As a longtime emergency care nurse, Mary-Jane (“MJ”) Perry has witnessed innumerable traumas. But it was a local incident—responding to a hit-and-run one block from her home in Sacramento, California—that “really hit home” and put her on the path to volunteering in responses to natural disasters around the world. In January 2018, MJ found a …
International Medical Corps has been active in the United States and its territories since 2005, responding to emergencies including Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, Shira Goldstein, Deputy Director of Country Planning and Programs for the US, talks about how responses in our home country differ from those in other countries. There are so …
When multiple wildfires broke out in Los Angeles in early January, International Medical Corps was very much there—staff members could clearly see the first fire, in the Pacific Palisades, from our office windows. These collective fires eventually burned a total of more than 16,000 homes, businesses and schools across 40,000 acres, displacing at least 200,000 …
Tuberculosis—also referred to as TB—is a bacterial infection that can cause serious illness or even death if left untreated. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease with a variety of symptoms. There are two types of TB, based on the sites of infection: pulmonary TB, which infects the lungs, and extra pulmonary (meaning outside the lungs) …
In rural Zimbabwe, women and girls are the primary water collectors. Before our team made improvements to water access and infrastructure in several villages there, this responsibility was so time-consuming that school-age girls missed 10 to 15 school days per year. Suan Kupuka, who now chairs her local water committee, describes life in her Bikita …
Somalia is prone to intense and frequent droughts, storms, floods and heat waves, which cause food, water and livelihoods insecurity, create a rise in water- and vector-borne illnesses and worsen the overall health and well-being of communities. Chronic insecurity and a lack of infrastructure make it hard to overcome these challenges. Our Water, Sanitation and …
In the youngest country in the world, people are resourceful, resilient and full of compassion, despite ongoing challenges—including conflict that is threatening to once again plunge the country into civil war. Since declaring independence in 2011, South Sudan has been subject to fighting, outbreaks of infectious disease and extreme weather events, such as recent flooding …
The ongoing civil war in Sudan has made access to clean water extremely difficult, especially in areas affected by fighting and displacement. The destruction of infrastructure and restrictions on movement have left many families struggling to secure enough water for daily use. The water crisis has forced women and children to take on the exhausting …
Starting in July 2024, the Far North region of Cameroon began experiencing excessive rainfall that led to swelling rivers and flooding—all of which worsened ongoing security issues in the area. The floods—which have impacted more than 400,000 people—have led to food insecurity and displacement, in addition to making healthcare much harder for communities to access. …
In Paktika province, located in southeastern Afghanistan on the border with Pakistan, thousands of families struggle daily for one of life’s necessities: clean water. In the rural districts of Urgon and Yousuf Khail, residents relied on distant sources—which are often contaminated with bacteria, sewage and other pollutants, leaving people vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Without proper …