water Archives - GlobalMedic

World Water Day 2021

Water is life. That’s what they say, right? We couldn’t agree more. Water is the most valuable resource we have, and this World Water Day 2021, we are Valuing Water more than ever.

World Water Day began in 1993, as one of the United Nations’ Observance Days, with the purpose of paying a little extra attention to this important conversation. This annual event may be happening virtually this March 22nd, but it is still with the ultimate goal of achieving clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, as SDG 6. This World Water Day, the UN is highlighting the endless possibilities of water and asking us all to look a little deeper at what water means to our lives.

Water has an imperative yet complex role in the global network. Access to clean water is a human right of all yet, it remains an ongoing crisis with over 2.1 billion people having inconsistent access. Lack of access to clean water is a vital piece of numerous global crises, so when clean water is more accessible, disease is reduced, global sanitation is improved, people are healthier, and the natural environment is better cared for. Water is not an infinite or replaceable resource – it requires careful use and protection, in order to be valuable to everyone. Right now, water is being misused, commoditized and monopolized, and it is not being valued for its potential benefit to everyone.

For the individuals experiencing crisis and disaster, clean water is a true rarity. Lack of access to clean water and bacteria-infected water has been an ongoing crisis in Bangladesh since the beginning of the refugee crisis in 2017. With more than 860,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh, the infrastructure is overwhelmed, and individual sanitation measures are compromised. Water is even less accessible and with the impending flooding from monsoon season, water is at even greater risk for cholera contamination. Refugees and host communities alike are experiencing inconsistent access to clean water as “more than 70% of households in Cox’s Bazar rely on tube-wells fitted with hand-pumps to collect their water”. “Recent water testing in several refugee camps found that at least 52% of hand-pumps show signs of e-coli contamination.”

GlobalMedic is responding.

In order to keep these communities safe and healthy, GlobalMedic provided 7,380 Family Emergency Kits to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in 2020. The kits contained hygiene items, a solar light and portable water purification system. The water purification system consists of two plastic buckets, one with a purifying system inside. The system offers a simple setup and allows portability, understanding that families may be displaced at any time but will always require access to clean water. Families rely on this system to provide them with the clean water they need for cooking, drinking, cleaning, washing and managing their daily lives. With this system, Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi families will decrease their likelihood of contracting cholera or other water-borne diseases and be better equipped to practice safe sanitation measures.

Water is an ongoing life-giving resource to individuals everywhere, but particularly in over-crowded places with underprepared infrastructures, such as refugee camps. GlobalMedic recognizes the multidimensional value of water worldwide and acts to ensure that everyone can access it. Because valuing water is about so much more than its monetary value and economic purposes – it is a source of life, health, prosperity and dignity. Today and every day, we need to truly understand the multiple and complex ways that water supports and affects life, if we are going to be able to protect it for years to come.

What does water mean to you? Join the conversation. #WorldWaterDay #WWD2021

Syrian Conflict Response

With the Syrian conflict entering its eleventh year, the devastation continues. Today, 13.4 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes. There are 6.7 million Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Syria and 6.6 million refugees in other countries around the world. Almost all of these refugees are living in neighbouring countries like Turkey and Lebanon, placing an added strain on resources there. 2.98 million people are located in hard-to-reach and besieged areas. 12.4 million Syrians are unable to meet their food needs of which 1.3 million are severely food insecure. 36% of the population currently rely on often unsafe alternatives to piped water. In north-west Syria alone, 630,000 IDPs urgently need continued humanitarian WASH assistance.

The ongoing Syrian conflict continues to force families to flee their homes. Often leaving at a moment’s notice, these families are unable to pack important materials to support themselves as they move to safer areas. These mobile populations face serious health and safety risks and are in desperate need of humanitarian support.

500,000+ PEOPLE KILLED

13,400,000 NEED SUPPORT

6.7 MILLION IDPs

GlobalMedic has been sending aid to Syria since 2014 and will continue to do so as long as the need exists. Our Water, Food, Medical, and Shelter programs have all been activated for this response.

Our primary focus is ensuring that families have access to clean drinking water and food. We distribute Family Emergency Kits which contain a water purification solution and hygiene items, with additional items like oral rehydration salts, Lucky Iron Fish, whistles and solar lights may also be added.

We also distribute our Emergency Food Kits which have been designed specifically for our Syrian response and are a culturally appropriate and nutritious solution for families.

318,000+ PEOPLE REACHED

A Child walking beside two women toward a group of tents carrying Family Emergency Kits

OVER 48,000 FAMILY EMERGENCY KITS

52,000+ HYGIENE ITEMS

MORE THAN 869,400 MEALS AND 8,960 PANTRY KITS

21,000+ PEOPLE REACHED WITH MEDICAL SUPPLIES

Standing in front of a tent a young girl holds a baby

Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota Response 2021

Hurricanes Eta and Iota have severely impacted countries across Central America. In early November Hurricane Eta crossed through Central America bringing with it persistent winds and heavy rainfall. This resulted in flooding, landslides and crop damage across Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Only two weeks later Hurricane Iota, the strongest Atlantic hurricane of 2020, made landfall over northern Nicaragua and continued along virtually the same path as Hurricane Eta. Once again the region was hit with strong winds and rainfall, exacerbating the previous damage caused by Hurricane Eta.

7.3 MILLION AFFECTED

500,000+ DISPLACED

2 CATEGORY 4 STORMS

It is estimated that 7.3 million people have been affected by these storms, with Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras having the highest number of affected people. In many places floodwaters have not fully receded and in Honduras additional rainfall in December has only worsened the flooding. These storms have hit highly vulnerable communities with existing needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. GlobalMedic is responding.

Our Response

We are packing Family Emergency Kits to distribute to families affected by these hurricanes. The Family Emergency Kits include a water purification system, basic hygiene items, and a solar light. The water purification system is vital because many families have lost their homes and access to clean drinking water. The hygiene items are included to help families regain a sense of normalcy as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19. The solar lights provided much needed light and security since many were without electricity. In partnership with World Vision we are distributing 2,320 FEKs in Honduras and an additional 2,320 FEKs in Nicaragua.

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Philippines: Typhoon Goni and Vamco Response 2020

On November 1, 2020 Typhoon Goni made landfall in the Philippines and is the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year. Just over a week later, Typhoon Vamco made landfall becoming the fifth tropical storm to reach the country in a three week period. These storms brought destructive winds and torrential rainfall, triggering extensive flooding across multiple regions in the country.

2+ MILLION AFFECTED

5 STORMS IN 3 WEEKS

500,000 DISPLACED

Over 2 million people have been affected by severe flooding and more than 500,000 people have been displaced. Landslides and power outages are affecting many parts of the country and families have been forced into evacuation centres. GlobalMedic is responding.

Our Response

We are packing Family Emergency Kits to distribute to families affected by the typhoons in the Philippines. The Family Emergency Kits include a water purification system, basic hygiene items, and a solar light. The water purification system is vital because many families have lost their homes and access to clean drinking water. The hygiene items are included to help families regain a sense of normalcy as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19. The solar lights provided much needed light and security since many were without electricity.

We have also been working with our local partners, the Trinity Fire Volunteer Department, to respond to emergent needs on the ground. We have helped to fund the procurement of a rescue boat and other rescue supplies which are being used to rescue those trapped by flash flooding. We are also working with them to distribute aid and assisting with the initial debris clean up.

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Hurricane Dorian: One Year Later, Where Are We Now?

On September 4^th 2019, what started as a large tropical storm had grown into a historic and monstrous Category 5 Hurricane, named Dorian, made land contact, flattening large areas of the Bahamas and impacted communities as far north as Nova Scotia.

While it has been a year, and most of the world has moved on and forgotten, recovery efforts are ongoing. At the six month mark, in March 2020, recovery efforts were just as strong as they had been on Day 1 and things were slowly improving – especially with tourism picking up slowly, given that is the main stimulant for the local economy. But then COVID-19 hit and tourism was shut down again, and things took a turn for the worse like they did around the world. The only difference here is that they are still trying to recover from the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Dorian and manage the effects of the global pandemic at the same time.

The damages in the Bahamas is estimated at $3.4 billion. The storm damaged infrastructure and caused massive flooding on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. 43 people were killed and over 76,000 people were affected by the storm. With the damage so extensive, people in the Bahamas were in immediate need of clean water, food and shelter items. GlobalMedic was swift to respond.

Safe water is needed for everything, from drinking to cooking, bathing to healthcare. To address the fact that water was no longer safe to use following storm surges, GlobalMedic immediately deployed our Rapid Response Team with water purification units and the RescUAV Team with drones to provide on the ground assistance. We were able to distribute the following aid to communities in Grand Bahama, Abaco and Nassau:

6 large-scale water purification systems
4,700+ Family Emergency Kits which contain a household water purification solution, essential hygiene items, oral rehydration salts and solar lights.
7 large tents that are being used for clinics, storage, animal shelters, and child friendly spaces
300 kg dog food
Assorted building materials and tools, cooking items, air mattresses
Assisted with installation of solar panel in Sweetings Cay to power an AquaBoy Pro II water system
Our RescUAV team has mapped over 4,500 hectares and taken 44,000 pictures in Grand Bahama and over 1,000 hectares and 8,900 images in Abaco which were shared with local officials to help them better assess damage

We also had three main projects on the ground, the first is the Mold Remediation Project. Many houses were filled with water, damaging the drywall and structure of the house, allowing dangerous mold to grow. GlobalMedic supported the creation of the “Mold Busters” consortium, bringing together local entities to streamline the rebuilding process and create jobs. Through this program GlobalMedic was able to fully remediate 180 homes and create more than 45 jobs in our initial program period. This project is still ongoing as the damage was extensive and people still need safe places to live. We are continuing to remediate additional houses in order to get families back in their homes and back to normal life.

The second is the Fishing Boats Project. Fishing is a primary career for many Bahamians and is often the only source of income for families in the eastern region of the island. With the destruction of infrastructure on the island so severe, many could not afford to repair the boats as well as their homes. GlobalMedic hired a local contractor to provide boat repair for these fishermen. We provided all the fibreglass and additional materials through a partnership with Composites Canada. A Composites Canada staff member was also sent to Grand Bahama to fully train the local contractor on the use of the materials sent. GlobalMedic fully repaired the hulls of 37 boats and 5 jobs were created during the first program period. This project is also still ongoing as we are working to ensure that the local economy is able to continue to thrive as it did before Dorian hit. Local fishermen are still able to bring their boats to be repaired through this program and, with our partners at the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama, we are working to get new engines to these fishermen as well.

The third is the Emergency Food Project. GlobalMedic initially delivered over 6,600+ Emergency Food Kits filled with staple ingredients for displaced people in the Bahamas. Packing sites were set up locally, being supported by the ones in Canada, and in the first two months packing was happening 7 days a week. People who needed aid were coming out to help as well, grandmothers who were taking care of small kids would come out to pack while the kids stayed on site to help clean up and provide additional support. As Bahamians continue to deal with the effects of Hurricane Dorian as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, we have recently continued our support through this program, sending an additional 2,600 Emergency Food Kits.

GlobalMedic is proud to be able to support these efforts and strive to continue to do more, while keeping an eye on the current hurricane season that we find ourselves in.

Lebanon: Beirut Explosion Response 2020

On Tuesday, August 4th at 6:07pm, a large explosion erupted in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. The explosion took place in the country’s main port, located in the highly populated central district. The cause of the explosion has been linked to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material, which was being stored in a warehouse in the city’s port. The explosion’s blast shattered glass throughout the city resulting in damage to buildings as far as 10 km away. As a result of the explosion, there was an estimated 3 to 5 billion US dollars in damage. In addition, the blast severely damaged grain silos, which housed much of the country’s grain supplies. With more than 100 people killed and 6,000 injured from the blast, the city of Beirut declared a two-week state of emergency.

100+ PEOPLE KILLED

300,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED

6,000 PEOPLE INJURED

The effects of the explosion were felt throughout the city, with more than 300,000 people displaced from their homes. Four of the city’s hospitals were severely damaged and therefore unable to provide assistance. The remaining hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of injured people as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This explosion also took place during the worst financial crisis in the country’s history. Since the country’s main point of entry for imports was destroyed and extensive infrastructure damaged throughout Beirut, people were in need of immediate assistance. GlobalMedic responded.

Our Response

We packed Family Emergency Kits and Emergency Food Kits to distribute to families affected by the explosion in Beirut. The Family Emergency Kits included a water purification system, basic hygiene items, and a solar light. The water purification system was vital because many families lost their homes and access to clean drinking water. The hygiene items are included to help families regain a sense of normalcy as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19. The solar lights provided much needed light and security since many were without electricity. The Emergency Food Kits provided families with culturally appropriate dried food items. An immediate response was crucial in order to reach individuals and families dealing with the devastating effects of the explosion.

We distributed more than 8,300 Emergency Food Kits and 2,900 Family Emergency Kits during this response. We worked with our local partners to ensure the aid reached those who needed it most.

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