Baby formula for HIV+ teen mothers in Lima, Peru

Dear Friends of VIDA,

VIDA Peru’s warehouse is filling up fast! Five containers carrying hospital beds, exam tables, walkers and crutches, along with other equipment and lifesaving supplies have arrived in Lima over the past three months. In addition 2 air shipments of antibiotic medicine has also arrived to be distributed throughout greater Lima.  These donations total over $6 million and will be distributed to over 20 clinics and hospitals including programs that work with patients suffering from HIV. 

Beds and other equipment are an important donation that honors the dignity of every human being while also improving the morale of healthcare workers who struggle everyday just to provide basic care.  Even access to sterile gloves and gowns makes a huge difference in the lives of the healthcare professionals.  Thank you for making this donation possible.  VIDA is also working on a special program that will address the devastating impact that El Nino will have on those living in poverty.  While El Nino may help the drought crisis on the west coast of the United States, It unfortunately will result in torrential rains that will wash away roads and rail lines and have an adverse impact on the local economies.  In addition, El Nino has also resulted in severe flooding and landslides that has taken many lives as well as destroying homes and businesses in the most vulnerable communities.  VIDA is working with Paz Peru to produce thousands of kits for families that will contain first aid equipment, clothing and blankets.  These kits will be distributed beginning in December 2015.

Your support makes all of this lifesaving work possible.

The warehouse is full in Lima! Five containers carrying 50 hospital beds, 75 exam tables, 2,000 walkers and crutches, along with a sundry of other equipment and supplies have arrived in Lima over the past two months.  These donations will be distributed to over 40 clinics and hospitals including programs that work with patients suffering from HIV.  Each of these hospital beds alone have a useful life of over 30 years.  

Sadly, many of these hospitals do not have even beds for their patients to convalesce.  Beds and other equipment are an important donation that honors the dignity of every human being while also improving the morale of healthcare workers who struggle everyday just to provide basic care.  Even access to sterile gloves and gowns makes a huge difference in the lives of the healthcare professionals.  Thank you for making this donation possible.  Also included in the shipment were antibiotics that will help alleviate the immediate suffering of tens of thousands of patients who are fighting infection.  Infections are a systemic problem due to poor sanitation and other risk factors associated with poverty.

We are also excited to announce that VIDA summer intern Gabriella Fleischman will be working in the VIDA Peru warehouse. Gabriella will be working with the Peruvian staff to document in pictures and in words our amazing work. 

On the heels of four ocean containers and one airlift carrying over $5 million in aid to Lima, VIDA is shipping out three containers of medical supplies and two air shipments of medicine to Lima.   The three containers are filled to capacity with hospital beds, baby cribs, wheelchairs, surgical kits along with thousands of boxes of much needed medical supplies.   Included in the shipment is a very generous donation from UCSF Benieoff Children”s Hospital which has opened a new hospital in San Francisco.  UCSF is donating all of the equipment and supplies housed in the old hospital to VIDA.

These donations will be distributed to over 20 clinics and hospitals including programs that work with patients suffering from HIV. This donation will benefit tens of thousands of patients who are too poor to be able to receive medical treatment.  La Comunidad de Ninos Sagrada Familia in Ventanilla, Peru is receiving one of the containers and will receive a portion of the medicine.  This orphanage houses and educates over 800 children ranging in age from birth to 16 years old. 

 VIDA is working hard to surpass our 28 shipments to Peru in 2014 and have set a goal of 32 shipments in 2015.  This incredible program would not be possible without your support!

Two containers carrying over $1.5 million in aid arrived in the port of Callao Peru on November 1, 2014.  In addition two containers from the VIDA warehouse carrying over $1 million in aid and one container carrying $1 million in aid from our partner Direct Relief will be leaving for Peru to resupply VIDA projects in Lima, Cuzco, and the Antiplano region near Arequipa.  Beneficiaries range from the large urban Lima pediatric hospital Asociación de Damas Hospital Emergencias Pediátricas to the rural clinic serving single mothers and their children Policlinico Belen in Cuzco.   The shipments contain hospital beds, gurneys, exam tables, crutches, walkers and over 1,000 boxes of medical supplies ranging from gloves to sutures to surgical kits. These shipments could not be possible without the work of VIDA Volunteers who work at the VIDA warehouse in Emeryville California sorting donated medical supplies.  The volunteers sort out expired goods, liquids and medicine. To learn more about volunteering at VIDA please visit our website at www.vidausa.org.  We welcome both individuals and large groups.  Thank you for making our mission possible this year and in the future!

Links:

• Learn about volunteering at VIDA

22 members of the HRMM medical team from Antioch, California have the hit streets of downtown Lima at the doorsteps of the birthplace of St. Martin Deporres.  The team is comprised of doctors and nurses who will provie care to over one thousand patients at the VIDA project "Casa Hogar.".  

The Team provies basic Internal Medicine and will be focusing on youth and the elderly, as Casa Hogar runs both youth and senior programs.  The team will set up shop right in the street with tents to care in Lima's poorest neighborhoods. The VIDA team faciliated the transportation of over $250,000 in medicine and supplies to be used during the two week mission.  In addition, four 5th year peruvian medical students have joined the mission to hone their skills and learn from physicians and nurses who work at some of the most presitgous medical schools in the United States.  These students are working on a program to establish ongoing care  after the medical team leaves.  

In addition, VIDA's container is due to arrive August 1, 2014.  The shipment is carrying medical equipment and supplies to outfit the clinic. The shipment is carrying  hundreds of walkers, canes and other ambulatory items that will provide mobility to the program's senior citizens. This effort is the result of the hard work of VIDA Peru, HRMM, Peruvian Ministry of Health, San Francisco Consul General of Peru and VIDA USA.