Global News

September 28, 2022: “I looked down the street and saw this big black thing coming — it was literally a wall of water,” says Jo, a retired nurse who lives in Cape Coral, Florida.  Minutes later, the filthy storm surge from Hurricane Ian swept into her home, swirling around her ankles, and Jo ran through the flood to safety at her neighbor’s elevated house.

Human Appeal, with emergency funding from Americares in response to the devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northern Syria, opened the Al-Zohoor Primary Health Clinic in Northern Syria in July, 2023 for Earthquake Affected People in the region. The clinic focuses on the most vulnerable individuals, especially women of reproductive age, children under 5, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

For most transgender women in Ukraine, there is no way to cross the border to Poland or other countries: Their formal documents identify them as men, so the government prohibits them from leaving the country. But, with Americares help, this group does receive specialized health care – from an ambulance that brings LGBTQ+ care to Lviv.

Flor and her husband are usually at the bread bakery they own in Santiago de Maria, El Salvador, by 3 a.m. On this January day, though, the bread can wait: Flor is receiving her final pre-natal check-up at the La Clínica Integral de Atención Familiar de Americares, the clinic where she has received prenatal care throughout her healthy pregnancy.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine has propelled the region deeper into crisis—forcing thousands to flee the flooding and leaving many communities without access to clean water, electricity and medicine. Americares has been receiving requests for assistance from partner organizations in the affected area since the dam was destroyed on June 6.

In April 2023, record rainfall and strong storms in California flooded roads, cut power and damaged buildings, including health centers that low-income people rely on for health care. Americares responded immediately, contacting clinic partners throughout the state to learn what was needed to help communities and quickly restore access to health services.

In Mwanza, Tanzania, Christina knows all too well how women can suffer without adequate health care. Bugando Medical Center offers surgical and support services for fistula that give women new life.

Americares President and CEO Christine Squires shares an uplifting story from a recent visit to Americares India’s health programs, including one of its 13 mobile health centers, a story about a life saved by access to health care.

When Yenny delivered her son, at a hospital in El Salvador, she was scared; her son was born prematurely, she was alone and fighting for his survival.

When the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv came under attack in 2022, health professionals knew they had to save lives – and medicine. They found a most unlikely and ideal space.

During wartime, living with tuberculosis becomes even more complex: Patients need a steady supply of medicine and a safe place to shelter during air raids, separate from uninfected people. Now, in Odesa, Ukraine, TB patients have both.

Imagine a hospital without water: That was Kibondo District Hospital in rural western Tanzania until last year. Now, thanks to a partnership with Americares, clean water flows in all wards of the hospital and staff and patients alike can access new toilets.

Oksana and her daughters have found support services at Acceptance Foundation, an Americares partner in Poznan, Poland, that focuses on providing medical treatment and support to members of the LGBTQIA+ community and other people who are made vulnerable because they are excluded, discriminated against and severely affected by life and war.

Violence against women is a global threat to public health and women’s health, especially during conflict and hostilities. Feminoteka, an Americares partner in Poland, raises awareness about violence against women, including sexual assault, and provides counseling and resources to survivors.

When 20-year-old Yaryna fled Ukraine in February 2022, driving her sister and family friends to Poland over three days in frigid temperatures, she had one goal: To bring everyone safely across the border. She did not know that her intense focus on that goal would be the first step to a debilitating burnout that threatened her own health and safety

Around the world, mothers and their teenage daughters often enjoy spending an afternoon together. Now, living under threat of shelling and bombardment, at least one mother and her daughter chose to spend a day learning lifesaving skills at a tactical course in trauma care.

In medicine, a quick diagnosis can save la life. Ultrasound imaging is a critical diagnostic tool for doctors and first responders, especially in Ukraine, A child’s life is saved.

Americares is responding to cholera outbreaks in Syria and Lebanon by supporting prevention and treatment efforts that aim to reach over 110,000 children and adults over the next three months.

Everyone in Ukraine is facing a tough winter: At least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks, leaving millions without dependable power for water and heat as cold weather sets in. Americares is working with partners in Poland and Ukraine to provide more than 25 generators to medical facilities and health centers.

Stamford, Conn. – Dec. 20, 2022 – Americares is the 10th largest charity in the United States in 2022, according to Forbes Magazine. The annual list ranks the 100 largest U.S. charities, by private donations. Americares, the health-focused relief and development organization, brought in $1.2 billion in private donations during the most recently reported fiscal year.