Direct Relief International is preparing
to respond to humanitarian medical needs in Iraq. On Friday, March 21,
2003, Direct Relief provided 120 pounds of medical materials that were
requested for use in the Ru Washeid refugee camp in Jordan. The camp currently
houses 400 Iraqi nationals who have crossed the border. The materials will
be hand delivered to the camp by private medical professionals traveling
to Jordan on behalf of Relief International, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit
organization. The materials, valued at over $13,000, are those recommended
by the World Health Organization for use in emergencies, and include a
range of basic antibiotics, analgesic, and first-aid items.
Direct Relief is prepared to provide
assistance to support humanitarian health efforts as circumstances permit.
To ensure the appropriateness of relief materials, Direct Relief's practice
is to respond to specific product requests from trained health personnel
or health organizations. Over the past three years, Direct Relief has provided
more than $10 million worth of medical materials to emergency situations
in Afghanistan, India, Mexico, and Peru.
In 2002, Direct Relief provided more than $67 million in medical material aid to 57 countries and was cited by Forbes Magazine as one of only 4 U.S. charitable organization as being 100% efficient on Forbes' efficiency indices.