1. Paid Advertising Insert
Healthy people. Better world.
A CHILD SLEEPS AT MUANG SING HOSPITAL IN LAOS • BRYAN WATT
WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG

2. 2 INDEPENDENT ADVERTISING INSERT FINANCIALS NOVEMBER 20, 2003 WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG NOVEMBER 20, 2003 NEWS INDEPENDENT ADVERTISING INSERT 3
Top Ranked in Efficiency,
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
10 Accountability, and Leadership by:
Direct Relief Invited to Advise
UN Officials in Geneva
DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL’S FINANCES
Susan Fowler, Director of Programs, recently attended the Executive
Committee meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner on
STRICT BOARD OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNANCE: Direct Relief's operations Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland. Several non-governmental
are conducted in conformance with an annual operating budget that is vetted and
1
organizations from around the globe were asked to participate in the
approved by its 30-member Board of Directors, which includes several former or consultation sessions which were designed to provide a dialog between
current CEOs/COOs and top executives of leading U.S. and international the U.N. and the agencies that operate and implement services for
companies, five MBAs from schools including Harvard and Stanford, executives refugees. Topics discussed included issues of security, health, and long-
with over 130 collective years in the investment business, and three accomplished term “durable solutions” for refugees, such as repatriation, integration,
attorneys. All Board members are unpaid and sign conflict-of-interest agreements. and resettlement.
PHOTO COURTESY UNHCR / L. TAYLOR
For over ten years, Direct Relief has worked with numerous U.N.
ADHERENCE TO NATIONWIDE STANDARDS: Direct Relief is registered
2
agencies, including UNICEF, UNWRA, and UNHCR. The most recent
with the appropriate authority in each U.S. state that requires a registration for partnership with UNHCR involved assisting Congolese refugees, who
soliciting support or conducting operations (currently 35). We believe this is were displaced due to civil strife, at Kawambwa District Hospital in
important as people increasingly research organizations on the web and make northern Zambia. The talks in Geneva provided an opportunity for
online charitable donations. Direct Relief to explore additional avenues to partner with UNHCR
around the world. Two areas of need discussed included the plight of
ACCOUNTABILITY: Direct Relief International meets the Better Business Highlights through October 31, 2003 Colombian refugees in Ecuador and Venezuela, as well as refugees living
in camps throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
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Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability. The
Alliance reports on national charities and determines if they meet voluntary Cash received $1,832,947
standards on matters such as charity finances, appeals, and governance. For
MOTHER AND CHILD AT A REFUGEE CAMP IN TANZANIA
more information, visit www.give.org. Wholesale value of medical product received $72,370,396
Leverage ratio YTD (wholesale value of aid for each dollar received) $39
INDEPENDENT AUDIT: The Executive and Finance Committees of the
Board meet monthly to review financial activities, investments, and overall Average monthly cost to operate Direct Relief $200,000
4
agency practices. The Executive and Finance Committees retain and meet
with an independent public accounting firm that conducts the annual audit Number of employees 29
and consults with the auditor, independent of any staff including the CEO and
Controller, to discuss findings. Direct Relief’s Controller is a Certified Public
Decrease in staff (from October 1999 to October 2003) 3%
Accountant with over 15 years of professional experience, including significant Increase in productivity (percent increase in value of aid provided Jan 1999 – Oct 2003) 51%
nonprofit accounting and financial-management experience.
Thank you for taking a moment to learn about Direct Relief International.
STAFF COMPENSATION: The compensation of all Direct Relief staff mem- Year-End Donations Matter... This newsletter describes how we work, our recent activities, and the effects of our efforts. Most importantly, this
5
newsletter describes what we do with the money and material that is entrusted to us.
bers is benchmarked each year against a survey of nonprofit compensation lev-
els throughout Southern California and information from the Bureau of Labor Direct Relief’s work is simple conceptually, though often complicated logistically. We provide medicines, equipment,
Statistics. All staff salaries, including that of the CEO, are consistent with and supplies so indigenous doctors, nurses, and midwives in poor areas of the world can care for patients who otherwise
those of the regional nonprofit sector for similar positions. REQUIRED would go without. We aim to provide the right material, to the right people, at the right time – with timing being
particularly important in emergency situations such as those that have occurred in Iraq and Liberia this year.
BY DECEMBER 31 TO MEET
BUDGETED EXPENSES The extensive support we receive from U.S. healthcare companies, which donate tens of millions of dollars worth
LEADER IN EFFICIENCY AMONG ALL U.S. NONPROFITS: The of their world-leading products to Direct Relief, enables us to leverage our modest cash budget to an extraordinary
November/December issue of Consumers Digest ranks "Program Spending $2,537,291 degree. We rely on private contributions – not government support – and for each dollar we spend, we typically
6
Efficiency" of Leading U.S. Charities. Direct Relief is one of only five chari- provide between $25-30 worth of medical material assistance (wholesale value) that have been specifically request-
table organizations nationwide that receives a 99 percent or better rating. ed by a partner organization.
Forbes magazine cited Direct Relief as one of only four U.S. charities with 100
percent efficiency ratings in its December 2002 review. Worth magazine
RAISED But product donations do not address fully all the needs of our partner organizations and their patients, so we buy
named Direct Relief one of “America’s Best 100 Charities” for efficiency and BY SEPTEMBER 30 as many of the life-saving basic medicines and supplies that are necessary and within our budget. Our partner
organizations, in addition to providing much needed clinical care, are also leaders in the essential areas of public
quality of work in its December 2001/January 2002 edition.
$1,719,333 health education, disease prevention, and maternal and child health. Direct Relief’s material support allows them
to redirect whatever scarce funds they have to these high-impact programs that address the causes of poor health,
7
not just treat the symptoms.
LAUDED BY WATCHDOG GROUPS: Charity Navigator gives Direct Relief its
highest rating (four stars), and the American Institute of Philanthropy gives Direct One in five people worldwide tries to live on less than a dollar a day, and millions of people die needlessly each year
Relief an A- grade. (See www.charitynavigator.org and www.charitywatch.org) from preventable or easily treatable conditions. Because the challenge is so great, and our resources so limited, Direct Relief Featured
we are compelled to look for increasing efficiency in every aspect of our work.
in National Ad Campaign
I’m pleased to report that Consumers Digest, Forbes, Charity Navigator, and the American Institute of Philanthropy rate
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PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: The Strategic Planning Committee of the
Direct Relief among the most efficient of any charitable organizations in the United States. Also, the Better Business
Board oversees three-year forward-looking plans, which contain measurable Bureau has evaluated Direct Relief International and determined that we meet the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards Direct Relief is featured in a national advertising campaign that has
goals and objectives and serve as the basis for the annual operating budgets, for Charity Accountability. The Alliance reports on national charities and determines if they meet voluntary standards on appeared in TIME Magazine, The Economist, and Scientific American. The
staffing levels, and capital investments. matters such as charity finances, appeals, and governance. These independent evaluations are important to assure those full-page advertisement, paid for by BD (Becton, Dickinson and
who donate their hard-earned money to us that we are good stewards of their money. As important, it shows that our Company) of New Jersey, highlights the company’s partnership with Direct
9 TRUSTED BY LEADING CORPORATIONS: Product donations have
increased 67 percent during the period January 1 to September 30 from last
year - $69.8 million in 2003 vs. $41.7 million in 2002.
REMAINING AMOUNT NEEDED:
$817,958 $ work is focused intensely on helping people who were born or thrust by events into vulnerable situations that prevent
them from enjoying the wonders of a healthy life. We consider it a privilege to do so.
Your support makes a genuine difference in the lives of people who face enormous challenges and hardships.
Please help if you can.
Relief to bring medical aid to people in countries afflicted by poverty or
natural disaster.
Edward Ludwig, the President and CEO of BD, in a letter to our organization
wrote, “In these uncertain times, it is as important as ever to honor the needs
of all people around the world, and remember that each of us can play a part
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THE IMPORTANCE OF YEAR-END DONATIONS!: Direct Relief’s in improving the quality of life … Thanks to the work of Direct Relief, a
ability to operate depends heavily on year-end donations. In each of significant difference is being made in the wake of disasters throughout the
the past two years, Direct Relief has received more than one-third of world where otherwise there would be little hope.”
Thomas Tighe
its total cash contributions during the final eight weeks of the year. SHAREHOLDERS MEETING AND SYMPOSIUM: President & CEO
PLEASE LOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS Direct Relief is honored by BD’s decision to highlight its longstanding part-
ANNUAL EVENT TO BE HELD ON MARCH 3RD. nership in its national “Trust Partners” ad campaign. To read more on BD’s
“Trusted Partners” campaign, visit the company’s website: www.bd.com.

3. 4 INDEPENDENT ADVERTISING INSERT PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS NOVEMBER 20, 2003 WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG NOVEMBER 20, 2003 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INDEPENDENT ADVERTISING INSERT 5
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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL’S
PROGRAMS
Prevention
1
OUR APPROACH: Direct Relief’s programs equip indige-
nous health professionals so they can care for people in
need without regard to politics, religion, gender, race, or
ability to pay.
OUR PARTNERS: Direct Relief International’s network of and Education:
2
partners includes more than 500 organizations, persons, and
facilities in over 65 countries and is made-up of in-country
partner organizations, healthcare institutions, international
service clubs, including Rotary International and Lions Clubs The Foundation of Good Health
PHOTO COURTESY PHOTOSHARE - WWW.PHOTOSHARE.ORG
International, and other nongovernmental organizations.
PHOTO COURTESY AYACUCHO MEDICAL MISSION
HOW WE DECIDE: Partner organizations are selected
D irect Relief’s assistance program places a high priority on strengthening indigenous mater-
3
using ten selection criteria and either strong referrals from
nal and child health care. We do this in partnership with facilities and organizations that
trusted sources or our previous experience. Criteria include
provide quality clinical services and, as importantly, are leaders in the public health roles of
the extent of need, the skill of providers and the quality of
education, awareness, and disease prevention.
services, the inclusion of preventive and educational ele-
ments, and emphasis on maternal and child health.
At the request of several of our in-country partner organizations, Direct Relief developed a series
of posters (below) to reinforce basic health messages critically important to healthy children:
4
HOW WE HELP: Direct Relief provides medicines, equip-
pre-natal care, breastfeeding, weight monitoring of infants, and immunization. Direct Relief also
ment, supplies, and nutritional supplements to approved
has prepared a Spanish language educational poster with funding provided by Johnson &
partner organizations based on their specific requests and
Johnson to provide basic information about diabetes, a matter of growing concern in Latin
local circumstances.
America, including diet and lifestyle choices. These simple educational tools are placed in clin-
ics to educate visitors and foster a discussion between staff and patients.
WHY IT MATTERS: Financing health services in poor coun-
tries is extremely difficult. Where patients lack funds, govern-
Two series of posters were created for Latin American and African countries. The African
5
ments are broke, and no private health insurance exists, not
posters are in English and French, and the Latin American posters are in English and Spanish.
enough money is available to procure basic supplies and main- A MOTHER WAITS FOR CARE FOR CHILD WITH CLEFT LIP AT AYACUCHO REGIONAL HOSPITAL
The Asia series is coming soon!
tain a staffed health facility or prevention program. Direct
TWO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS PERFORMING A WELL-BABY EXAM AT A CLINIC IN UGANDA
Relief’s material support enables the professionals to work, the
Peru: Notes from the Field
patients to receive care, and scarce funds to be invested in staff
and education and prevention efforts.
WHY ELSE IT MATTERS: Health has intrinsic value for
every person, but it is also essential for people to learn,
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work, and make a living. Trained health professionals in DAN SMITH, Senior Program Officer
poor countries represent the most important part of the
healthcare infrastructure – and Direct Relief’s support
A yacucho is one of the poorest areas in Peru, according to the World Health Organization, with only one
ARTWORK COURTESY JOHNSON & JOHNSON
enables them to stay productively engaged and their physician for every 12,000 persons. Located in the mountains of Southern Peru, Ayacucho was one of the
patients to receive needed care. principal battlegrounds between the Peruvian government and the Shining Path guerrilla movement.
Although some guerrilla activity still remains and continues to be a problem, Ayacucho is attempting to
7
ARTWORK BY MICHELLE ONSTOT
SHARED INVESTMENT: To ensure a shared stake in the rebuild its shattered economy and improve its healthcare system.
assistance, in-country partner organizations are asked to
assume responsibility for some costs, if possible, such as in- Constructed in 1964, the Ayacucho Regional Hospital has 239 beds and over 550 employees. As the largest
country transportation and logistics. hospital in the state, it serves the city of Ayacucho and receives referrals from throughout the region. The
Ayacucho Medical Mission, an independent, U.S.-based support organization founded eight years ago by
DISASTER RELIEF AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: current president Dr. Ralph Kuon, recruits dozens of physicians, surgeons, nurses, translators, and other
8
The same programmatic principles apply whether providing medical professionals who pay their own way to volunteer at the regional hospital.
ongoing assistance or disaster relief: we must know specifi-
cally what is required, who is responsible, how the material The patient population served by the hospital is the lowest socio-economic stratum in the country, with the majority
will be used, and whether there is a secure logistics channel. of the patients being subsistence farmers or workers from Peru’s informal work sector. Many others are homeless or live
The main difference in emergencies is that time is of the in isolated regions and may have never previously seen a physician.
essence, and the process is accelerated.
LEADING COMPANIES TRUST US: Direct Relief
I recently stayed with the Ayacucho Mission group for one week as a translator; when I arrived with the other vol-
unteers, we were welcomed by the Mayor of Ayacucho, the Hospital Director, the Regional Medical Director, and Here at Home: Preparedness and Emergency Response
9 receives significant product donations from dozens of
healthcare companies, including Johnson & Johnson,
Merck, Pfizer, Abbot Laboratories, BD, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and Alcon.
OUR QUALIFICATIONS: Direct Relief is a
several staff physicians and nurses. It was clear that both hospital administration and staff supported the services
offered by the Ayacucho Medical Mission.
During my time at the hospital, I observed that the patients were diagnosed and treated carefully and that surgeries
were carried out in a professional manner. Surgical patients received pre-op check-ups and post-op care with blood
tests provided through the Mission laboratory. In addition to surgeries and outpatient consultations, other services
D irect Relief International announced in September that it
will coordinate a county-wide education and outreach
effort to prepare vulnerable county residents to cope with
emergencies and disasters.
The Vulnerable Populations Program was originally launched in
2000 by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department as
a pilot project to address the needs of those who will be unable
to act independently during an emergency or disaster. Due to
California’s state budget crisis, the county was not able to con-
tations to targeted sites. The program will help facilities and
individuals to create customized disaster preparedness plans and
will encourage mutual aid agreements with local facilities and
agencies to assist one another in case of emergency or disaster.
licensed wholesale pharmacy, and our staff has vast included diabetes education, dental screenings, Pap smears, and nightly community health talks. I also observed An estimated 40,000 residents of Santa Barbara County - tinue the program. With coordination efforts spearheaded by For decades, Direct Relief has been involved in local emergency
experience in international health projects. The thousands of doses of Direct Relief-supplied medicines were provided to patients who would not have been able to
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nearly one in ten - are considered vulnerable in the event Direct Relief and an initial grant by the Santa Barbara preparedness and response in Santa Barbara County and
Program Committee of the Board of Directors, afford them were it not for the Mission. of a disaster. Among those in our home community who Foundation, the program is now able to continue providing pre- throughout California, as well as other regional healthcare ini-
which provides general programmatic direction will be in need of special attention if a disaster strikes are paredness instruction to facilities that already work with the vul- tiatives. Direct Relief has constructed disaster preparedness
and oversight, is chaired by a physician who ran a The Ayacucho Mission, which Dr. Ralph Kuon initiated and has continued to direct, is impressive. It is a continu- residents of nursing homes, home-based care recipients, nerable populations and will begin outreach to other facilities as structures at more than two dozen local schools, participated in
charitable health clinic in Latin America. (Visit ing and successful program which provides professional medical services to people who are desperately in need. frail seniors, people with short term acute or chronic phys- well as target programs serving children and the developmental- county-wide disaster drills, provided dental care for 3,200 low
www.directrelief.org to see the full list of our Partnerships such as these allow Direct Relief to provide ongoing medical support to indigenous healthcare systems, ical illnesses, and those with disabling acute or chronic ly disabled. Along with preparedness efforts, Vulnerable income and homeless children, donated 22,500 personal
credentials and qualifications.) which is one of our most important programmatic goals. mental illnesses. Direct Relief has begun to coordinate a Populations Program Coordinator Christienne Durbin oversees hygiene kits for the county’s indigent population, and provided
countywide education and outreach effort to prepare these the training of AmeriCorps volunteers from the local American surgical instruments and pharmaceuticals to low-income pri-
Dan Smith, M.A., is Direct Relief’s Senior Program Officer for Latin America. He has worked for the agency for fifteen years. individuals for emergencies and disasters. Red Cross and Direct Relief's own volunteers to assist in presen- mary care clinics throughout California.

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Iraq Helping Restart Health Services Cambodia:
Notes from the Field
KELLY DARNELL, Program Officer
D uring the tragic reign of the Khmer Rouge, many Cambodian
PHOTO COURTESY HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
health facilities were destroyed and countless medical profes-
sionals were either killed or escaped, never to return. After decades
of conflict, only a handful of medical professionals remained in the
country and the medical education system lacked qualified teach-
ers and a strong curriculum. Approximately 52 percent of the 12
million Cambodians are under the age of 18. For parents, finding a
trained healthcare provider for their children is often impossible.
During my assessment trip to Cambodia, I visited one of Direct
Relief’s newest partner facilities, the Angkor Hospital for
Children (AHC) in Siem Reap. AHC was founded in 1999 to
provide services to the children of northern Cambodia, who
PHOTO COURTESY AHC
KELLY DARNELL
historically have had very little access to health care, and to
serve as a center for the further education and clinical training
of Cambodian medical professionals.
Staffed by a team of healthcare professionals from around the
DR. KONDE HAND-PICKING SURGICAL EYE INSTRUMENTS DURING CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION PRESENTING DIRECT RELIEF MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO ST. RAPHAEL HOSPITAL IN BAGHDAD. world, the hospital provides outpatient and inpatient services,
HIS VISIT TO DIRECT RELIEF FROM LEFT: REP. VIC SNYDER (AK), REP. MIKE ROGERS (AL), REP. BARON HILL (IN), REP. ROB SIMMONS (CT), SISTER MARYANNE,
REP. MADELEINE BORDALLO (GUAM), REP. STEVE KING (IA), REP. MAC THORNBERRY (TX), REP. GRESHAM BARRETT (SC), REP. TOM COLE (OK) basic surgery, and 24-hour emergency care to approximately
5,000 children each month. In addition to caring for children, A STAFF MEMBER FROM ANGKOR HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN (AHC) CONDUCTS A COMMUNITY HEALTH VISIT.
Congo D.R. Direct Relief has been responding to the situation in Iraq with med-
ical support to health facilities in Baghdad, Nazirieh, and Basra.
Since the end of the war, Direct Relief has provided 11 shipments of
pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and equipment, val-
months, the hospital has experienced a significant increase in its
workload due to the war, immediate postwar looting of other facil-
ities, and increased health needs of the city’s residents. The hos-
pital is recognized as providing state-of-the-art healthcare for Iraq
the hospital also offers hands-on pediatric training to
Cambodian healthcare workers. When the hospital first
opened, Cambodian doctors and nurses worked one-on-one
with volunteer doctors and nurses from countries such as the
zation that sends volunteer healthcare professionals from the
United States to health facilities around the world. Dr. Alia
Antoon, a pediatrician from Boston’s Mass General with a spe-
any treatment modifications. What struck me most as we arrived
at each home was how visibly surprised and grateful each family
was to be receiving such personal follow-up care for their child.
Direct Relief ued at more than $10.5 million wholesale, all from private sources.
Direct Relief’s efforts, though private, are conducted in coordination
but still falls short of what is considered a standard health facility
in the United States as essential drugs and supplies continue to be
U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Today, these same Cambodian
doctors and nurses are training their junior colleagues.
cialty in pediatric burns, was the HVO doctor stationed at the
facility during my visit. I spent a day with Dr. Antoon and sever- In June 2003, Direct Relief sent its first shipment to AHC which
al nurses visiting rural communities to follow-up on recently dis- included an incubator, exam lights, pediatric stethoscopes,
Supports Leading with and approved by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. in short supply. Direct Relief's assistance to St. Raphael Hospital
has included children's and adult multivitamins, antibiotics, drugs AHC came to the attention of Direct Relief through one of our
U.S.-based partner organizations, Health Volunteers Overseas
charged patients who had been treated for burns and malnutrition.
As their children were weighed and examined, the parents talked
neonatal blood pressure cuffs, antibiotics, burn dressings, and
one of their most-needed items, a one-year supply of soy-based
Eye Doctor S r. Maryanne, director of St. Raphael Hospital in Baghdad,
writes, "By this letter I would like to express to you our deep-
est feelings of gratitude and thanks for your help…." The situation
for hypertension, oral rehydration salts, casting material, syringes
and needles, sutures, sterile gauze, and pain-relief medication. The
most recent aid to St. Raphael’s was delivered by a U.S. congres-
(HVO). HVO is a leading health education and training organi- to AHC staff about how their child was progressing and discussed protein powder supplement for malnourished children.
in Country in Baghdad remains critical and very dangerous as the city recov- sional delegation (CODEL), led by Rep. Mac Thornberry of
SHARIR CHAN
Guyana:
ers from a severe summer that had temperatures hovering around Texas. The assistance consisted of 1,222 lbs. of material, with a LEFT: PROGRAM OFFICER KELLY DARNELL MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER
SAM HINDS. BELOW: A GUYANESE BOY AT NEW AMSTERDAM HOSPITAL.
120 degrees, little security, no pure water, and limited electricity. In wholesale value of $250,000.
I n the Bas-Congo region of the Democratic Republic of
Congo (formerly Zaire), only three eye doctors serve a
population of over four million people. It is estimated that
the aftermath of the war, Baghdad was caught in a deadly cycle:
with no electricity to pump water, locals were breaking into under-
ground pipes allowing raw sewage to seep into the system. In some
With only 19 psychiatrists in Iraq and the prevalence of post-
traumatic stress syndrome in the general population, identifying
between 40,000 to 80,000 blind people live in the
province, with fifty percent of those cases due to cataracts.
areas, 80 percent of patients were experiencing some form of water-
born gastrointestinal infection, and many children suffered from
and treating patients with mental disease has become a large pub-
lic health concern. Direct Relief has been partnering with the
Freedom and Peace Trust, directed by Wasseem Kabbara, to pro-
Notes from the Field
The Boma Eye Hospital was founded in 1999 by Dr. Joseph vomiting and diarrhea, leaving them badly dehydrated. In order to
Konde, a Congolese national and U.S. board-certified doc- address these increasing health needs, Direct Relief International vide mental health professionals in Iraq with the pharmaceuticals
KELLY DARNELL, Program Officer
tor who completed his medical training at the University has been working closely with a number of facilities in Iraq, includ- they need to treat and maintain the health of thousands of trau-
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his ing Sister Maryanne’s St. Raphael Hospital. matized people. Psychotherapeutic agents provided by Direct
Doctorate of Ophthalmology from the University of
Zimbabwe. While his colleagues stayed in the United St. Raphael is a private, charitable hospital that has been operat-
Relief are being distributed to Iraqi physicians for use in mental
health wards including Al-Rashad hospital in Baghdad, the only
S ituated on the northeastern coast of South America, Guyana
is a sparsely populated country with just over 750,000 people.
The population is primarily a mix of Africans, East Indians, and
States and have established thriving practices, Dr. Konde ed by a Dominican Order of nuns for over 100 years. In recent dedicated mental health institution in the country.
Amerindians. Although the country’s healthcare system has The Amerindian communities in the interior have very little
chose to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo with
improved in recent years, many Guyanese, especially those living access to medical services since the majority of Guyana’s health
his wife and three daughters to provide medical care to the DIRECT RELIEF WOULD LIKE TO THANK PFIZER INC FOR ITS GENEROUS GRANT OF $25,000 TO SUPPORT OUR ONGOING
in the northern rainforest, still have very limited access to health facilities are located along the more densely populated coast of the
people of his native country. EFFORTS IN IRAQ. FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON OUR WORK IN IRAQ, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.DIRECTRELIEF.ORG.
care and suffer from high rates of communicable diseases and country. The Moraikobai Hospital is the principal healthcare facil-
nutritional deficiencies. The health system has also been partic- ity for the Amerindian villages within 100 miles. The small four-
With a staff of 15, the Boma Eye Hospital sees over 4,000
ularly hard hit by the “brain drain” that has been occurring for
patients each year and treats an additional 2,000 at its eight
Students and Parents room hospital is staffed by three nurses, one Peace Corps volunteer,
Bolivia
decades as Guyanese doctors and nurses leave for better pay and and a “Medex” named Thomas George, who has a level of training
outreach facilities. Financing the facility is exceedingly diffi-
working conditions in other countries. between a nurse and a doctor. Assigned to the village a little over
cult because only 25 percent of the patients have the
resources to pay for services. In 2002, the hospital and its
facilities performed over 600 eye surgeries, including 304
“Ride for a Reason” For 19 years, Direct Relief has been providing medical supplies to
a year ago, Thomas has already created a community health com-
mittee, helped establish a clean source of drinking water, and
strengthen local health efforts in Guyana. During my week-long worked to improve the level of services at the hospital through
cataract extractions. The hospital also runs a high-dose vita-
min A program that annually serves 15,000 children under
the age of five. Ninety percent of its patients receive care free
I n the summer of 2003, 25 participants joined in the “Ride for
a Reason” - a fundraising expedition by mountain bike from
the high Andes above La Paz, Bolivia, through descending
assessment trip, I visited seven Direct Relief-supported hospitals,
including our newest partner facility, the Moraikobai Hospital.
partnerships with organizations like Direct Relief and the Peace
Corps. In December 2003, Direct Relief will supply Moraikobai
with material assistance that includes a new exam/delivery table,
of charge even though the hospital receives virtually no sup- interior jungle and rainforest to Rurrenabaque, the center of After traveling three hours inland through the rainforest on inpatient beds, minor surgical instruments, quinine to treat malar-
port from the government. the Rio Beni Health Project. The expedition, a total of 300 Guyana’s Mahaicony River, I reached the village of ia, and antibiotics to treat upper-respiratory infections.
miles with a 13,000 foot drop in elevation, was led by Program Moraikobai. The majority of native Amerindians make their
In 2003, Direct Relief provided the Boma Eye Hospital with Manager Christopher Brady to raise critical funds for Direct home in this remote community. Most of them live in small During the final days of my visit, I had a series of meetings with
material assistance such as exam tables, wheelchairs, IV stands, Relief’s Rio Beni Health Project. The expedition also provided villages of palm-thatched huts and survive on subsistence agri- government officials, including Prime Minister Sam Hinds, First
exam lights, bandages, surgical gowns, ophthalmic antibiotics, the participants with a first-hand educational experience in culture, hunting, and fishing. The Amerindians have the high- Lady Uma Jagdeo, Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, and
MATT KETTMANN
ophthalmic sutures, and ophthalmic surgical kits. In addition, humanitarian aid, the Amazon rainforest and altiplano ecology est rates of low-birth-weight babies, malaria, and malnourished Guyana Peace Corps Director Earle Brown to discuss how Direct
Direct Relief has provided the hospital with 25 new manual and Bolivian culture, history and nature. We thank all 25 par- children in the country. In addition, they suffer from acute res- Relief can best help strengthen local Guyanese health services
beds, donated by Hill-Rom Company, to help expand inpatient ticipants, who not only completed this arduous physical feat
KELLY DARNELL
piratory illnesses and diarrheal-related diseases due to poor san- and prevention activities and reach out to more isolated health
care. Direct Relief-furnished equipment and supplies enable Dr. but together raised over $80,000 for the project. itation and lack of access to clean drinking water. facilities like the Moraikobai Hospital.
Konde to provide care and reallocate scarce cash to invest in
staff and conduct an outreach and education program, which For more information on the Rio Beni Health Project, the “Ride for a THE BOLIVIAN BIKE TEAM AT THE TOP OF THEIR MOST Kelly Darnell has been a Program Officer at Direct Relief International for four years. She previously served as a Health Care Educator
otherwise would not be possible. Reason” and its participants, please visit our website: www.directrelief.org. CHALLENGING ASCENT with the Peace Corps in Cote d’Ivoire.