Life has been incredibly difficult for Ukrainians since the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Millions have been forced to flee the fighting—losing loved ones, their homes, their schools and jobs. Many of them are now suffering from long-term stress caused by traumatic events, which can have negative impacts on their mental health. This …
The Russian invasion of February 2022 has reshaped every aspect of life in Ukraine. For the country’s Roma community—a distinct ethnic group with an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 members in Ukraine—the impacts have been uniquely devastating. Already facing uphill struggles due to widespread racism, poverty, overcrowded housing and limited access to education and healthcare, the …
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many thousands of civilians and veterans have lost limbs to missile and drone attacks, landmines and artillery. One human rights organization has estimated that there are now between 20,000 and 50,000 war amputees in Ukraine. This surge in amputation cases has led to a rapidly expanding demand for physical …
Some communities among the indigenous Warao people living in Venezuela’s Delta Amacuro state live in areas so remote that the only way to access them is to take a boat along the Orinoco River. The colossal river flows into the Atlantic at the Orinoco Delta, where the river branches into a network of channels and …
On July 4, while people in the United States were celebrating Independence Day, Jamaica was beginning its recovery from Hurricane Beryl. The Category 4 storm had not made direct landfall, yet it made digital and in-person communications nearly impossible, as almost all Jamaicans were without power and roads were covered in debris. Under these conditions, …
Even the missile attack in Kyiv on July 8 did not slow their progress. When an air-raid alarm sounded during their meeting at the City Hotel that Monday morning, members of our Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team and the other participants (including the Coordination Center for Mental Health under the Cabinet of Ministers …
International Medical Corps’ Humanitarian Response Training Unit (HRTU) is responsible for strengthening the capacity of humanitarians, helping NGOs and governments to become better first responders. Twice a year, the HRTU team holds training simulations for senior staff members from any US government agency that interacts with our largest donor, the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), …
Promoting Hygiene in Yemen Yemen is experiencing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Eight years of conflict, compounded by economic collapse, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have left some 80% of the country struggling to put food on the table and access essential services. Our Yemen team conducts hygiene promotion sessions and facilitates …
As a senior advisor for International Medical Corps today, William Garvelink is an invaluable “go-to” person for the organization during complex humanitarian emergencies. But throughout his decades-long career with the US government, International Medical Corps was his “go to”—an invaluable NGO partner during the famine in Somalia, the civil war in Angola, genocide in Rwanda …
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified humanitarian organization and premier first responder International Medical Corps as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1 provider, capable of deploying quickly and providing medical services in response to a disaster anywhere in the world. The WHO created the EMT concept to standardize medical deployments in the event …