Our Impact in 2011

• Lifesaving care in Somalia
• Rebuilding in Haiti
• Emergency Response for Ivory Coast Refugees
• Building the capacity of a new nation South Sudan

Lifesaving care in Somalia

When famine struck Somalia, supporters like you allowed us to respond immediately…and save lives.

Somalis who were starving fled their drought-stricken villages because there was no food. They fled to Mogadishu, a place many had never been. They held out hope that someone would greet them with help. When they arrived, no one was waiting for them.

They sought shelter in camps for the displaced, cobbling together materials to form a makeshift tent. Sick, weak and exhausted, many had medical issues but no one to care for them.

Supporters made it possible for us to send teams to Somalia and be one of the only humanitarian organizations to have a country office in Mogadishu. Supporters like you sent in checks, held car washes and bake sales, knocked on door and told friends about the crisis.

We’ve been able to work in camps for the displaced, providing clean water, building latrines and constructing community kitchens. We helped more than 50,000 people with your support before grant money kicked in and allowed us to expand our work.

With the help of supporters, we’ve also been working at Banadir Hospital for women and children, providing essentials like incubators, beds, mattresses, mosquito nets and other necessities. And we’ve been sending Somali-American and Somali-Canadian medical volunteers to fill the gaps at Banadir and build the human resources capacity of the hospital through training.

Dr. Ismail Mualin, a Somali-American, generously volunteered at Banadir for two weeks describes the immense need but also the impact we can have.

“I was able to treat a man who had the most severe case of anemia I had ever seen,” he said. “I was the first doctor he had seen in five years. When I was there in Somalia, there was hope. There is hope, and we can do more!”

The support of donors giving or raising $20, $50, $100 or more is what allowed us to respond in Somalia in the first place. As long as we continue to have the support of our generous supporters, we will be there for families in Somalia, helping them get what they need to survive the famine.