International Medical Corps and Heart to Heart International Provide Medical Assistance to Displaced Kenyans

Photo: Natalia Cieslik

Heart to Heart medication is distributed in a mobile clinic in Burnt Forest where 5,000 people have been displaced.

Eldoret, Kenya -- International Medical Corps (IMC) has received essential drugs, medical equipment, and supplies worth almost $20,000 from Heart to Heart International for its ongoing emergency response in Kenya. IMC is currently operating five mobile clinics in the western Eldoret and Kitale districts. Both areas were particularly hard hit during post-election violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced at least 300,000 throughout the country. The IMC mobile clinics have reached several thousand people who were forced to flee during the fighting and are now living in make-shift camps for the displaced.

“In times of international crisis, we work alongside humanitarian partners like IMC to meet the needs of underserved people,” said Jeff Boss, Heart to Heart’s Global Crisis Response Manager. “Together, we are effectively meeting the health needs of people in crisis in this troubled country.”

The generous donation by Heart to Heart will help International Medical Corps to continue providing primary health care services to Kenyans who have lost their homes and belongings. They have become vulnerable to diseases due to a general lack of hygiene and harsh living conditions in the camps. The Heart to Heart shipment includes pain relievers, antibiotics, topical creams, vitamins, re-hydration salts, antacids, and allergy medications. In addition Heart to Heart International provided stethoscopes, otoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and digital thermometers.

Photo: Natalia Cieslik

Mothers and children are registered in a mobile clinic in Burnt Forest. Infants as young as two weeks suffer from respiratory infections and diarrhea.

“The Heart to Heart International donation helps International Medical Corps to reach more people and provides us with necessary drugs for patients whose health has been affected by the current situation,” says Edi Cosic, IMC’s Director of Emergency Response. “With this gift we will be able to make funds available for additional program areas that also need our attention, like psycho-social and nutritional support.”

Currently, International Medical Corps medical staff sees more than 3,600 patients per week through mobile clinics in Eldoret and Kitale districts. The most common ailments are malaria, respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, skin disorders, and intestinal worms. Many of these problems are related to overcrowding and lack of proper sanitation.

Heart to Heart International and International Medical Corps have a long history of successful cooperation in emergencies including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, DR Congo, Lebanon, Bangladesh, and Liberia.

Heart to Heart International is improving global health through humanitarian initiatives that connect people and resources to a world in need. Since its founding in 1992, Heart to Heart has delivered aid worth $600 million in U.S. wholesale value to more than 100 countries, including the United States. For more information on our programs and ways to get involved, visit www.hearttoheart.org.