Helping Earthquake-Affected Communities in Ethiopia
On December 4, 2024, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Awash Fentale district in Ethiopia, displacing families and devastating communities across seven districts. This was the most significant in a series of tremors that have rocked the region since September, forcing tens of thousands of people to seek safer areas. Now, displaced families living in makeshift camps are facing extreme weather, lack of clean water and heightened risks of disease and violence.
Seismic activity has only intensified lately in the Afar and Oromia regions, with more than 230 earthquakes recorded in the past two months. With limited resources and inadequate sanitation, displaced families are struggling to access basic necessities, and the risk of outbreaks of disease—including malaria and cholera—is growing.
In response, International Medical Corps is working with DG ECHO (the aid agency of the European Union) and the United Nations to provide critical humanitarian aid. We are supplying 40,000 liters of clean water daily, improving sanitation facilities and training health workers on hygiene and infection prevention.
Bringing Health Services to Northern Cameroon
We have been working in Cameroon since 2008. Despite challenges posed by armed conflict, our staff delivers vital health services to underserved communities throughout the area.
We also send mobile medical units to reach remote villages that do not have nearby health services. One of our mobile medical teams recently visited Begue-Palam, a town in the Far North region, where our staff provided health consultations and medication to people who hadn’t had access to healthcare in months.
Supporting Wildfire Recovery in Los Angeles
In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that swept through Southern California, International Medical Corps has been directly providing both medical and mental health services to affected communities and people displaced by the fires. As residents return to their neighborhoods—many of which remain uninhabitable due to toxic debris—our mental health teams have provided crucial support to people grappling with loss and uncertainty.
Recognizing that mental health care is just as critical as physical care, our team has conducted more than 1,000 mental health consultations and reached 2,800 people through community outreach. We have also distributed essential medical supplies, hygiene kits and protective equipment to shelters, health centers and community organizations across the Los Angeles area.
Now that the fires are contained and longer-term recovery efforts are continuing, International Medical Corps remains committed to helping Los Angeles residents rebuild. Working closely with partners like FEMA and the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, we are ensuring that displaced families receive the care and resources they need.
Providing Nutrition Support to Families in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia’s Wolayta region, Aster Gebeyo is raising her one-year-old granddaughter in an area long plagued by food shortages, conflict and drought. After struggling to provide nutritious meals, Aster found a way that she could ensure healthy food for her little one—through International Medical Corps’ gardening and poultry initiative. With training, cooking demonstrations and access to homegrown ingredients like eggs, spinach and carrots, Aster has seen a remarkable improvement in her granddaughter’s health.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to combat malnutrition by equipping families with the tools they need to grow sustainable food sources. Since 2021, International Medical Corps has worked with the Southern Ethiopia Regional Bureau to help families establish backyard gardens and raise poultry, improving nutrition for thousands of children. These efforts are about providing immediate relief and building long-term food security in vulnerable communities. Through programs like this, families can move themselves from mere survival to self-reliance.
Responding to the DRC Mpox Epidemic
On August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak has ravaged the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with more than 5,300 cases and over 800 deaths reported last year.
International Medical Corps has trained healthcare providers in case prevention, identification and management of mpox in North and South Kivu provinces. We also distributed 2,000 pieces of personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control items to two treatment centers in Kinshasa, supporting more than 800 health workers responding to mpox and other communicable diseases.
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International Medical Corps is a global first responder that delivers emergency medical and related services to those affected by conflict, disaster and disease, no matter where they are, no matter the conditions. We also train people in their communities, providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, we are a nonprofit with no religious or political affiliation, and now have more than 8,000 staff members around the world, 96% of whom are locally hired. Since our founding, we have operated in more than 80 countries, and have provided more than $4.2 billion in emergency relief and training to communities worldwide.
Our staff includes experts in emergency medicine, infectious disease, nutrition, mental health, maternal and infant health, gender-based violence prevention and treatment, training, and water, sanitation and hygiene, all within the humanitarian context.
To arrange an interview on or off the record, contact our Media Relations team at media@internationalmedicalcorps.org.