A donation of medical supplies and medicines was packed into a container last week and is currently en route to Swaziland with cbm Canada, an international Christian development organization committed to improving quality of life for persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world.
“Thank you so much for your recent donations,” wrote Natalie Capone of cbm to HPIC. “Our partner is very excited to receive them in the coming months. Thanks to you, HPIC and your supporters, children and communities in impoverished villages will receive lifesaving medical equipment and supplies. Your gift will help nurses and doctors provide healthcare services to rural communities and help people access braces that they couldn’t have afforded without your help.”
The shipment consists of $62,000 worth of medical supplies and some medicines, including a major provision of anti-inflammatories. Donors to this shipment are: Covidien, Johnson & Johnson inc. and Pharmascience.
cbm Canada’s on-the-ground partner will be doing mobile clinics to rural communities in Swaziland. The country is the size of New Jersey and has a population of 1 million people. Ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, one-fifth of children are orphans. According to cbm, all populations in rural areas do not have proper access to medical care.
A special focus of cbm is always on children and adults living with disabilities. “Today, some of the most excluded people in society are people living with disabilities,” cbm states on their website. “If you take this exclusion half way around the world to some of the poorest countries, a lack of resources and education makes the exclusion even more obvious.”