Beat Malaria

Support for the mission trip is really coming in! I'm so touched by the response of my family and friends. When I went home this past weekend, I was showered with much-needed supplies for my trip. I've gotten flashlights, water purifying tablets, a personal fan and a walkie-talkie! I also got mosquito nets, mosquito repellent and clothing that has already been treated with mosquito repellent. So, malaria - I'm ready for a fight!

Nearly one million people die of malaria every year. But, as we learn from George Clooney's bout with the disease, it doesn't have to be deadly if one has access to proper treatments. Clooney himself simply took medications for the disease, which includes flu-like symptoms such as shaking, the chills and fever and is carried by infected mosquitoes.

"This illustrates how with proper medication, the most lethal condition in Africa can be reduced to a bad ten days instead of a death," Clooney said.

International Medical Relief (IMR) provides critical education on how to prevent malaria as well as medicines for victims with malaria. Your donations can help save a life by allowing IMR to provide medicines for malaria victims and education on how to prevent getting malaria in the future by using bed nets, eliminating mosquito larva and much more.

Thanks to the generous donations of friends and family, I now have just about everything I need to protect myself from malaria. And everything from my original Amazon.com wish list has been donated. So, I went and made a new one! At this point, the team has begun tallying up donated supplies and many things are still missing. So, the new Amazon.com wish list is mostly made up of clinic supplies and medications. Please check out the new list and see if you can help.

Many thanks,

Ealena

Amazon.com Haiti Trip Wish List

Got my shots for the trip - OUCH! And not only because it feels like I've been punched really hard in each shoulder and can barely lift my arms, but also because they cost almost $300!

On a more serious note, the CDC recommends that travelers to Haiti get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and Typhoid - both are diseases that can be transmitted by ingestion of contaminated food and water. And clean water in Haiti can be hard to come by.

According to the CDC, even before the January 2010 earthquake devastated much of Port-au-Prince, many Haitians lived without access to basic water and sanitation services. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program, only 71% of Haitians living in urban settings had access to an improved drinking water source—household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected dug well, protected spring, or rainwater collection. Access for rural Haitians was even lower –only 55%. 

In addition, Haitians had limited access to resources that could turn any of these water sources into safe drinking water. Haitians' access to improved sanitation—connection to a public sewer or septic system, pour-flush latrine, simple pit latrine or ventilated improved pit latrine—was even more limited. Only 24% of urban Haitians had access to improved sanitation. Of Haitians living in rural Haiti (53% of the total population), only 51% had any type of sanitation coverage; an estimated 49% of rural Haitians rely on open defecation.

Around the world, thousands of children die every day of water-related diseases. Your gift to support my mission trip to Haiti can help save children from parasites, worms, dysentery, cholera and other life threatening diseases that they can get from contaminated water. Help us to provide life saving education on how to clean water and water purification techniques that can be used everywhere.


Thanks,
Ealena 

IMR helps thousands in need

International Medical Relief (IMR) started working in Haiti four days after the devastating earthquake in 2010. The catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leveling thousands of structures and killing hundreds of thousands of people. That year alone IMR sent 14 medical teams and 483 volunteers who treated nearly 28,000 patients.


In 2011, IMR continued to work in Haiti, especially as many NGO's were pulling out. The need for medical care still continues to be great. Demand for resources increased dramatically once the cholera outbreak began in October 2010. 

Patients waiting to be seen at IMR clinic

Throughout 2011 and 2012, IMR will complete 12 more trips. From 2,000 to 4,000 patients are treated on each trip depending on the size and composition of the team. 


Today, more than 550,000 people still live in the tent cities set up throughout the Haitian capital. Schools are being rebuilt, and some residents are now beginning to move out of the encampments, rediscovering a sense of community. But jobs and a sense of security remain elusive and cholera remains endemic. 

 

Here are some examples of how the volunteer team can use your donations. Every little bit helps.

Many thanks,

Ealena

$5	Mosquito-repellant
$10	Bottle of multivitamins
$10	One box of latex gloves
$12	International Medical Insurance
$15	Digital thermometer and probe covers
$20	Walkie Talkie
$30	TravelSheet/SleepSack
$30	Carry-on bag fee
$33	Fee for 1st checked bag
$40	Fee for 2nd checked bag
$35	Mosquito Bed Net Here's an easy way to make a donation. Use this button to access PayPal (I'm esc281@mac.com). Thanks for your generosity and support. Ealena

All medical volunteers on the Haiti trip are required to bring their own diagnostics and any equipment necessary to be effective at treating patients in the field according to our specialties. In addition, due to specific conditions in Haiti, participants must obtain supplies to protect from mosquitoes and keep in touch with one another to improve our own safety. I've made of list of some of these things I will need. Please check out my Amazon.com wish list!!! 


http://amzn.com/w/SS0LMVH8A7YR


Thanks, Ealena

Here's an easy way to make a donation.
Use this button to access PayPal (I'm esc281@mac.com).
Thanks for your generosity and support.
Ealena

Join me on a medical mission trip to Haiti!

     I’m writing to let you know about my upcoming mission to trip to Haiti in March. I would love for you to join my team!

     International Medical Relief has invited me to join a group of volunteers and medical professionals to provide free health care services and education to the people of Port au prince. This community is still suffering from the effects of the devastating earthquake two years ago.

     We will minister to their physical and emotional needs. Prayerfully, our work will plant the seeds of hope that will lead to a more promising future for the people of Haiti. To do so, we need the help of friends and family like you. Each team member must raise donations to cover personal expenses. As well, we are encouraged to raise donations of much-needed supplies.

     Please “join” the team by providing whatever support you feel led to share. And, of course, keep us in your prayers.

Many thanks,

Ealena