AmeriCares India Honored For Uttarakhand Flood Response

MUMBAI – Dec. 13, 2013 – Shri Surinder Singh Negi, Honorable Minister of Medical & Health, honored AmeriCares India Foundation for its response to the catastrophic flooding in Uttarakhand during a ceremony in Rudraprayag on Nov. 30. Mr. Negi handed over relief supplies donated by AmeriCares to the Chief Medical Officers (CMO) of Rudraprayag and Chamoli during the ceremony and thanked local volunteers, ASHA Members and NGO partners for their work on the recent disaster.

“AmeriCares has been in the forefront, offering medical aid to the survivors of the disaster since June 13. They were one of the first to come with help and one of the most consistent. The people of Uttarakhand will never forget the help offered by AmeriCares in these trying times,” Mr. Negi said.

AmeriCares India Foundation, a registered NGO from Mumbai, was one of the first to move in with health care support for the survivors of the Uttarakhand disaster. With more than three decades of emergency management experience, AmeriCares was quick to identify the need for providing quality primary care and nutritional supplements to thousands of survivors.

In response to the disaster, AmeriCares India has provided:

• Health Care Services for 9,200 survivors 
  Over the last six months the medical team from AmeriCares and partners conducted 86 health camps in the districts of Rudraprayag and Chamoli, providing free medicines to more than 9, 000 beneficiaries.
• Mother and Child Care Kits for 6,750 Survivors
  To support expectant mothers and their children with quality nutrition, AmeriCares distributed nearly 6,750 kits with a three-month supply of quality nutritional supplements.
• 4,000 Winter/Family Care Kits 
  AmeriCares provided 4,000 family and winter kits to protect more than 12,000 survivors from vector-borne diseases and extreme winters.
• 3,000 Clean Delivery Kits for Emergency Home Births
  To ensure safety of mother and child during emergency home deliveries, AmeriCares is providing 1,500 Clean Delivery Kits each in Rudraprayag and Chamoli.
• Equipment for 31 Health Care Facilities (Rudraprayag & Chamoli)
  AmeriCares is upgrading 31 health care facilities in Rudraprayag and Chamoli by providing them with labor tables, weighing machines, ambu-bags, vaccine carriers, refrigerators and incubators. 
• Safety Gear for 500 Road Construction Workers 
  AmeriCares has donated 500 sets of safety gear including helmets, boots, gloves and raincoats to protect construction workers working on roads in Rudraprayag district.
• School Stationery Kits for 500 children
  AmeriCares has donated special stationery kits for 500 school children in Rudraprayag.

AmeriCares has been working very closely with the government officials in Uttarakhand and has partnered with local NGOs to ensure relief supplies reach the right hands.

“AmeriCares is committed to saving lives and preserving the health of survivors in times of natural disasters of this nature. We are glad that with the cooperation of government officials, volunteers, partners and our donors we were able to make a difference in Uttarakhand,” said Mr. Shripad Desai, Managing Director of AmeriCares India Foundation.