Disaster Response South Sudan Project #27515

Preventing Gender-based Violence in South Sudan

by IsraAID

Preventing Gender-based Violence in South Sudan

Project Report | Sep 21, 2018
Supporting Oral Health in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp

By Neil | IsraAID Humanitarian Fellow, Kenya

Photo by Lior Sperandeo

IsraAID’s Mobile Dental Clinic is in Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in Turkana County, Kenya, an area affected by draught. Some 3.4 million individuals in Kenya face harsh food insecurity, and about half a million lack access to water. IsraAID Humanitarian Fellow Neil spent two months this summer working in the refugee camp.

In the developed world, seldom do dental cases reach the point where we are unable to perform daily tasks like eating or drinking. Refugees and members of the local Turkana community in Kakuma with similar issues, like decay or tooth infections, face this reality with a much higher likelihood due to the lack of resources.

Malachi, a patient and refugee from South Sudan, describes the importance of the Kakuma clinic’s dental care:

“[Dental care] helps protect me when I can’t eat. Where I come from, you can’t remove [teeth] problems because there is war. There are no more hospitals. When I came here they told me there was a provider who could remove the teeth and I was so grateful. I couldn’t wait…”.

Over the summer, three American dentists joined IsraAID and worked with Kakuma's local clinic officers to treat dental patients. With the help of supplies generously donated by Henry Schein Inc., as well as cooperation between local and international efforts, the Kakuma Dental Clinic is working to continue serving this highly vulnerable population.

As the political situations in neighboring countries including Somalia and South Sudan worsen, the refugee population in Kakuma has increased. Ensuring that sufficient supplies are available continues to challenge the Kakuma Dental Clinic.

“The camp is getting bigger and bigger every day,” she said. “And supplies are getting lower and lower”.

In addition to treating patients, the team of dentists also trained local volunteers and staff in basic dental hygeine practices, aiming to ensure longer-term sustainability.

Michael, born in South Sudan, fled in 1999 when violence and instability broke out; he has since lived in Kakuma, were he feels safe. Now, Michael volunteers at the dental clinic while taking classes to become a nurse’s assistant. He plans on applying to work at the clinic upon completing his studies.

He explains that he is inspired to work in dentistry due to the wide range of oral health problems he witnesses on a daily basis throughout the Kakuma community.

IsraAID’s mobile dental clinic was supported by the Koret Foundation, with supplies and equipment donated by Henry Schein, inc., and staffed by Bay Area dental practice Bloom Dental Group.

Photo by Lior Sperandeo

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Jun 25, 2018
Specialist Medical Mission to Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

By Or | Country Director, Kenya

A delegation of US & Israeli pediatricians visited Kakuma Refugee Camp in famine & drought-affected Turkana County, Kenya, with IsraAID. Ongoing drought conditions have left 3.4 million people across Kenya severely food insecure and 500,000 without access to water. In Kakuma, these conditions affect more than 185,000 refugees from across East and Central Africa, exacerbating medical needs.

Kakuma’s two hospitals and six clinics, operated by the International Rescue Committee and Kakuma Mission Hospital, serve an estimated 300,000 people from both refugee and host communities. Together, the medical facilities are staffed permanently by a maximum of six doctors, all general practitioners, at any one time. Nearly 60% of Kakuma’s refugee population is under the age of 18, highlighting the need for specialist pediatric care and training. In addition to treating patients, the visiting physicians delivered training sessions in pediatrics for Kakuma’s medical staff. Improving the capability of the camp’s medical staff to treat specialized cases is vital to ensuring that lifesaving care can reach both refugee and Turkana communities.

Major health issues affecting Kakuma’s residents vary, and have recently included malaria, lung infections, tuberculosis, HIV, malnutrition and cholera. By providing up-to-date training in pediatrics, the visiting physicians helped make a real difference to the long-term prospects of Kakuma’s children.

Mercy, a doctor at the IRC General Hospital in Kakuma, said:

"We're so happy to have you here. It's so helpful for me, it's so hard to do rounds alone every day. This has given me much a morale boost. It's so challenging here. I so appreciate having a sounding board. It's amazing to sit with other doctors, who are specialists, and make a patient plan."

Thank you for your support! More updates to follow …

Links:

Press coverage of the medical mission to Kakuma

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Mar 26, 2018
Meeting water needs in Uganda

By Country Director | IsraAID Uganda

Accessing safe water is a huge challenge in Uganda. The needs are particularly acute in the north of the country, where years of violent insurgency have taken their toll on vital infrastructure. In Gulu district, two decades of war have had a severe impact on an estimated population of 400,000 people. IsraAID’s team found that, as people moved back to their ancestral villages from internally-displaced persons camps, both a lack of working water sources, such as boreholes, and a lack of expertise in maintaining the water systems that did exist were crucial problems.

Compounding the issue, Uganda has one of the world’s youngest populations, with more than 78% under the age of 30, while, in 2017, youth unemployment was particularly high - estimated at 34%.

IsraAID’s response

In order to meet these challenges head-on, IsraAID has collaborated with Gulu University to create the WaMTech program. We provide education about water technology, sanitation and hygiene and community mobilization to unemployed young people from rural villages affected by conflict in northern Uganda, most of whom have had relatively low levels of academic education.

WaMTech provides students with practical skills, professional knowledge and experience in the field, increasing their employability and ensuring they can serve the water, sanitation and hygiene needs of their communities.

So far, the program has trained 168 young people, providing access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene education to more than 18,000 residents of Gulu and neighboring districts in northern Uganda.

A participant speaks

“Growing up in poverty at the height of the insurgency, I wasn’t able to have a proper education. Because of that, there weren’t many jobs I was qualified to do. I could work at a farm or run a motorcycle taxi, or – depending on the season – mold bricks for sale. But then a friend told me about the IsraAID WamTech program.

When I joined the IsraAID training, I gained a profession: water engineer. Now, I can repair and help drill boreholes. I feel proud of myself, and I can help ensure people have access to safe water. The qualification has transformed mine and my family’s life, and, together with my fellow graduates, I am helping to transform my community.”

Opiyo, 25 years old from Koch Goma Subcounty, Nwoya district.

Our work is only possible with your support. Thank you!

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