Help Provide Health Care for Syrian Refugees

Project HOPE works with vulnerable groups with limited access to quality health care services around the world. Our response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis started in 2013 and since then we have provided more than $100 million of donated medicines, helping displaced children, women and men living in refugee camps.

Project HOPE has worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners in Macedonia to provide medicines and medical supplies to facilities and refugee camps. The project has provided quality medical care to refugees that are crossing through Macedonia.

The project supported refugees’ medical needs by building the skills of local health care workers and by providing quality primary care, medicines and supplies.

Project HOPE has delivered shipments of medical products and supplies to the Ministry of Health in Macedonia and it has provided medical services to the refugee populations in transit centers.

Medical volunteers provided quality primary medical care to thousands of refugees. Through our volunteer's support, over 9,000 patients received lifesaving care.

In the last few months, the support of medical services and medicines was put on hold as the number of refugees in the transit centers have significantly decreased. However, the government and Ministry of Health are preparing as they are expecting a new wave of migrants and refugees. Therefore, Project HOPE will work in collaboration with the government in the moment that is needed. We are on alert to continue the activities as soon as the need for Project HOPE’s health care services arises.

The need for medical attention and primary health care is still prevalent at the Refugee Transit Center, even though the movement of refugees remains stable.

The 4,356 hours from nine Project HOPE volunteers have allowed for the medical treatment of around 450 patients seeking medical attention.

For some it is only a daily checkup, but for others it is a constant visit because they face the challenge of having a chronic disease. While severe cases are sent to the nearest hospitals in Kumanovo or Gevgelija, there are still high volumes of refugees and migrants entering the Transit Center.

The team in Macedonia is working closely with the new Minister of Health and his closest advisors to assess the situation and focus efforts towards the most needed areas concerning the refugees.

More information on this will follow in the next few weeks while we are expecting from the Government to continue the state of crisis declaration on both borders for the upcoming period. 

Project HOPE is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the sustainable development of the healthcare systems throughout the world with the implementation of educational programs from various healthcare areas and the procurement of humanitarian help where it is most needed.

In Macedonia, there are Refugee transit centers on both borders. The number of refugees in Macedonia varies.Both transit centers in Macedonia, “Vinojug” in Gevgelija and “Tabanovce” in Kumanovo have a pretty well-equipped Ambulance Rooms whit every day available team of medical doctor and a nurse. The number of refugees is reduced to less than 100 people in each camp. Illegal border crossing is still an ongoing issue and many of the refugees captured are seeking for medical assistance and treatment in the ambulances.

Project HOPE is continuously working closely with the Ministry of Health of Republic of Macedonia to define the areas where help is most needed and where our help and expertise would have biggest impact.  

There are couple of ways HOPE is addressing this crisis:

1. Through the Medical re-supply program, where medicines and medical supplies are donated through the Ministry of Health to the Medical facilities directly affected by the crisis (the ambulance rooms within the Refugee Transit Centers on both borders, and the wards for refugees within the General Hospitals in Gevgelija and Kumanovo). The Ministry of Health and the health facilities are given lists of available products by Project HOPE, from which they can choose what is most needed. In addition, they are also submitting specific requests and sending it to Project HOPE. Therefore, 5 shipments of medical products and supplies were donated to Minitry of Health in Macedonia with a total value of more than $300,000 (American wholesale value). In addition, there was a shipment of vaccines donated to the Ministry of Health to cover all staff with Typhoid vaccine working at the centers.

2. Another component of the response is through the Volunteers Platform of Project HOPE. In order to help the Ministry to fill the lack of medical staff, rotations of teams of Project HOPE volunteers (medical doctor, nurse and logistician) are deployed at the Transit Centers Ambulance rooms and now hold shifts of 12 hours per day, approximately 23 days per month. Since the beginning of the crisis, more than 8,100 refugees and migrants have received medical treatment by 20 international and local volunteers who have generously provide 15,000 hours of volunteer work.

3. There are challenging living conditions in the Transit centers, such as malnutrition among the population, bad hygiene conditions, inappropriate waste disposal, extreme weather factors, presence of many insects and the risk of infectious diseases has increased. We are implementing the Health promotion project, which addresses the specific needs of women and children in the camp through workshops that will address the following: proper waste disposal, personal hygiene, dental hygiene as well as work as occupational therapy. A team of experts will be conducting the workshops in separate groups for children and women and will include age appropriate methods for both. As an example, a coloring book for children was developed and printed in both Farsi and Arabic language, labels for the garbage cans will be placed, and hygiene promotion posters will be posted in both languages within public areas and small hygiene packages will be distributed to the participants.

Links:

• http://www.projecthope.org/

As winter gets closer, the challenges for Syrian Refugees increase. The vulnerability of refugees is significant when there are lower temperatures. Their need for health support is critical especially during this season.

Project HOPE works with the most vulnerable groups within the global community. Our program began responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis since 2013 and has since shipped more than $100 million of donated medicines, helping displaced children, women and men living in refugee camps in Turkey. Now, with millions of refugees seeking aid in Europe, countries like Macedonia are working to provide safe shelter and assistance.

Project HOPE is working with the Ministry of Health and partners in Macedonia to provide medicines and medical supplies to facilities and refugee camps. Our program focuses on providing quality medical care to refugees that are crossing through Macedonia, which is one of the three most impacted Balkan countries involved in the refugee crisis.

We respond to the medical needs of refugees by:

Building the Skills of Local Health Care Workers

Providing Quality Primary Medical Care

Providing Medicines and Supplies

Recently, Project HOPE has delivered 6 shipments of medical products and supplies to the Ministry of Health in Macedonia in total value of more than $285,000.

A critical shipment of vaccines was donated to the Ministry of Health to cover all cleaning staff with Typhoid vaccine, at refugee camps where Project HOPE has been providing health services to the population.

Currently, there are 10 local medical volunteers providing quality primary medical care to refugees. The continuous support of the volunteers has provided opportunities for the Ministry of Health that lacks of medical staff in key health facilities such as the transit centers, were thousands of refugees receive medical care. Through our volunteer's support more than 8,200 patients have received lifesaving care.

As winter arrives, please help us to provide relief to refugees. Your contribution can make a significant change in their well-being. Improving the health of vulnerable people lies at the core of Project HOPE’s mission. With your collaboration Project HOPE can take action to respond to their need of quality health care services during this difficult season.

Project HOPE continues to provide lifesaving health care to those affected by the Syrian Refugee crisis in Macedonia. While our programs have reached thousands of refugees, the crisis is far from over. With the support of our donors, we can continue our work in Macedonia to help those suffering during this time.

To date, Project HOPE has delivered 5 shipments of medicines, valued at over $275,000. In addition, the 13 HOPE volunteers in Macedonia have provided more than 6,590 hours of care to refugees. Together with our donors, we have been able to provide thousands of refugees with the essential care they need. Thanks to your support 7-year old Syrian refugee Amina was able to receive the care she needed. Her story is just one of many that show the ways that Project HOPE is making a difference in the lives of refugees in Macedonia.

As we enter the last week of the GlobalGiving Refugee Matching Campaign, we encourage you to consider making a donation to help support our Syrian Refugee Relief Program. The campaign, which is matching donations at 50%, will go until Tuesday, August 16^th.  It is donors like you that make our programs possible, and we thank you for your generosity and support.