerian Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Dr. Ufuoma Ejughemre was awarded with the President's NYSC Honor Service award on December 6th in Abuja, Nigeria.

Dr. Ufuoma was posted to the clinic in Gure during his Nigerian Youth Service corp 1 year medical posting. All doctors in Nigeria participate in the NYSC's medical volunteering program for one year before there residency at a hospital. The majority of the clinics that NYSC manages are in very rural/underserved areas of Nigeria which are happy to…

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RMF/WCF’s presence has continued to strengthen the faith in the Gure Clinic. Health care provision is being continuously improved; continued focus on the improvement of relationships between the community and all involved parties.  The Gure Model Health Care Clinic is the only access to healthcare for a population estimated at 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government area and surrounding towns.  Patients from The Republic of Benin continue to cross the border to Nigeria for treatment at the Gure Clinic. 

The new interior of the clinic provides a more hygienic setting for health care and has set an example…

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Our site visit to the Gure Clinic in Nigeria was carried out successfully in late May and was a great chance to see the progress achieved of this pilot program for Nigeria.

After several introductory meetings with the Commissioner and Deputy of the Ministry of Health for Kwara State, and the Kwara State President of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) we set out to see the clinic. Setting off very early in the morning and driving for 5 hours from the nearest city of Ilorin, made one realize just how remote and underserved some of the communities…

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The Gure Model Healthcare Clinic Initiative has continued to strengthen and improve its facilities and services over the past few months. The clinic is currently the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government area and surrounding towns. Patients from the Republic of Benin also continue to cross the border for treatment at the Gure Clinic.

Over the past three months the clinical upgrade has continued with the goal of improving the hygiene, function and safety of the existing clinic and restoring the community’s faith in its operations. The new interior of…

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The Gure clinic, situated near the Nigerian/Benin Republic border, is the only access to healthcare for a population of 154,376 in the Baruteen Local Government area and surrounding towns. Access to healthcare in the region is so scarce, some from the Benin Republic even cross the border to come for treatment. Although the clinic activity varies depending on the weather and access to the health center, on average 80 patients are seen per day.

The goal of phase one of our clinic upgrade is to improve hygiene, function and safety of existing clinic and restore community…

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August 22, 2013 -

Lagos State: While Coker/Aguda is still in need of a long-term health care center, RMF has chosen to implement its first Primary Health Care Project in Gure, Baruten, L.G.A. Kwara State, a rural area of extreme poverty where there is a dire need for more comprehensive health care. Central to RMF’s success is leveraging existing clinics, familiar with the local demands, yet requiring support to fully optimize its function and leverage its presence.

After a thorough review of the situation in Lagos State and surrounding areas, we determined that the Gure, Model Health Care Clinic was…

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August 22, 2013 -

As Nigeria Project Director, I traveled to Nigeria on a fact finding trip from September 3rd – 15th. While there, the goal was to evaluate the feasibility of establishing RMF’s pilot health care clinic in the Aguda/Coker area of Lagos, in partnership with Afodise, a local NGO, and the Lagos State Government (see July guidelines for more details).

During the trip, we were able to connect with our contacts at Afodise and Lagos State Government to begin moving the project forward. We finalized the community in which we would establish the clinic, Coker Village in…

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Overview

We are refocusing the Nigeria project and exploring establishing the first clinic at a new site, in the Aguda neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria. The area is a good potential site because it is a densely populated, low income area with no access to primary health care. Also, the neighborhood is located within the city of Lagos, allowing for ease in logistical planning and execution for the free clinic.

The population to be served is approximately 100,000. Most of the residents are predominately poor and few would classify as low income earners. It is a high…

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CHSS received certificate of incorporation from the CAC in August. Dr. Osin Sunday & Dr. Dotun Ogunyemi – two RMF volunteers visited Lagos in December. Dr. Sunday met with our team on ground, held discussions on RMF accounting system and took some pictures of the proposed site for the clinic. Dr. Ogunyemi discussed the framework of the project with our team members. He also met with the Lagos State Commissioner for Health. The Commissioner expressed interest in our project and seconded Dr. Jagun from the ministry to help us on the project and invited us to take part in…

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We finally located and had audience with the ruler and authentic head of the community We received the letter of invitation into the community CHSS has finally been incorporated as an NGO The community has donated a plot of land for the clinic

We already scheduled a meeting with all of Makoko Community for Saturday September 30th, 2007.

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It's "Hurrah" for Team Nigeria in April, as the Federal Ministry of Health supported our application for the registration of Complete Health Support Services (CHSS) – the representative of RMF in Nigeria. The approval letter is below.

We are also fortunate to have secured the services of a Project Coordinator, who will organize our efforts on this project on site. The Project Coordinator understands the local language, she is familiar with the area our project is sited and is passionate about working with the community. She will be responsible for reaching out to the community…

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August 22, 2013 -

We met with the community leaders and introduced them to the proposal of RMF.

As expected, it was a great occasion for them which was evidenced in the warm reception accorded us. It was really really great! In the company of Mrs. Balogun we kept an earlier appointment and for about 3 hours had discussions and interactions after which we arrived with the following:

The makoko community is highly delighted about the news of RMF.

The community is in dire need of such projects for which RMF is known.

The community is ready to partner…

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August 22, 2013 -

The project Restoration of the Free Clinic for Children in the Makoko Slum, Lagos, Nigeria is starting to gain momentum. We have attracted the interest of Dr. Nkem Ndionuka of Nigeria, Ms. Pei-hsuan Tsai, a nurse in Cambridge, MA, and Mrs. Bukky Balogun, a lawyer working with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, who are also enthusiastic to see the project come alive. Dr. Nkem and Mrs. Bukky will be visiting the Makoko slum's elders, to introduce the plan and hope to receive their whole-hearted welcome to bring such a life saving service to the community's children. Dr. Nkem…

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August 22, 2013 -

Background:

Makoko is a teeming shantytown in Lagos State. It has an estimated population of 50,000 people, the majority of who live in wooden huts built on stilts sunk into the dark waters of the Lagos lagoon. Makoko waterside inhabitants are mainly fishermen, who go out to fish in the night and stay indoors during the day, while the women take the fish to sell in the market or to dry. The maximum family income is about $50 dollars a month. The vast majority lives on less…

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Background

We are very proud of all that we have accomplished together since our program started in 2008 and hope to one day return. For now, our lack of sufficient and consistent operational funding support or grants directed towards Armenia mean that we will be supporting only through the end of this month. If we are able at any point to find a source of funding that covers a minimum of 1 year of clinic/staff operations then we will be happy to restart this project. 

We want to wish Anna and our partners…

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Background

Accessibility to free, quality health services for children and mothers in rural Armenia is extremely limited. It is estimated that 42.9% of the country still live below the poverty line, which has led to a drop in immunization by 42% in 2006.  The Shinuhayr Primary Healthcare Clinic is the only comprehensive clinic available in the region servicing its surrounding seven villages with a population of over 6,500.  There is a great need for perinatal, pediatric, cardiovascular, infectious disease, orthopedic, and geriatric services in this region.  Approximately 352 families fall under the ‘socially vulnerable’ category and benefit…

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Background:

Accessibility to free, quality health services for children and mothers in rural Armenia is extremely limited. It is estimated that 42.9% of the country still live below the poverty line, which has led to a drop in immunization by 42% in 2006. The Shinuhayr Primary Healthcare Clinic is the only comprehensive clinic available in the region servicing its surrounding seven villages with a population of over 6,500. There is a great need for perinatal, pediatric, cardiovascular, infectious disease, orthopedic, and geriatric services in this region. Approximately 352 families fall under the ‘socially vulnerable’ category and benefit…

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Background

Accessibility to free, quality health services for children and mothers in rural Armenia is extremely limited. It is estimated that 42.9% of the country still live below the poverty line, which has led to a drop in immunization by 42% in 2006.  The Shinuhayr Primary Healthcare Clinic is the only comprehensive clinic available in the region servicing its surrounding seven villages with a population of over 6,500.  There is a great need for perinatal, pediatric, cardiovascular, infectious disease, orthopedic, and geriatric services in this region.  Approximately 352 families fall under the ‘socially vulnerable’ category and benefit…

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Project Goal:

The Shinuhayr Primary Healthcare Clinic is the only comprehensive clinic available in the region servicing its surrounding seven villages with a population of over 6,809.  There is a great need for perinatal, pediatric, cardiovascular, infectious disease, orthopedic, and geriatric services in this region.  Approximately 352 families fall under the ‘socially vulnerable’ category and benefit from the services of RMF’s project. In addition, 256 disabled persons, 524 children ages 0-7 years and 1,382 school children ages 8-17 years, and 52 single mothers benefit from improved healthcare services.

Photo: Patients and family members…

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Over the past two years, RMF Armenia has been gaining appeal and trust within the eight communities it serves.  For most members of these communities, an episode of illness is a severe financial burden on an entire family.  Medication is either difficult to obtain or often unaffordable when available.  And, that’s for acute illnesses.  Many people diagnosed with chronic yet manageable illnesses, which is generally on the rise in Armenia, forgo treatment, because it is simply too expensive.  For community members facing such circumstances, the RMF project is a godsend. 

Armenians are accustomed to paying for healthcare services either…

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Project Goal:  Increase access to healthcare and continuum of care in Shinuhayr and its surrounding seven villages by providing comprehensive healthcare services, maternal-child health, childhood vaccinations, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, ambulance services and community outreach and education to a population of 6,809.  Our long-term goal is to rebuild the Shinuhayr primary care clinic back into a fully functioning hospital and add a community center.

 Project Objectives:  • Provide free medications to all in need, especially to chronically ill patients; • Provide prenatal education and vitamins to expectant mothers; • Educate parents about the importance…

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Project Goal: To increase access and quality of healthcare in Shinuhayr and its surrounding seven villages by providing comprehensive healthcare services, child-maternal health, childhood vaccinations, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, ambulance services, community outreach and education to a population of 6,809.

Project Objectives: • To provide free medications to all in need, especially to chronically ill patients. • To provide prenatal education and vitamins to expectant mothers. • To educate parents about the importance of vaccinations and to continue providing free childhood vaccinations. • To assess children’s current health status (via registration logs). • To promote the RMF ambulance…

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September 25, 2013 -

RMF Armenia continues strong with its first quarter 2011 implementation. Project objectives are to continue distribution of medicines and medical supplies to Shinuhayr, Khot, Halidzor, Tatev, Svarants, Tandzatap, Kashuni, Harzhis villages in Syunik Marz, examine common illnesses and bring awareness to these communities about the importance of routine doctor visits and medication adherence, and to vaccinate children and continue to educate parents about the importance of vaccinations as well as prenatal care.

The news about RMF’s work in these communities is spreading quickly via word of mouth and many have been more aware of the great benefits the…

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A large number of medicines and medical supplies were distributed in the month of April. Aside from those individuals involved in the project and those who receive their monthly medications through RMF, there was also a larger influx of patients who came to RMF to be treated for other acute illnesses, such as respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, asthma, and tonsillitis. The diseases that the majority of the population in the Syunik region suffers from remain to be cardiovascular ailments, hypertensive and rheumatic disorders.

In April 2011, 25 personal house calls were made. The local physician, using the RMF…

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Real Medicine Foundation Team Armenia’s Director Nairy Ghazourian and Project Coordinator Intern Arax Eleyjian decided to end the year with a high note. From the previous year RMF-Armenia had a very successful online fundraiser, therefore another one was quickly planned on www.playtogive.com. The goal was to raise $5,000 by midnight on December 31st, 2010. The money to be raised was going to feed the 159 indigent families in the village of Shinuhayr. Both team members quickly started to email family, friends, coworkers, etc. to pass the word along and raise money before entering the New Year.

Due…

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September 25, 2013 -

2010 proved to be a very successful year for Real Medicine Foundation’s work in Shinuhyar, Armenia and its surrounding 7 villages, which RMF funds at 100%. We are grateful to the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) our partner organization on the ground for their utmost support in the implementation process of our projects. Thank you to Anna Mnatzakanyan from ARS (Yerevan) and Stella Arzumanjan, RMF project coordinator on the ground from ARS (Goris). Thanks to ALL our readers and supporters for your continued donations to sustain our programs in Shinuhayr. Without your support this would be impossible to attain.

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September 25, 2013 -

The project goals are to continue to provide health care to those disadvantaged in the Shinuhayr, Khot, Halidzor, Harjis, Tatev, Svarants, Tandzatap, Bardzravan communities. The goal still remains to raise awareness to locals to seek medical help at the initial sight of an illness and to continue routine doctor visits throughout the year. In the month of November, the RMF team also took the time to educate patients who suffer from hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The RMF team also wants parents to know the importance of getting their children vaccinated in a timely manner.

In the month…

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Throughout the past four months (July through October) Real Medicine Foundation continued the distribution of medicines to vulnerable and socially disadvantaged individuals and on October 16th, 2010 purchased the long-awaited ambulance to service our project population. This was made possible with the generous donations from our June 12th, 2009 event “A Journey to Armenia” and the Playtogive online charity event that was implemented in December of 2009. Thank you for all those who participated and contributed!

Below are photographs of the ambulance RMF made possible to purchase with the help of the ARS team.

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September 25, 2013 -

Throughout the month June, RMF and Armenian Relief Society (ARS) continued their mission with the implementation stage of distributing the necessary medicines to those in need and continuing their analysis, gathering of case stories and identifying various gaps in services to be met in the future.

To comply with program objectives, our program partner ARS, focused on equipping of the six satellite health posts with pharmaceuticals to service the target population in the region. In addition, ARS assessed, evaluated and reported all the necessary elements in the purchase of the ambulance which is projected to significantly increase access…

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During the month of April, RMF and ARS staff performed assessments in Shinuhayr’s surrounding villages, all of them with little access to health care, and investigated the shortfalls of medicines in the region. Throughout the month, medicines were purchased and distributed to 58 beneficiaries in selected villages, 16 of them children. Close to 22% received some type of antibiotic; 25% received heart/diabetic medications and the rest ranged from analgesics to anti-depressants, vitamins, antipyretics and others. 

In addition to the medical services it provides, the Shinuhyr ambulatory is also intended for delivery of counseling services,…

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Even though there have been some notable economic improvements in Armenia, the country is still facing high inflation and frequent increases in costs for basic products and services. Social polarization reflects a highly uneven distribution of economic growth. Based on the World Bank’s statistics, over half of the population in the country is living under poverty level. The Ministry of Health is implementing health reforms, and it is struggling to provide quality medicines, supplies, and laboratory equipment to keep up basic medical services in many rural hospitals and small health facilities, including our clinic in…

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This November, RMF welcomes to our team, Armenia Project Coordinator, Ms. Kristina Matevosyan. Based in Shinuhayr, she will fulfill various responsibilities in the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of our program.

Through our partner organization ARS, The Armenian Relief Society and with the generous support of our friends who attended our “Journey to Armenia” event this summer, RMF will provide basic medical supplies and medicine to the Shinuhayr clinic to ensure adequate stocks to meet the immediate needs of the surrounding communities. We’re also investing the purchase of an ambulance for the clinic to expand…

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The hard work toward raising funds for our primary care clinic in Shinuhayr continues…

In the last few months, RMF and its many volunteers have been working very hard planning a fundraising event to benefit our project in Shinuhayr. Our goal is to begin complete renovation of the 14,000 sq. foot roof of the clinic this summer so that it will be in place before the onslaught of winter. We are confident that the funds needed for this phase, a total of $75,000, will be raised in its entirety on the evening of June 12th…

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On January 17th, RMF visited the village of Shinuhayr with the following agenda:

Meet with the clinic staff and the mayor of the village. Meet with ARK contractor & engineer Sarkis and Zorig to study the building and gather all necessary information pertinent in our construction/renovation endeavor. Identify a non governmental organization (NGO) in Syunik and form a partnership, as this is the protocol RMF follows in every country we implement humanitarian aid. Visit at least six impoverished families and gather first hand information and footage.

Recently, the World Health Report (WHO) 2008 confirmed UN…

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Since the germination of the idea for the RMF-Armenia Clinic project in April of 2008, we have had considerable progress. The needs assessment for the project was completed by independent consultant Dr. Alina Dorian, upon which we were able to identify the exact location and primary care services and programs RMF will implement.

The Republic of Armenia is a small, mountainous country located in southwestern Asia, between the Caucasus and Near Asia (the area between the Kur and Araks rivers). The country is bordered by Georgia and Azerbaijan on the north and east, and by Turkey and Iran…

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Armenia is one of the world’s oldest civilizations located in the southern Caucasus and is the smallest of the former Soviet republics. It lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat, upon which, as Judeo-Christian theology states, Noah’s Ark came to rest after the flood (Gen 8:4). Armenia was the first country in the world to officially embrace Christianity as its religion in 300 A.D. Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia declared its independence on September 23, 1991 as a free democratic country.

Armenia has an estimated population of 3,000,000 people of which 70.3%…

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Project Goal:

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition.  This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

This project empowers communities through health literacy and connects rural communities with the government health and nutrition services…

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Project Goal:

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition.  This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

Photo: RMF's Malnutrition Education Booth at the International Women’s Day Mela

This project empowers…

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The Real Medicine Foundation is pleased to announce that it is now in partnership with the World Bank’s Development Marketplace for our programs in India. The Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grant program that identifies and funds innovative, early stage development projects that are scalable and/or replicable, while also having high potential for development impact.

World Bank Press Release of Award Announcement

Photo: Michael Matheke-Fisher, RMF Country Director, India (left), Pratik Phadkule, RMF Program Manager (second from (left) recieve award from, Drew von Glahn, Team Leader of Development Marketplace (third…

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Project Background:

RMF's Childhood Malnutrition Eradication Initiative has the largest field presence of any NGO working in malnutrition in the region, a result of strong partnerships with government, NGOs, business, and most importantly, local communities. Into its second year, our program continues stronger than ever.  Our team of 75 Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) is covering enormous ground every week across 5 districts and 600 villages in Madhya Pradesh.  Madhya Pradesh carries India's highest malnutrition burden, with 60% of its children under 5 malnourished – approximately 6 million children whose futures are at risk.  Our strategy continues to…

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Over the course of the past three years, RMF’s CNEs have helped thousands of children recover from malnutrition. Some times these cases are easy to handle: the CNE diagnoses a child, refers them to treatment, and the family agrees to do everything they can to help their child. Often, however, there are too many challenges for these families to overcome to give their child the treatment they require. 

Right now in Madhya Pradesh, the only treatment option for children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is a 14 to 21 day stay in a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC),…

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Most organizations in the developing world still rely on paper for record keeping, giving rise to many problems in aggregation, storage, transmission and analysis of data. Errors and time delays associated with paper data are particularly problematic in the domain of healthcare. We present a case study of CommCare, a low-cost mobile phone data collection solution deployed to enhance the paper-based record management system of a non-profit organization working in prevention of child malnutrition in rural central India. Through a three-month unsupervised field trial with ten rural health workers we report data management gains in terms of data quality,…

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Project Background:  

RMF's Childhood Malnutrition Eradication Initiative has the largest field presence of any NGO working in malnutrition in the region, a result of strong partnerships with government, NGOs, business, and most importantly, local communities. Into its second year, our program continues stronger than ever.  Our team of 75 Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) is covering enormous ground every week across 5 districts and 600 villages in Madhya Pradesh.  Madhya Pradesh carries India's highest malnutrition burden, with 60% of its children under 5 malnourished – approximately 6 million children whose futures are at risk.  Our strategy continues to…

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Project Goal

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition.  This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

Photo: Two of our Community Nutrition Educators learning to use the RMF/Commcare mobile phone survey…

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Sunday, November 20, 2011 was the first time I met Sonu. To me, he was a picture on a PowerPoint presentation, a picture that continues to shock me today. Sonu came into our program 15 months ago while I was in Delhi working on streamlining our administrative procedures and, more importantly, trying to raise more funds to help children like him. Fundraising and administrative work, while just as vital as the field work we engage in, is an ever present necessity shared by our small, but dedicated team.

Photo: Sonu, before he began treatment through…

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Click here to watch Phil Ebiner's video documentary about Asha, one of the children treated by our Malnutrition Eradication Program.

 

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Project Goal:

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition.  This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

This project will empower communities through health literacy and connect rural communities with…

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Project Goal:

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition. This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

This project will empower communities through health literacy and connect rural communities with the government…

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Project Goal

To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition. This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5 and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.

Photo: RMF Staff conducting spot checks in the field

This project will empower communities…

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By Caitlin McQuilling

RMF Community Nutrition Educator, Samoti, and a child recovering from SAM.

Photo Credits: Ximena Prugue

In March 2009, when I was conducting the initial field visits to develop RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program I visited a village called Shali Dana, in Kalwa block of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. I remember being shocked and overwhelmed by the amount of children with severe acute malnutrition I saw in this village and the complete apathy and absence of government services in this village. We saw dozens of glassy eyed children with thinning…

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Introducing a new pilot initiative within RMF’s Eradicate Malnutrition Program: Strengthening Community Management of Childhood Malnutrition through community mobilization, and nutrition and health education of mothers and pregnant women in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has the highest rate of childhood malnutrition in India, with upwards of 60% of all children under 5 years old underweight. In many tribal communities in the state, this rate may be even higher, with alarmingly high rates of severe and moderate acute malnutrition. These communities often have limited access to government resources meant to prevent and treat malnutrition and…

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Introduction

In January 2010, Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) set off on an ambitious mission to begin eradicating malnutrition Southwestern Madhya Pradesh. Facing extremely high rates of malnutrition and a challenging environment in the field, RMF brought on and trained 55 Community Nutrition Educators, a force of local tribal women with the passion and dedication to combat malnutrition in their communities. With the leadership of these local women, RMF’s team went door to door across 500 of the villages worst hit by childhood malnutrition and identified over 76,000 children with severe and moderate acute malnutrition. In just 12…

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The Real Medicine India Class of 2011

Announcing the 26 members of the Real Medicine India Class of 2011! On October 30th, 2010 all 25 members of the RMF India team who applied were accepted into the year-long Child Health and Nutrition Course at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The course officially starts on January 1st 2011, with final exams in December of 2011.

This course is mostly a correspondence course, with classroom sessions and presentations quarterly at the IGNOU campus in Jhabua. The course focuses on the basics of early childhood development and…

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Year to date Progress Report: January through August 31st, 2010

As we approach the 9th month of our Malnutrition Eradication program, this progress report serves to summarize the incredible achievements of this initiative in such a short time. 

This project seeks to empower communities through health literacy and connects rural communities with existing government health and nutrition services locally available, thus reducing the prevalence of malnutrition. We employ 55 tribal women as Community Nutrition Educators, covering 500 villages across 5 of the districts hardest hit by…

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Back in January, Phil Ebiner and Vince Patin, juniors at Loyola Marymount College, contacted RMF CEO Dr. Martina Fuchs to explore collaborating with RMF on a volunteer project for the summer. Phil, Vince, and new team members Diego Gonzalez, and Sahar Mansoor, faced challenges to their work for RMF India even before they got on the plane. Phil and Vince had been working very hard on securing a grant for their work and while all indicators pointed to them having a very good chance of receiving the grant in the end, they did not receive the expected cash. Disappointed,…

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Real Medicine India is proud to introduce its newest staff member, Jaimie Shaff, as the team’s Program Manager for Health and Nutrition. Jaimie recently completed her Master of Public Administration for International Public and Non-Profit Management and Policy Analysis at New York University.

While Jaimie is new to the RMF team, she’s not new to our programs. For the past year Jaimie has been a part of the 4 person “Capstone” team, assigned to help RMF’s “Eradicate Malnutrition” program through NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service’s Capstone program. Jaimie and her colleagues spent two semesters helping…

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RMF is proud to announce that the Capstone team from the NYU Robert Wagner School of Public Service has successfully completed their collaboration on the Malnutrition Initiative in Madhya Pradesh. The Capstone team was engaged to assist RMF identify opportunities for eradicating malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh, while providing additional tools and information to assess program effectiveness. The objective of this report is to serve as an evaluative tool for RMF in regards to the “Eradicate Malnutrition” Program, from the perspective of the New York University Capstone team.

In April 2009, the Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) launched the “Eradicate…

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After months of negotiating the bureaucratic maze of India; acquiring form after form and signature after signature; tireless hours spent on renovation and beautification by our dedicated staff and volunteers, RMF and its partner, Jeevan Jyoti Health Service Society, who operate Jeevan Jyoti Hospital, proudly inaugurated its Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRC) in partnership with the state government of Madhya Pradesh. After the requisite ribbon cutting and speech by the district’s Chief Medical Officer, we immediately admitted our first 12 patients, who had been waiting (while being looked after by our staff) for hours to be officially admitted.

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As our teams have finished their baseline surveys and are now moving on to the intervention stage of our childhood malnutrition program, we’re excited to already be seeing successes.

A few days ago I went out with one of our community nutrition educators, Priyanka, from Alirajpur, to see how the team is doing with their trainings and individual household counseling sessions.

 

Priyanka, one of RMF's Community Nutrition Educators, Kashish, and Ranu

Priyanka and I visited Chota Undava village which Priyanka had already visited twice, once during the baseline and once to follow-up with…

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Now that the training of our Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) is complete, Real Medicine Foundation Team India has started our field surveys in 500 villages in Southwest Madhya Pradesh. The CNEs are going door to door to find out about nutrition levels among all children under 5 and ask the thousands of families about livelihoods, access to healthcare and public services, and available food. This is the first time a survey of this size and scope is being conducted in these areas.

Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the level of malnutrition…

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The Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) and NYU’s prestigious Capstone program have announced a partnership and three graduate students have arrived in Jhabua, Madyha Pradesh to assist with RMF’s malnutrition program.

An estimated 60 million children under the age of five are estimated to be malnourished India. The state where RMF is concentrating, Madhya Pradesh, has the country’s highest malnutrition burden, with 60% of its children under-five malnourished. Of the six million malnourished children in the state, 1.3 million of them have severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and one million have moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).

Children with MAM are…

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October 08, 2014 -

Malnutrition Eradication Program, Madhya Pradesh, India

RMF's Childhood Malnutrition Treatment and Prevention Initiative boasts the largest field presence of any NGO working in malnutrition in the region, a result of strong partnerships with government, NGOs, business, and most importantly, local communities. Madhya Pradesh carries India's highest malnutrition burden, with 60% of its children under 5 malnourished and approximately 6 million children whose futures are at risk. We decided to attack the problem head on by focusing our efforts on 500 of the worst hit villages across 5 districts. Our strategy is to close the gap between the…

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Jhabua, Alirajpur, Khandwa, Khargone June 2009

Malnutrition is one of the most serious and large scale health problems facing the Indian state today:

46% of children under 5 in India are malnourished Over 60% of the children in Madhya Pradesh are malnourished, the country's highest malnutrition rate Out of these 6 million malnourished children in MP, 1.3 million have severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and another 1 million have moderate acute malnutrition (MAM)1 MP's tribal districts are the worst hit in the country because of their cultural, geographical and economic isolation, with up to 100% malnutrition in some villiages…
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By Caitlin McQuilling Forty percent of all underweight children in the world are Indian Over 60 million Indian children under 5 are underweight With 42% of India's children underweight, the country's future will be prone to illness and with physical and mental effects that will last a lifetime

Staggering figures, but we have to start somewhere.

RMF will start by working with government, NGO, UN, corporate, and civil society partners in Madhya Pradesh to treat severe and moderate acute malnutrition at community levels and to simultaneously train local communities in malnutrition identification, treatment, and long…

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In closing out our Tsunami/Earthquake relief project in Japan, our partner in Japan JEN (Japan Emergency NGO) interviewed a couple at one of the Community Gathering Centers and Shelters that we supported.  Mr. Ryozo SANJO (73) and Mrs. Kieko (69) SANJO, are residents of Oppagawa Kasen Transitional Shelter.

Q: At first, could you please introduce yourselves briefly?

A: Now, my husband and I are living in a temporary house. Before the disaster, we used to live in the Nagatsura area in Ishinomaki city. My husband retired a few years ago from a plywood company after 30 years.…

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September 25, 2013 -

 

RMF partner JEN volunteers and local villagers making fishing nets in Fukkiuraüi (photo copyright JEN)

Yesterday marked the one year since an enormous earthquake sent a tsunami roaring into the east coast of Japan. Almost 19,000 people died in the ensuing tsunami waves with many coastal communities wiped off the map.

In the aftermath of this devastation, we partnered with a Japanese non-profit in Tokyo, Japanese Emergency NGO (JEN) in late March 2011, to deliver aid and supplies to those most affected.  Our relief efforts over the past year with JEN have reached more than 33,000…

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 Photo: Locals of the Oshika Peninsula, preparing aqua-farming equipment (JEN photo credit)

Project Period: October 1st – December 31st, 2011

Metabolic Studio/The Annenberg Foundation Grant Through the Metabolic Studio, a direct charitable activity of The Annenberg Foundation, Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) received a $100,000 grant on September 12th, 2011, directed towards Tsunami/Earthquake Relief Efforts in Japan in partnership with the Japanese Emergency NGO (JEN).  Over the course of 3 months, from October 1st to December 31st, 2011, RMF and JEN were able to use these funds for a Fishery Rebuilding and Assistance effort on the Oshika Peninsula.

Project Objectives Recover the livelihood of Earthquake/Tsunami…

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Period of Report:  November 25 – December 22, 2011

Geographic Locations: Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Beneficiaries Approximately 1,894 individuals, employees of 16 local companies, students at 16 schools, 10,823 households and the residents of 16 communities in the general Ishinomaki area were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

 

Activities 1) Volunteer Dispatch Debris Removal Supported by 45 volunteers, JEN completed removing rubble and sludge from a total of 3 buildings/locations in Ishinomaki City. During this reporting period, JEN dispatched volunteers cleaning ditches, assisting with document organization for…

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September 25, 2013 -

Period of Report:  October 23rd – November 24th, 2011

Geographic Locations  Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Beneficiaries Approximately 5,040 individuals, employees of 7 local companies, 6 households and the residents of 24 communities were reached by JEN's/RMF sponsored activities during this period.

   

Activities Volunteer Dispatch Debris Removal Supported by 331 volunteers, JEN has completed removing the rubble and sludge from a total of 6 locations in Ishinomaki City. JEN dispatched volunteers to clean the houses, offices and factories.

Fishery Assistance  324 additional JEN volunteers were dispatched to…

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The Fishery Assitance Program is a partnership between Real Medicine Foundation and the Japanese Emergency NGO (JEN) made possible by a grant provided by Metabolic Studio, a direct charitable activity of The Annenberg Foundation in Los Angeles.   

Photo: Volunteers assist with Aqua farming cleanup (Photo credit: JEN) 

Project Objective:

Recover the livelihood of Earthquake/Tsunami affected fishermen of Eastern Japan on the Oshika Peninsula.  The immediate objective is for the local fishermen of the Yoriiso-hama, Higashihama, and Omotehama communities to be able to restart aqua-farming of ascidiacea…

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PERIOD OF REPORT: 19 August – 22 September, 2011

1. BENEFICIARIES Approximately 1,690 individuals, employees of 7 local companies, 11 households and the residents of 11 communities of Ishinomaki were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

2. ACTIVITIES 1) Volunteer Dispatch • Supported by 2,890 volunteers, JEN has completed removing rubble and sludge from a total of 196 buildings in Ishinomaki City. JEN dispatched volunteers to clean places such as houses, an office and a factory.

• JEN was requested to send volunteers to help hold a sports event at Oshika Junior…

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Photo: Last Soup Kitchen Service at Nakayashiki (JEN Copyright)

PERIOD OF REPORT: July 22nd –August 18th, 2011

1. BENEFICIARIES Approximately 964 individuals, the employees of 7 local companies and 866 households in the general Ishinomaki area were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

2. ACTIVITIES 1) Volunteer Dispatch 1-1. Sludge Removal Supported by 2,546 volunteers, JEN has completed removing rubbles and sludge from a total of 185 buildings or places in Ishinomaki City.

JEN was requested to dispatch volunteers for the cleaning of a fish sausage factory in the…

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GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

BENEFICIARIES Approximately 1,265 individuals and 1,178 households of 6 communities and general Ishinomaki citizens were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

ACTIVITIES 1) Volunteer Dispatch

Sludge Removal Supported by 2,059 volunteers, JEN has completed removing rubble and sludge from a total of 176 buildings and lots in Ishinomaki City.

JEN’s volunteers participated in a joint ditch cleaning and park weeding effort organized by JEN and the community on July 9th and 10th in the South Kazuma area. JEN was requested to…

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JEN BI-WEEKLY SITUATION REPORT PERIOD OF REPORT: 24 Jun – 7Jul, 2011  

1. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

2. BENEFICIARIES Approximately 8,695 individuals, 1,348 households and residents of 7 communities in Ishinomaki were reached by JEN’s relief activities during this period.

3. ACTIVITIES 1) Volunteer Dispatch 1-1. Sludge Removal Supported by 1,785 volunteers, JEN has completed removing rubble and sludge from a total of 172 houses in Ishinomaki City. Having completed sludge removal from the most needed houses in the area, JEN’s activities have shifted to the…

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PERIOD OF REPORT: 5th – 23rd Jun 2011

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

BENEFICIARIES Approximately 3,777 individuals and 2,330 households, and evacuees at 5 evacuation centers in the Ishinomaki area were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

ACTIVITIES 1) Material Distribution Deodorant and cleaning materials were distributed at 4 evacuation centers (Oshika Peninsula, Ayukawa, Omotehama, Higashihama) and at the Ogihama primary school on the 15th of June. Items Distributed: Strong Deodorant:20ℓ * 50 bottles (to be diluted 1/5) Washing powder and Liquid:10ℓ Bathwater additive:450g (to be diluted…

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PERIOD OF REPORT: May 23- June 4, 2011

Location: Ishinomaki City

1. BENEFICIARIES Approximately 6,257 individuals and 895 households were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

2. ACTIVITIES 1) Material Distribution Four cases of canned food were distributed at the sports day event at Ogihama Primary School in Ishinomaki. In-kind donations (9,000 bottles of shampoo and bath towels) were prepared at JEN’s Ishinomaki warehouse for further distribution.

2) Sludge Removal Volunteer Dispatch Supported by 1,410 volunteers, JEN has completed removing rubble and sludge from…

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PERIOD OF REPORT: May 8th – 21st, 2011

1. BENEFICIARIES Approximately 6,905 individuals and 101 households were reached by JEN’s activities during this reporting period.

2. ACTIVITIES

1) Sludge Removal Volunteer Dispatch Supported by 1,307 volunteers, JEN has completed removing the rubble and sludge from a total of 134 houses in the Watanoha area and Oshika Peninsula of Ishinomaki City. The number of volunteers dropped drastically after the end of the Golden Week holidays in Japan (2 May – 8 May). Securing enough volunteers, especially on weekdays, will be an issue moving…

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September 25, 2013 -

Photo: Sludge Removal Volunteers at Orientation (Photo: JEN copyright)

Our Japan Relief partner, Japanese Emergency NGO (JEN) has updated us with the following field report of activities conducted from 24 April to 7 May with the help of RMF's funding.

Beneficiaries

Approximately 6,531 individuals and 241 households were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

Activities

1) Material Distribution

JEN distributed sludge removal kits including rubber boots, rain coats, jerry cans, and shovels to evacuees in Oshika Peninsula, a 2 hour-drive from Ishinomaki City, where assistance has been delayed. These same…

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September 25, 2013 -

PERIOD OF REPORT: 9 April – 23 April 2011

Progress report from our partners on the ground at Japan Emergency NGO (JEN)

Approximately 5,735 people were reached by JEN’s activities during this last period Evacuees at evacuation centers as well as those in their own houses without food stocks in Ishinomaki City are the primary target groups of JEN  

ACTIVITIES 1) Material Distribution Between 16 and 21 April, JEN distributed portable heating pads, wet tissues, and dust-protective masks, clothing and sludge removal equipment to the evacuees in Oshika Peninsula…

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JAPAN RELIEF/JEN SITUATION REPORT  

PERIOD OF REPORT: 12 MARCH– 19 APRIL 2011

1. BENEFICIARIES

Approximately 150,000 people were reached by JEN’s activities during this period Evacuees in Ishinomaki City are the primary target groups of JEN Other non-target groups that you are providing assistance to: Evacuees in own house without food stocks and elderly at nursery houses

2. ACTIVITIES 1) Material Distribution The following food and non-food items were delivered to evacuation centers and homes for the elderly.

2) Sludge Removal Volunteer Dispatch Supported by…

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I returned from Ishinomaki on early morning yesterday. Being faced with the familiar outlooks of my hometown after getting off a highway, I was surprised. While devastating conditions in the Tohoku region go on, everything seems to have been back to normal here in Tokyo except for sporadic power supply cuts.

Photo above: Coordination meeting in Ishinomaki City, 7am every day (Photo copyright JEN)

What surprised me most was that there was neither mud nor trash on the roads. Regardless of the fact that people must live in extremely inconvenient circumstances, silently remove…

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RMF Japan Relief partner JEN has been sending us the enclosed photos from their teams on the ground in northeastern Japan and posting their field updates to their blog

Photo below: Volunteers assist at JEN funded soup kitchen (Photo copyright JEN)

From the blog:

JEN’s Ishinomaki Team is divided into four groups:

• Sludge removal team (removing sludge from evacuation centers and individual homes) • Soup kitchen team (distribution of food at evacuation centers) • Psychosocial care team (psychological support for those affected by the earthquake) • Household visiting…

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Our partners at JEN (Japanese Emergency NGO) have teams busy on the ground in the northern tsunami affected areas providing food, shelter, water and other basic survival items to the thousands of people stranded in shelters.

Thanks to everyone’s donations, JEN is able to provide far more care than would have been previously possible.

JEN has been updating us with photos and updates from the field, and also posting regularly to their blog.

Most recent update from JEN of last week’s relief work from their blog:

"On March 23rd, JEN dispatched…

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We are very pleased to announce that the kind folks over at Rudy's Barber Shop www.RudysBarbershop.com, Ace Hotel www.acehotel.com, Cha Cha Lounge www.chachalounge.com and Bimbos Cantina www.bimboscantina.com have agreed to match donations to our Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief dollar for dollar up to $18,000!

Currently, our relief efforts are focused on partnering directly with a Japanese non-profit organization, JEN ("Japanese Emergency NGO" http://www.jen-npo.org/en/index.html) based in Tokyo. JEN is an officially registered Japanese…

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After reaching out to our network we are pleased to announce that we have located a Japanese non-profit organization JEN ("Japanese Emergency NGO"), to work directly with on the ground in Tokyo and the tsunami affected northern areas of Japan. JEN came highly recommended to us by our partners over at the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, who vouched for JEN's trustworthiness and effectiveness in disaster relief.

JEN is an officially registered Japanese non-profit founded in 1994 in response to the humanitarian crisis in Bosnia, and has since then been conducting relief around the…

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September 25, 2013 -

Over the weekend we have communicated with our partners at the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), regarding the relief efforts in Japan and where our help might be needed most. JICA is Japan’s international aid and development arm (similar to USAID); we have been working with them for the past two years as project partners in our South Sudan initiative.

According to our contact at JICA, the relief activities are in full swing but still not perfectly coordinated, Japanese Self-Defense Forces are in the Miyagi Prefecture, and the Japanese government is getting ready to accept larger…

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Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan and all those affected by the 8.9 earthquake that struck off its northeastern coast and the devasting tsunami that followed on Friday, March 11, 2011.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were affected by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter.

Google Inc. has just activated a Person Finder page to help people concerned about loved ones in the area affected by Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The Person Finder…

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million.

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million.

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million.

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million.

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million. 

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million. 

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Project Background:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million. 

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Project Goals:

RMF’s Mobile Clinic in Mozambique is a new model of health care provision for our organization, conceptualized to reach remote and rural communities with no prior access to health care. Since its inception in 2008 our Mobile Clinic has been hugely successful and remains the only mobile clinic in all of Mozambique. The clinic, a collaboration between RMF, Vanderbilt University’s Friends in Global Health and Medical Mission International, is currently deployed in one of the most populous provinces of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region with a population of almost 4 million. 

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Project Goal:  To improve the quality of life and provide access to health services, particularly access to maternal-child healthcare and anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other diseases.   To provide access to healthcare in remote areas of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, especially those areas devastated by the floods of 2007 and 2008.

Project Objectives:

To increase the number of people with access to health services as well as the number of those referred to ARV services in the targeted areas.

Summary of RMF/MMI-sponsored activities…

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Project Goal: To improve the quality of life and provide access to health services, particularly access to maternal-child healthcare and anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other diseases. To provide access to healthcare in remote areas of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, especially those areas devastated by the floods of 2007 and 2008.

   

Summary of RMF/MMI-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period:

Activities this quarter have included two areas: a) routine support to Macuse and Mexixine localities in Namacurra District…

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August 22, 2013 -

Project Goal: To improve the quality of life and provide access to health services, particularly access to maternal-child healthcare and anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other diseases.  To provide access to healthcare in remote areas of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, especially those areas devastated by the floods of 2007 and 2008.

   

Project Objectives: To increase the number of people with access to health services as well as the number of those referred to ARV services in the targeted areas.

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August 22, 2013 -

Project Goal: To improve the quality of life and provide access to health services, particularly access to maternal-child healthcare and anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other diseases. To provide access to healthcare in remote areas of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, especially those areas devastated by the floods of 2007 and 2008.

Summary of RMF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:

Activities this quarter have included two areas: a) routine support to Macuse and Mexixine localities in Namacurra District and b) participation in…

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Our Mobile Health Clinic program in Mozambique continues to be a very effective way of delivering health care services to this rural area of the country. During the second quarter of 2010, RMF partner Friends in Global Health/Vanderbilt worked in close coordination with the DPS and DDSs (Provincial and District Health Directorates) to carry out our healthcare outreach to the villages of Macuse and Mexixine, located in the Namacurra District.  

   

During the reporting period, the direct target population was focused on the populations of Macuse and Mexixine…

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Photos by Rui Esmael and Dr. Martina Fuchs

Additional information provided by Chiqui Arregui, Teresa Mendoza and Dr. Monica Carvalho

Zambézia is one of Mozambique’s poorest and the second most populous province, with 3,892,854 inhabitants (2007 Census), and an estimated HIV prevalence of 19% (2007 sentinel data). Zambézia is located in the central coastal region south of Nampula and north of Sofala. It has a population of 3,794,509 (2006). The provincial capital is Quelimane on the Bons Sinais River. Zambézia has a total area of 103,127 km², much of it drained by the Zambezi River.

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September 09, 2014 -

June 1, 2010

The second day of Mobile Clinic operations I was part of took place in Macuse, also in Namacurra District, a 115km drive. Macuse has a population 40,000.

 

Meeting with the Mobile Clinic team

  In Quelimane on June 2nd, I accompanied Teresa Mendoza, FGH’s Directora Provincial, to a meeting with the Provincial Health Director, Dr. Battista. Dr. Battista is very excited about the impact and success of our Mobile Clinic operations and stated what I had heard many times in Mozambique: the only thing missing are more mobile…

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Our mobile clinic continues to operate successfully in Mozambique under the effective direction of our implementing partner, Friends in Global Health (FGH).

The main activities carried out during this last reporting period were related to supporting the health facilities at Macuse and Mexixine in the Namacurra district, reaching out to the community residents and families of patients gathered at these two locations.

The main services provided were HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment, Prevention and Care for TB, prevention of cervical and breast cancer, maternal and child health outreach and promotion, public education regarding…

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Real Medicine’s Mobile Clinic is being deployed in the most populous province of Mozambique, Zambézia Province, located in the central coastal region south of Nampula and north of Sofala. The provincial capital of Zambézia is Quelimane on the Bons Sinais River. Zambézia has a total area of 103,127 km², much of it drained by the Zambezi River. The population of Zambézia is 3,794,509 (2006 statistics).

Friends in Global Health (FGH), RMF’s Implementing Partner, with funding from the Center for Disease Control (CDC-PEPFAR) and financial assistance from RMF for the Mobile Clinic vehicle, is strengthening all the…

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On August 15, 2009, a Health Fair took place in Quelimane, Zambézia's capital district, for the first time. The Health Fair occurred with the participation of several health related entities, and was promoted by the Health Ministry aimed at educating the population by providing valuable information, promoting good health awareness, and encouraging participants to assume responsibility for their own health. Friends in Global Health (FGH), RMF's partner organization in Mozambique, was one of the participants and introduced our first mobile clinic to the medical community and Ministry of Health of Mozambique. FGH, an NGO affiliated…

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Our Mobile Clinic is completed and on its way from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Quelimane, Mozambique.

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August 22, 2013 -

Our first mobile clinic – built by Emergency Vehicle Conversions in Johannesburg, South Africa – is almost completed. The anticipated completion date is end of April 2009. We expect it to be launched in Mozambique this spring.

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My two-week sojourn in Gile district allowed me to observe the full-spectrum of rural health programs being run by the Ministry of Health, Friends in Global Health (FGH) and other partners. Having surveyed the clinical activities of FGH in the district during my first few days in Gile, I now needed to learn about the health outreach and education programs in the communities themselves. On June 14, I had the perfect opportunity to spend time out in the villages and observe the realities of life in rural Mozambique. I set out from the peripheral health center in the locality…

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August 22, 2013 -

On June 9, I packed my bags and departed for a two week survey of Gile district. Gile is a mountainous area in the north-east of Zambezia province, easily one of the most isolated and challenging regions in rural Mozambique. Considering the highly dispersed population and tremendous need for basic healthcare—let alone HIV/AIDS services—in Gile, it had been suggested by Friends in Global Health (FGH) as an ideal place to pilot the mobile clinic. Accordingly, I undertook the 400 km journey to Gile from Quelimane on a clear Monday morning with Dr. Emilio Valverde, FGH’s clinical adviser for the…

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The first week of June provided me a quick orientation to the excellent work of Friends in Global Health (FGH) in HIV care in Mozambique. It also served as an eye-opening reminder of the human devastation caused by AIDS when acting in concert with extremely poor primary healthcare, frequent natural disasters, population dispersion, inadequate infrastructure, and tremendous logistical challenges. These challenges have come to characterize Zambézia, the most populous province of the country and the staging ground for FGH’s PEPFAR-funded campaign to bring HIV detection and treatment to the rural areas of the country. In Zambézia, rural areas represent…

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The Zambezi, Africa's fourth largest river, rises in Zambia and flows along the borders of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it spills into the Indian Ocean. Since mid December 2007, early and torrential seasonal rains across northern Zimbabwe, southern Zambia, Malawi and central and northern Mozambique – intensified by a La Niña in the Pacific and possibly climate change – have waterlogged and destroyed fields, washed out roads and villages, and destroyed livelihoods. The worry for Mozambique is that most of that water drains out to the east along the Zambezi River valley through the center of…

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(Photos REUTERS Grant/Neuenburg Mozambique 2/07)

1. Executive Summary

In February 2007, heavy rains ravaged Mozambique. An estimated 285,000 people were affected by severe flooding along the banks of the Zambezi River. More than 160,000 Mozambicans have been displaced and have congregated in refugee camps to the north. Just two weeks later, on February 22, 2007, Cyclone Favio added to an already catastrophic situation when it made landfall in the province of Inhambane and devastated the countryside. Essential infrastructure, health centers, educational facilities, and thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed in the aftermath. Cyclone Favio affected…

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Not even a year has passed since Myanmar was devastated by one of South East Asia's most severe cyclones in decade, a media event that came and went quickly yet an event that continues to challenge the lives of millions each day. While the public has forgotten those who lost loved ones, do not have access to food, fresh water or shelter, Real Medicine Foundation has not, and continues to provide critical support to hundreds of thousands of victims in the Irrawaddy Delta through our partners IDE, International Development Enterprises.

With Real Medicine’s support,…

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September 25, 2013 -

The skies have turned anthracite grey this afternoon in Yangon – an ominous sign that heavy rains are on their way in a few minutes. Winds are pushing the temporary plastic windows up against the back of my chair as I write. On my desk are photographs taken earlier this week of families in the Irrawaddy Delta huddled under a fallen tree during a downpour. These are dark days in Myanmar. The magnitude of the crisis here is almost unimaginable. The latest realistic estimates are that over 100,000 people have died and about 2 million people are affected. It's…

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September 25, 2013 -

From the afternoon of Friday May 2nd until Saturday May 3rd 2008, Tropical Cyclone Nargis slammed along the coast of Myanmar (Burma) devastating large parts of the low-lying delta region of the Irrawaddy River before ripping through Myanmar’s largest city Yangon (estimated population 6 million) for over ten hours. It cut a path 50 miles wide by 200 miles long, killing an estimated 200,000 people and thousands of animals. Almost 95 per cent of all homes in the rural areas have been destroyed. Entire villages were washed away by 12 foot waves and winds up to 192 miles per…

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October 22, 2014 -

A very brief update since our last report at the end of June: for the farm recovery effort we provided a monsoon paddy package of rice seed, access to tillers, fertilizer, etc. to 58,383 families across the hardest hit areas of the delta. We were able to deliver 10,387 metric tons of rice seed directly to 1,197 villages before the planting deadline of 31 July. This was the largest small farm relief effort among all international NGOs, the UN system and the government. Families had absolutely no idea how they were going to eat or what…

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Photo: PAMS and RMF Peru Clinic Staff gather before the first outreach day

Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS) at RMF’s Policlínico Peruano Americano   RMF’s Policlínico Peruano Americano in San Clemente has been serving the population of San Clemente since the August 2007 Pisco earthquake.   For the fourth consecutive year, a medical outreach mission was conducted for the populations surrounding San Clemente by the Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS) and RMF Perú under the direction of PAMS Dr. Hugo Tapia.  This year’s mission was staffed with 3 volunteers in primary care specialties,…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need.

Photo: RMF Founder/CEO, Dr. Martina Fuchs and the staff of the RMF Peru Clinic

The primary objective…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need. 

The primary objective of our project was to bring long-term free healthcare to the victims of the earthquake who had lost…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need. 

The primary objective of our project was to bring long-term free healthcare to the victims of the earthquake who had lost…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need. 

Photo: Our partners of the Peruvian American Medical Society Medical kicking off their medical outreach at RMF clinic.

The primary…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need. 

The primary objective of our project was to bring long-term free healthcare to the victims of the earthquake who had lost…

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On the 17th of December, our clinic staff in Peru, celebrated with an early Christmas party with some of the children and former patients of our clinic.  Thanks to the the contribution of friends and family, the party was held with gifts, food, and a musical clown show for the children.

   

This year the party was held at one of the local municipality community centers, and we were able to provide a total of 110 gifts for the children. 90 of these…

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Project Background

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru experienced a deadly earthquake…7.9 on the Richter scale.   Over 1,000 people died, 40,000 families were left without homes, and 150,000 people were left without water.  The majority of the health infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the earthquake and the people were in need of medical attention.  The Real Medicine Foundation team was deployed to Peru on October 12 in an effort to assist those in need. 

The primary objective of our project was to bring long-term free healthcare to the victims of the earthquake…

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Project Goal: To provide long-term comprehensive health assistance to the people in the province of Pisco (pop: 125,000), specifically in the district of San Clemente (pop: 30,000). 

Project Objectives: 1 – Treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in the urgent care center “Policlínico Peruano Americano.”  San Clemente is a very impoverished area and all services are offered free of charge. Much attention is given towards prevention and health education within all facets of the clinic´s operation. 2 – To improve the comprehensive health of the community through outreach programs, educational programs, and public health…

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Project Goal: 
To provide long-term comprehensive health assistance to the people in the province of Pisco (pop: 125,000), specifically in the district of San Clemente (pop: 30,000).
 

Project Objectives: 
1 – Treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in the urgent care center “Policlínico Peruano Americano.” San Clemente is a very impoverished area and all services are offered free of charge. Much attention is given towards prevention and health education within all facets of the clinic´s operation.
2 – To improve the comprehensive health of the community through outreach programs, educational programs, and public health initiatives

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First Quarter Clinic Report (January-March 2011) San Clemente, Peru

Project Goal: To provide long-term comprehensive health assistance to the people in the province of Pisco (pop: 125,000), specifically in the district of San Clemente (pop: 30,000).

 

Project Objectives:  

Treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in the urgent care center “Policlínico Peruano Americano.” San Clemente is a very impoverished area and all services are offered free of charge. Much attention is given towards prevention and health education within all facets of the clinic’s operation. To improve the comprehensive health of the…
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Our clinic has moved to a new building with the sponsorship of the local authorities in San Clemente. This new location will cost less for us to rent and manage, and brings us closer in partnership with the local health and political representatives.

Below are a collection of photographs from the official inauguration with the local mayor and other dignitaries present for the ribbon cutting ceremony. More photos to come as we get settled into our new location.

 

     

 

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OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2010 QUARTERLY REPORT

During the October-December quarter, our staff in San Clemente has stayed busy through the holidays treating just over 60 patients a day. This quarter we received a total of 3,751 patients, a 368 patient increase over last quarter, 534 of which were new patients. We continue to make favorable experiences creating co-responsibility in our patient population through small and affordable charges to the patients that are able to afford payment.

Demographics of patients treated:

Gender:
 Males: 2,399
 Females: 1,352  

Age:
 29…

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In Peru, Christmas is fairly similar to celebrations held in the US and Europe, when many families get together, celebrate and exchange gifts. The well off families generaly eat turkey and eat Paneton (a cake/bread filled with fruits) and drink hot chocolate.

In the week preceding Christmas, it is also popular for communities, churches or charity organisations to organize “Chocolatadas” where people who make a Christmas gesture to poor children and families by offering them a cup of hot chocolate, food and perhaps small gifts.

Below are some of the fun photos of the Chocolotada that RMF…

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Policlínico Peruano Americano: Third Quarter Progress Report and update on Mission PAMS/DRI Donation

During the time period of June through August our staff in San Clemente has been busy treating patients both at the clinic in San Clemente and through outreach clinics in the surrounding communities.

Our clinic continues to receive an average of 60 patients a day and treated a total of 3,383 during the third quarter, with 469 of these first time patients. We continue to make favorable experiences creating co-responsibility in our patient population through small and affordable charges to the patients that…

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In August of 2009, Mr. Dan Smith, Director of Direct Relief International (DRI), contacted Real Medicine Foundation with the request to visit our clinic, the Policlínico Peruano Americano, in San Clemente, Peru. DRI soon followed up with the visit to the clinic and spent time visiting the facilities, researching our development, consulting our staff on their needs, and taking note of everything that they considered necessary for the clinic to function at a higher level. 

Shortly after this visit, DRI asked us to prepare to receive a container of a medical supply donation from DRI sometime in mid-2010.

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The motto for Real Medicine Foundation is “Friends Helping Friends.” With full embodiment of these words, our operation in Peru is certainly the collaboration of many. Here is an update of several recent collaborations with RMF’s Policlínico Peruano Americano in San Clemente/Pisco, Peru.

Direct Relief International

Direct Relief International has made yet another sizeable donation for which we are truly grateful! A ship currently bound for Peru, will soon be delivering a container filled with $17,000 worth of equipment, medicine, and medical supplies. The shipment includes an EKG, additional exam tables, hospital beds, nebulizers,…

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In March, RMF Country Director – Peru, Steve Henrichon, spent 5 days in Pisco visiting our Policlínico Peruano Americano. Much of his time was spent observing the clinic and determining which processes are most efficient as well as identifying which processes need improvement.

General Observations

The clinic has carved out a great reputation in the community. During my visit, 70 patients per day visited the clinic on average, and it’s not even winter yet! The clinic is receiving referrals from other physicians for specific services such as ultrasound and laboratory services.

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Thus far, 2010 has been a busy year for Real Medicine Foundation Peru. At the Policlinico Peruano Americano in San Clemente, Pisco, patient volume remains consistent at approximately 60 patients per day. Respiratory infections still compose the largest portion of cases, comprising 36% of total cases. This number is the same percentage of respiratory cases from Jan-Feb 2009. Being in the southern hemisphere, it is summer in Peru right now. Come July and August (the Peruvian winter), we expect a spike in respiratory infections as high as 50% of total cases, as we have seen in years past. Below…

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The Real Medicine Clinic in Peru continues to focus their services on education and prevention in the city of San Clemente, Peru. There are 30,000 people in the immediate district of San Clemente and 125,000 in the city of Pisco. By focusing on education and prevention initiatives, we hope the direct beneficiaries are able to spread the word to their families and community. In the month of November, the clinic staff provided various informational speeches on topics such as obesity and vaccines and provided health services to 97 patients.

This month, clinic staff began…

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The RMF team in Pisco, Peru is busy serving an average of 68 patients a day! The most common cases in the month of July were Respiratory System Diseases, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Muscular/Physical Disorders and Injuries, Urological Diseases, and Digestive System Diseases.

The health services provided include:

Pediatrics Adolescent Health Women's Health Adult Health Geriatric Care Pharmacy Nursing Station / Triage Prevention and Education Inhalators Ultrasound Hematology

In addition to the daily health care services we provide to individual patients at Policlínico Peruano Americano, the staff has also focused on community education. They have offered four…

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Winter has arrived in Pisco, Peru and the clinic team has been busy in the months of May and June. We have maintained an average of 60 patients per day, with the most common cases being respiratory (46%), parasitic (12%), physical/muscular (10%), digestive (7%), and skin disorders (6%). As the weather gets colder, we anticipate the percentage of respiratory ailments to increase. To treat patients with respiratory conditions, we make use of nebulizers, suction unit, oxygen tanks, as well as prescription pharmaceuticals & inhalers accessible from our in-house pharmacy.

In addition, we have rolled out an ultrasound…

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The pace is picking up at the Policlínico Peruano Americano in San Clemente, Pisco, Peru. We have had to make several midstream adjustments to expand our service line and make our services accessible to as many Pesquenos as possible. Here is our most recent update:

Patient Flow: We are now seeing 90+ patients per day on average. We have extended the hours and the doctors have really been taken strides to make most efficient use of their time to handle so many patients. Morale amongst the team is high and everyone is excited about the clinic's success…

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Its Christmas time and at the RMF clinic in Pisco Peru, "Policlínico Peruano Americano," we are preparing for our annual chocolatada where we give a soccer ball, panetón, and a glass of chocolate milk to all the children in the community. All of the gifts have been donated by local organizations and families in the community.

December 10th marked the 1-year anniversary of the Policlínico Peruano Americano. Special thanks to Dr David, Dr Guillermo, Nurse Glenda, Nurse Richard, Pharmacist Vicky, and our new Administrative Director, Magali. 10,000 patients have been seen at the clinic over the course of…

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Spring time is approaching in Peru. The patient stream remains steady at about 30 patients per day and in the month of August we were able to enlist 242 new patients from the community. Females patient still outnumber the males, 2 to 1. In the local school of 3600 children which we sponsor, Nurse Maria Elisa was visited by 442 children. Maria Elisa also conducted many health workshops for the students and their parents.

Upwards of 50% of the cases in August were respiratory related. Due to the high volume of such cases, we…

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We opened the doors to the Policlínico Peruano Americano in its permanent location on December 10, 2007. We had an inauguration that was attended by the residents from San Clemente, government officials, all of our friends who have helped us out along the way, hospitals administrators from hospitals in Lima, and a national news team that provided coverage of the story.

The permanent location is an earthquake safe house with several rooms for exams, a large waiting area, a kitchen area which will eventually be used for a lab. The whole house had been renovated and converted into…

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The RMF Clinic in Peru officially opened for business on November 12, just one month since our small team arrived in Peru. The clinic is currently operating in a temporary capacity in the parish hall at the Catholic Church in San Clemente. While health services are being administered from the Church, we are busily searching the area for a permanent edifice to house the clinic. There are a few locations in the pipeline that have potential to serve as the permanent clinic. We are currently employing four people at the RMF clinic: physician, nurse, pharmacist, and night guard. The…

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We watched a video last night. Since we were not here to experience the earthquake for ourselves, we will never know exactly what the people have been through. We can see the aftermath and listen to their stories but we will never know what it was like to stagger out of your house and trip over dead bodies in the street. ..or to lose a loved one and have to identify them out of a row of corpses in the town center… or to realize that you baby daughter is nowhere to be found and chances are that her body…

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August 22, 2013 -

Good Friends – We have met many good friends along the way. Our work down here would not be possible without help from our friends.

Peru – Tent Clinic in the works – The decision has been made to start offering health services out of a tent while we scout the area for possible buildings suitable for our clinic. The tents are to be set up in the Plaza de Armas (town center) in front of ACER’s office. The medicine will be locked in the office and Dr. David will be able to see patients in…

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Dust – Everything in Pisco is covered in dust. So much dust has been generated in Pisco due to the many collapsed buildings. Sometimes when walking around, you find yourself in a haze of dust where your entire surroundings appear cloudy. It's also not very comforting to know that you are breathing the dust. Many people wear a mask over their mouths to filter the dust. We have been told that many people are suffering from respiratory ailments brought on from the dust and I expect that many cases at our clinic will involve respiratory sicknesses.

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Rene Castillo and I are working to open a free medical clinic in response to Peru’s 8.0 earthquake on August 15. Reports indicate that close to 1000 people have died, many more were injured, 40,000 families left homeless, and many thousands of buildings and infrastructure were destroyed in the Ica region. The epicenter was in Pisco and the surrounding towns of Ica, Canete, and Chincha were also affected.

We arrived into Lima on Friday night, October 12th. The majority of the weekend was spent meeting with our contacts in Lima and networking as much as possible. Most people…

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The children's wards in Lima, Peru  

(L) Steve Henrichon, (R) Rene Castillo with children

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Please help us to help!

You can help by donating here, and specifying 'Peru Earthquake Relief'' in the Note to Real Medicine.
 

A magnitude-8 earthquake struck just off the coast of central Peru on August 15, 2007. Reports from Peru count more than 1,000 deaths and at least 3,000 injured people in towns along Peru's central and southern coast. The majority of the damage and casualties occurred in Chincha Alta, Ica and Pisco. At least 80,000 people have suffered the quake's impact through the loss of loved ones or destroyed or damaged…

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Last year, with generous donor funding, Real Medicine Foundation was able to provide specialized orthopaedic care for 20 children and adults who were desperate for treatment of their post-traumatic or congenital ailment, which was preventing them from thrivingor taking care of responsibilities and their families’ needs.

This year, after a very successful first program and very good results, we are following up with another group of 20 patients, currently incapable of enjoying normal lives as children or starting a meaningful professional life as young adults.

While never losing sight of our…

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Etienne Cherly, 12 years old

 

PATIENT HISTORY

Injury sustained during the earthquake in January 2010 as the house she was in, collapsed to the ground. Étienne was on the balcony when the earthquake happened and fell one floor down. Later immobilized in a cast and relocated to the province. No follow-up on the injury and non medical cast removal ensued.

Could not find a facility to evaluate and address her problem after the earthquake, where she was located. 

 

DIAGNOSIS

Evolutive Genu varum with post traumatic Femur,…

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Our new Surgical Support program is providing surgeries and follow up treatment for Children and Adults in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  We will be posting the photos and updates on these surgeries periodically.

Berline Masse, 7 years old

DIAGNOSIS

Bilateral Tibia Vara

TREATMENT GOALS

Block the growth cartilage on the lateral side of the tibia with staples to incur growth on the medial side, thus improving deviation and hopefully any subsequent  deviation.

PATIENT HISTORY

The patient was apparently diagnosed with this condition at 4 years of age. She has only been…

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September 10, 2014 -

Project Objectives:

Support the community with free high quality healthcare services  Help to create a healthy community, especially amongst the younger generation

The clinic was opened 10 days per month to provide free healthcare services to the community of Yayawatta, Seenimodera in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, and its surrounding villages and communities of Palapotha, Kadurupokuna and Seenimodara.

For the Second Quarter of 2013, we saw an average of 20 patients per day with a total of 635 patients treated.

In the month of April, 214 patients were treated In the month of May, 210 patients were treated…
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September 10, 2014 -

Project Objectives:

Support the community with free high quality healthcare services  Help to create a healthy community, especially amongst the younger generation

The clinic was opened 10 days per month to provide free healthcare services to the community of Yayawatta, Seenimodera in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, and its surrounding villages and communities of Palapotha, Kadurupokuna & Seenimodera.

For the First Quarter of 2013, we saw an average of 20 patients per day with a total of 621 patients treated.

In the month of January, 208 patients were treated, with 70% presenting with respiratory tract infections, and fever.…
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September 10, 2014 -

Project Objectives:

Support the community with free high quality healthcare services  Help to create a healthy community, especially amongst the younger generation

The clinic was opened for 10 days each month and for the Fourth Quarter of 2012, we saw an average of 20 patients per day with a total of 627 patients treated.  

In the month of October, 212 patients treated, with 30% treated for heart diseased/conditions, 20% for viral fever and 20% for viral gastroenteritis. In the month of November, 211 patients treated, with 50% treated for viral fever, 20% for hypertension and 10%…
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Background

Sri Lanka marks the birthplace of Real Medicine Foundation, the place where the first promise was made and the concept of “Friends Helping Friends Helping Friends” was born. Almost seven years after the tsunami of December 2004, rural villages in Southern Sri Lanka still face challenges of coping with psychological trauma, poverty, and infectious disease outbreaks.

After completing Real Medicine’s immediate tsunami relief efforts at the Mawella Camp Clinic, a second clinic was opened in Yayawatta in October 2006. Now in its fifth year, this clinic remains fully active and continues to…

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Background

Sri Lanka marks the birthplace of Real Medicine Foundation, the place where the first promise was made and the concept of “Friends Helping Friends Helping Friends” was born. Almost seven years after the tsunami of December 2004, rural villages in Southern Sri Lanka still face challenges of coping with psychological trauma, poverty, and infectious disease outbreaks.

Photo: Families waiting patiently to be seen by Dr. Chamal

After completing Real Medicine’s immediate tsunami relief efforts at the Mawella Camp Clinic, a second clinic was opened in Yayawatta in October 2006. Now in…

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Background

Sri Lanka marks the birthplace of Real Medicine Foundation, the place where the first promise was made and the concept of “Friends Helping Friends Helping Friends” was born. Almost seven years after the tsunami of December 2004, rural villages in Southern Sri Lanka still face challenges of coping with psychological trauma, poverty, and infectious disease outbreaks.

Photo: Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa attends to patients at the clinic

After completing Real Medicine’s immediate tsunami relief efforts at the Mawella Camp Clinic, a second clinic was opened in Yayawatta in October 2006. Now in…

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Project Goal:

Sri Lanka marks the birthplace of Real Medicine Foundation, the place where the first promise was made and the concept of “Friends Helping Friends Helping Friends” was born. Almost seven years after the tsunami of December 2004, rural villages in Southern Sri Lanka still face challenges of coping with psychological trauma, poverty, and infectious disease outbreaks.

Photo: Community Volunteers gathering to help clean the clinic

After completing Real Medicine’s immediate tsunami relief efforts at the Mawella Camp Clinic, a second clinic was opened in Yayawatta in October 2006. Now in…

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Project Goal: 
Provide medical care to Tsunami affected families and the less privileged to help build a healthy community

Project Objectives:


Support the community with free high quality healthcare services 
 Help to create a healthy community, especially amongst the younger generation

Summary of RMF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under project objective:

The clinic was open 10 days per month to provide free healthcare services to the community of Yayawatta at Seenimodara in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, and its surrounding villages and communities.
 A worm infestation treatment program was implemented…
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The Real Medicine Yayawatta Clinic is a community based project that is sponsored by The Real Medicine Foundation and managed by Mrs. Stephney Minerva Fernando, Project Coordinator for RMF in Sri Lanka with guidance and service support by Dr.Chamal Sanjeewa, special Medical Consultant to RMF.

The Real Medicine Clinic has been providing medical assistance since October 2006. With no resources to hire private transportation and no access to public transport, the clinic provides the only locally based medical care within the community, easily accessible and within walking distance of most villages and…

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The Real Medicine Yayawatta Clinic is a community based project that is sponsored by The Real Medicine Foundation and managed by Mrs. Stephney Minerva Fernando, Project Coordinator for RMF in Sri Lanka with guidance and service support by Dr.Chamal Sanjeewa, special Medical Consultant to RMF.

The Real Medicine Clinic has been providing medical assistance since Oct.2006. With no resources to hire private transportation and no access to public transport, the clinic provides the only locally based medical care within the community, easily accessible and within walking distance of most villages and beneficiaries.

The clinic operates…

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The Real Medicine Yayawatta Clinic is a community based project that is sponsored by The Real Medicine Foundation and managed by Mrs. Stephney Minerva Fernando, Project Coordinator for RMF in Sri Lanka with guidance and service support by Dr.Chamal Sanjeewa, special Medical Consultant to RMF.

This Project serves 2 sets of beneficiaries, direct and indirect. Members of the Yayawatta fishing community are direct benificiaries, utilizing clinic services, while residents of Kadurupokuna, Palapotha & Seenimodara are indirect beneficiaries. Humanitarian activities are provided equally to all beneficiaries. Elderly men and women in these areas have the opportunity to access the…

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Our clinic, community outreach and health education programs continue to provide vital support to the Yayawatta Village and surrounding areas. The Clinic’s beneficiaries include the population of Seenimodara, Kadurupokuna and Palapotha. Having this convenient access to free healthcare is especially important for young mothers, children, and the elderly. The diseases we see most frequently are upper and lower respiratory tract infections, viral fevers, gastrointestinal tract infections, heart disease, hypertensive disorders, skin diseases and different forms of arthritis.

During the months of March, April and May a total of 642 patients were evaluated and treated at our free clinic.
…

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During the month of February, 196 patients were examined and treated by our Medical Consultant Dr.Chamal Sanjeewa at RMF’s clinic in Yayawatta. All communities in the area now have access to these free health care services. The elderly men and women are benefiting significantly with the convenient access to medical service. Many have been able to better understand their chronic health issues and receive the proper care to help alleviate them, resulting in less frequent visits.

During the month, in addition to general examinations, our clinic provided the following services:

6 mothers obtained their family planning intramuscular injections…
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As we enter our fourth year at the Yayawatta Village in the Tangalle region of Sri Lanka, we look forward to growing with our community and to extending our outreach.

While most other Tsunami Relief Projects have stopped, our clinic remains fully active and continues to grow. Initially established to serve one community of 400, the Real Medicine Clinic has grown to serve five villages and provides health care to over 4,000 persons.

Presently, the clinic serves the communities of Yayawatta, Kadurupokuna, Seenimodara, Moraketi Ara and Palapotha.

Over three years ago, before…

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On November 7th, 2009 Real Medicine Foundation celebrated our third year providing free primary health care to the tsunami affected fishing communities of Tangalle.

The celebration provided us with the ideal opportunity to highlight our Maternal and Child Health outreach education programs. Joining RMF's Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa in the discussion was Tangalle's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Chamila. Together they provided a very simple yet comprehensive discussion on Maternal and Child Health to the forty-two women who participated. All of the mothers from the villages of Yayawatta, Kadurupokuna, Palapotha, Seenimodara & Moreketi-Ara,…

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August 27, 2013 -

Our team at the Yayawatta Village Clinic was sponsored by Mr. Upamali Munaweera to conduct a special one day clinic at the Minhath Montessori Pre-School to benefit the families of the Dickwella community.

Real Medicine's efforts were profiled by two English speaking newspapers, one of which is listed below. We'd like to extend a special thanks to Mr. Upamali Munaweera for her generous support.

Please click here for the full story.

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August 27, 2013 -

On July 4th, 2009 Real Medicine Foundation held a ceremony to honor the efforts of the Yayawatta community to help clean the clinic premises to prevent the spread of Dengue Fever. In response to the outbreak of Dengue Fever earlier this year that took the lives of four children and two elderly community members, the local government required mandatory cleaning of all private and public premises.

The Yayawatta community joined together to ensure that the community center, the location of the Real Medicine Primary Care Clinic, was thoroughly cleaned according to the government directive. Below is the report…

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August 27, 2013 -

The Dengue Fever outbreak in late February, early March marked an active period for our clinic. In addition to treating many new cases over the past few months and engaging in public education about the ways to control the spread of disease, we also participated in a region wide clean up to minimize the breeding of mosquitoes. Measures were taken to advise parents to be vigilant around their homes and to report any illness so children could be referred to the base hospital for further tests.

With the exception of these challenges, the clinic operations remained stable over…

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To expand our reach to the surrounding communities, our primary health care clinic staff conducts off-site clinics at local schools and community centers to provide poor rural children with free checks-ups, and medicines.

Our most recent off-site function was on February 2nd at Tangalle Children's Relay. Our team below was on hand to serve the children of the school, their parents and members of the community.

While the children were the main focus, news traveled fast throughout the community and the clinic was crowded with adults and seniors wishing to take advantage of the free medical…

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Now entering it's third year, the Yayawatta Village Medical Clinic provided free health care services to 2483 community members from four villages over the course of 2008. Other highlights included:

The joint publishing of Dr. Sanjeewa Chamal's award winning book on Family Health Care, which was funded by International Service Partners An invitation to sponsor Global Children's Health Day hosted by First Lady Rajapaksa RMF initiated it community outreach programs by conducting one day free clinics at local elementary schools

This year, to support cultural integrity, we intend on offering Ayurvedic Medicines through our clinic…

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On October 28th, 2008, Real Medicine Foundation celebrated it's two year anniversary at the Yayawatta Tsunami Relocation Village in Seenimodora.. In collaboration with International Service Partners, we celebrated the success of the clinic and presented the community members with a book on Home Health Care written by our clinic physician Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa which won the most prestigious Presidential Award for 2007. International Service Partners provided funding for the production of 100 copies that were donated to each of the families.

In attendance were Ms. Lexia Campbell of International Service Partners who presented books to the residence…

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At the request of the Tangalle Police department, Real Medicine Foundation became a lead sponsor for the Tangalle, World Children's Day Celebration at Rajapaksa Field. Real Medicine provided funding for the certificates passed out to over 1000 children attending the event in recognition of their participation.

The first lady of Sri Lanka, Madame Shiranthie Rajapaksha, was in attendance and our Project Coordinator, Ms. Minerva Fernando and Accountant Nishantha Sankakelum were guests at the event as well.

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Now in its third full year of operation, Real Medicine's Clinic at Yayawatta Tsunami Village in Seenimodara remains the only free medical clinic in the Hambantota district providing services to the poorest communities. Recently, our staff extended it's reach to another sector of the community in support of families working hard to make ends meet who often don't have time or money to take preventive measures to assure the health of their children.

Aware of our success in Seenimodora, the faculty of the Annapitiya Janasuwaya Singithie Pre-School requested a one day clinic to provide…

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Fast approaching is the two-year anniversary for the Real Medicine Clinic in Yayawatta Tsunami Village in Seenimodora. Our staff continues to provide high impact care to its community members, care that now reaches out to three surrounding communities, including Polapotha, Kadurupakona and Moraketi Ara. On average, 200 patients per month visit the clinic where over 3000 impoverished people have weekly access to free medical services.

In addition to medical services our staff provides psychological support to those still suffering from post-traumatic stress and models a strong value system for personal accountability for health and establishing and respecting social…

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Inland from the coast, situated quite far from convenient medical care sits the Seenimodora Yayawatta Village, a community of 95 families relocated with the support of International Service Partners. In 2006, Real Medicine Foundation elected to provide a free medical clinic to this very poor village community who lacked the means of transport to seek medical attention when it arose. Today the clinic services an additional four surrounding villages and over 250 people per month.

This medical clinic remains one of the only post tsunami projects in the district and now serves four…

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September 19, 2013 -

Project Goal

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge. 

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

Lwala school girls participate in a mentoring session (see Success Story below)

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Background

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge.

Photo: Staff work with youth in outreach activity focusing on reproductive health

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic…

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Project Goal

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge. 

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

Photo: Lwala Community Alliance staff share health messages at the event on…

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Photo: A mother participates in home-based outreach on maternal and child health through the RMF/Lwala Community Alliance  program (see success stories at the bottom of this page)

Project Goal:

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge. 

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger…

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Project Goal:

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge. 

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

Other programs include Emergency Ambulance Services and a Safe Motherhood (Umama Salama) Community Education Program.…

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RMF/LCA Health Race in Lwala, Kenya– simultaneous to the LA Marathon on March 18, 2012

By Kelly Baird

Only a few of the feet at the starting line were clothed in worn-out Keds, a pair or two of sandals, and a single pair of sneakers. The rest of the feet were bare. There were no iPods, no heart rate monitors, no electronic chips to tell the runners their speed and pace.  But there was a palpable excitement as runners bounced up and down, warming up as they waited anxiously for the start of the…

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Project Goal:

Provide funding and support to the Lwala Community Hospital that serves the population of North Kamagambo in Migori County, Kenya. Poor physical infrastructure, including impassable roads during the rainy season, lack of electricity and lack of reliable drinking water, have helped to create a critical healthcare challenge. 

The health center was recently upgraded to a community hospital with RMF funding, and is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

Other programs include Emergency Ambulance Services and a Safe Motherhood (Umama Salama) Community Education Program.…

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Project Goal: The Lwala Community Alliance is a non-profit health and development agency working in Nyanza Province, Kenya.  Through the Lwala Community Hospital, the organization provides more than 15,000 patient visits each year.  The mission of the organization is to meet the health needs of all people living in north Kamagambo, including its poorest.  The hospital is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

   

Project Objectives during this reporting…

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Project Goal: The Lwala Community Alliance is a non-profit health and development agency working in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Through the Lwala Community Hospital, the organization provides more than 15,000 patient visits each year. The mission of the organization is to meet the health needs of all people living in north Kamagambo, including its poorest. The hospital is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.  

Project Objectives during this reporting period:

1. Actively engage the community through preventative health…

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Project Goal:

The Ochieng’ Memorial Lwala Community Hospital is a community-based project that is managed and supported in partnership with the Lwala Community Alliance, a U.S. based humanitarian organization. The mission of the clinic is to meet the holistic health needs of all members of the Lwala Community, including its poorest. Whenever possible it addresses health problems at their roots through community health interventions. It aims to provide excellent community-based health care, not to become a tertiary care facility. The health center is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development…

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The Ochieng’ Memorial Lwala Community Health Center is a community-based project that is managed and supported in partnership with the Lwala Community Alliance, a U.S. based humanitarian organization. The mission of the clinic is to meet the holistic health needs of all members of the Lwala Community, including its poorest. Whenever possible it addresses health problems at their roots through community health interventions. It aims to provide excellent community-based health care, not to become a tertiary care facility. The health center is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic…

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In June, at our clinic in Lwala, we experienced a major shift in patient numbers following the implementation of the new patient fee. Under our previous system of free care, our outpatient numbers averaged about 1,200 a month, on top of our HIV visits of about 145 a month and our Maternal and Child Health visits of about 150 a month.

Since the implementation of the new fee, outpatient numbers have dropped to just above 400 per month, while HIV and Maternal Child Health numbers have remained constant since those services continue to be free. These…

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During this most recent reporting period of March ’10 through the end of May ’10, there continued to be significant achievement by our health care staff at the Lwala Community Health Center. The primary beneficiaries of the Lwala Community Health Center’s work are children, pregnant women, HIV infected persons and the elderly. Prior to the establishment of the clinic, there was no immediate access to primary health care or HIV/AIDS testing and care. For this reason, the Lwala health intervention has focused on primary care for children, access to medicines (particularly vaccines and antimalarials), HIV…

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During this last reporting period of November ’09 through the end of February ’10, there continued to be an enormous amount achieved by the health staff at the Lwala Community Health Center through their compassion, perseverance, and skills.

The primary beneficiaries of the Lwala Community Alliance work are children, pregnant women, HIV infected persons and the elderly. Prior to the establishment of the clinic, there was no immediate access to primary health care or HIV/AIDS testing and care. For this reason, the Lwala health intervention has focused on primary care for children, access to medicines…

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The mission of the Ochieng' Memorial Lwala Community Health Center is to meet the holistic health needs of all members of the Lwala community, including its poorest. Whenever possible it addresses health problems at their roots through community health interventions. It aims to provide excellent community-based health care, not to become a tertiary care facility. The health center is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic health and development in Lwala, including educational and economic development. The primary beneficiaries are children, pregnant women, HIV infected persons and the elderly. Prior to the establishment of the clinic, there was…

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