MedShare Responds to Cyclone Idai with Critical Emergency Supplies

NEW YORK - March 29, 2019 - PRLog -- MedShare, a global humanitarian aid organization, will send emergency support to communities affected by Cyclone Idai. MedShare will donate these supplies in partnership with AirLink, a humanitarian relief organization that delivers donations via air shipment to communities in crisis. Reports estimate that 2.6 million people have been affected by Cyclone Idai across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The first shipment of donations to Mozambique will be sent out of John F. Kennedy International Airport on an AirLink shipment scheduled for Friday, March 29. Multiple donations to communities in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe will follow.

According to the most recent update by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

·      Over 2.6 million people have been affected across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe;

·      The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) declared the Mozambique flood crisis a Level 3 emergency. This places Cyclone Idai-impacted areas among top response priorities for the WFP, on a par with Yemen, Syria, and South Sudan.

·      In Mozambique, more than 74,600 women impacted by the cyclone are estimated to be pregnant and have lost access to health services;

·      60 percent of those women are expected to give birth within the next six months;

·      In Zimbabwe, an estimated 60,000 children are in need of immediate services;

"We are working closely with our partners in the region to ensure that healthcare providers and first responders receive exactly what they need to serve the millions of people affected by Cyclone Idai," said Charles Redding, CEO and President of MedShare. "We established our Disaster Relief Program for exactly this reason, so that people in medically underserved communities receive quality, compassionate care in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. We appreciate our partners who are working diligently to help us deliver aid quickly and effectively."

"We are honored to support MedShare's response to Cyclone Idai. With disease prevention and medical care for survivors being among the major humanitarian needs, we know the supplies we transported for the organization will give their teams the tools they need to save and improve lives," said Steven J. Smith, CEO and President of Airlink.

Visit https://impact.medshare.org/Cyclone-Idai to get involved and learn more about how you can help those impacted by Cyclone Idai.

About MedShare

MedShare is a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities, and our planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world. For more than 20 years MedShare has strengthened global healthcare and supported sustainable development in low-resource communities. MedShare is a member of PQMD and has been rated a 4-Star Charity by Charity Navigator for 14 consecutive years. For more information, please visit the organization's website at www.medshare.org.

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