Sat Aug 29

Nepal Need: MAP International Ships $11 Million in Medical Relief to Earthquake Victims, But It’s a Long Road

Written by Pitch Engine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mitch Leff, (404) 861-4769, mitch@leffassociates.com

$1 Donation Equals $60 in Medicines Delivered to People in Need

ATLANTA (August 28, 2015) -- The headlines around the earthquake in Nepal have faded, but the need for relief there continues. Global health relief organization MAP International (www.map.org) continues to provide critical medical supplies to those in need in Nepal’s earthquake zone, this week shipping $11.7 million in medical supplies. The shipment includes bandages and pain relievers, vitamin B, antibiotics and more.

“The earthquake in Nepal captured the public’s attention and generated a strong donor response for some weeks, but while the news spotlight has shifted the need to supply medical relief there hasn’t,” said Steve Stirling, president and CEO of MAP International. “MAP is still working to secure medical relief supplies and financial donations to support our work there.”

Medical Supplies Travels A Circuitous Route to Nepal

But getting relief from the U.S. to Nepal can be a challenge, involving multiple stops and months of travel. MAP’s experienced logistics team works to get supplies into areas of need while balancing speed and cost.

The shipment was packed at MAP’s distribution center in Brunswick, Ga.
It then moved by truck to a ship at the Port of Savannah.
The supplies will travel by sea in a 20-foot container.
Travel time overall is at least two and a half months.
The supplies will stop in two countries, Oman and India, before arriving in Nepal in November.

A $1 donation allows MAP to ship $60 worth of essential medicines and supplies to those in most need. The nonprofit’s pharmaceutical partners, which include Johnson & Johnson and Merck, donate medicine and supplies or provide them at reduced cost, which allows any donation to go much further.

This shipment was funded through the efforts of Rotary Clubs in the Atlanta area. It will be distributed through MAP’s partner on the ground in Nepal, Convoy of Hope.

MAP’s efforts continue in other counties as well:

In Africa, $3 million in general medical relief to Ethiopia arrived in late July. The Central African Republic has received 90 MAP Medical Mission Packs that will treat 60,000 people. This $2 million shipment was sent in partnership with nonprofit American Leprosy Missions. MAP continues to restock clinics in West Africa that saw their supplies of medicines exhausted during the Ebola outbreak
In South America and the Caribbean, Haiti received a shipment of 35 MAP Medical Mission Packs. Each pack will treat 700 people. Honduras has received $4.3 million (weighted average cost value) in medicines and general medical needs from May through July. $1.3 million in medicines and other medical needs has been shipped by sea to El Salvador.

About MAP International: MAP International is a global health organization that partners with people living in conditions of poverty to save lives and build healthier families and communities. Known for its 99% efficiency rating, MAP provides medicines, prevents disease and promotes health to create real hope and lasting change. www.map.org

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Authors: Pitch Engine