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Photo: Dr. Martina C. Fuchs, RMF Founder/CEO, making new friends at the Lwala, Kenya Community Hospital, October 1, 2011

We are so grateful to all our friends, supporters and teams around the world and wish everyone a fantastic 2012!

Having wrapped up another successful  we want to pause and say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who supported our work in 2011.  You have helped us achieve so much, and we give our deep thanks to everyone for your generosity and support!

In 2011 we..

  • In Japan, post-earthquake and tsunami, RMF reached over 33,000 people in Ishinomaki City with supplies, debris/sludge cleanup, and community center support.
  • In India, in RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program, our field staff of 75 Community Nutrition Educators diagnosed and treated 85,016 cases of Acute Malnutrition in more than 600 villages since our program started in 2010.
  • In Uganda, we provided healthcare, education and vocational training support to 55,000 refugees at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement.
  • In South Sudan, 40 Nurses and Midwives at the RMF sponsored first-ever accredited Nursing and Midwifery College in Juba, are beginning their 2nd year of training.
  • In Pakistan, RMF treated more than 25,000 flood victims at our free medical camps, 32,000 patients at our clinic in Gulbella and provided healthcare in Talhatta for more than 150,000.
  • In Haiti, our free clinic at Hôpital Lambert Santé provided public access to 24-hour emergency and general healthcare to a community that is home to more than 100,000 displaced persons.
  • In Kenya, we upgraded the only hospital for 1,000,000 people in Lodwar, Turkana, starting with the pediatric ward and also continued to provide medical support, food and water to thousands through mobile and stationary clinics in the poorest and most drought ravaged regions in Kenya.
  • Closer to home, in South Los Angeles, RMF provided 70 children with new backpacks filled with school supplies and personal products, and just threw a Holiday Party for these children on December 17th.

From all of us at RMF: Have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012!

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Malaria and Upgrade to the Health Center at Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement History of the World: Part I video

Update June 2009

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Michael Lear, Director International Relations
Beth Cole, Country Director Uganda

The Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement is comprised of approximately 5,000 Sudanese and Kenyan Refugees. Surrounding this area are over 10,000 Ugandan IDP’s (Internally Displaced People).  The Panyadoli Health Center, which Real Medicine is upgrading, is the main health center for these communities.kir_jun_09_2 Inca Mummies: Secrets of a Lost World dvd

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Malaria is perhaps the most pervasive of infectious diseases in the world, killing millions each year and rendering still millions more sick and bedridden.  Traditionally, malaria medications are high in demand, costly when not subsidized by government and/or international aid organizations and their efficacy varies.  The Kiryandongo Settlement is no exception. Year after year malaria holds the number one spot on their list of diseases treated, many of the refugees contract malaria monthly.  Often times the clinic runs short of malaria medicine to meet the demands.

Die Hard 2 movie In December 2008, RMF Team Whole Health Director and Ugandan Country Director, Beth Cole, and Megan Yarberry visited the settlement to provide another acupuncture training, a program that is gaining wide acceptance for pain and stress management throughout the camp. To ease the suffering of the refugees and the burden on the health clinic, in conjunction with Abha Light Foundation based in Nairobi, Kenya, homeopathic malaria training was initiated. The same homeopathic medication that is used as a prophylactic can also be used as treatment when taken more frequently. Simple, cost effective and easy to use, the protocol was taught to Kenyan Refugees. Susan and Margaret who are pictured here have become the most popular women in the camp.

Most patients have reported relief from fever, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, hallucinations, and ringing noises in the head. Even cerebral malaria has been successfully treated. Even more surprising is that many people also reported the clearing of respiratory congestion that existed prkir_jun_09_1ior to contracting malaria.

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At the Panyadoli Health Center malaria medications are usually in high demand, so high, that the staff runs out of the supplies provided by the government and UNHCR. When this occurs patients have to go into Bweyale town and purchase medicine for treatment and prevention from a local pharmacy. A three day supply costs about 15,000 Ugandan Schillings or about $8 US. Six more days are required after the initial treatment course for prevention that will last approximately 6 months. At $24 per patient for six months, $100 would treat 4 patients.

The investment for RMF’s current homeopathic program at the Kiryandongo settlement was approximately $100 for six months of homeopathic malaria medication. What is remarkable however is that there is a marked difference in the number treatable for this amount: approximately 2,000 patients more on the homeopathic program. Even the patients seem to prefer it stating that it is more effective than conventional medicines.

Over 1,500 cases of malaria have been successfully treated.  From adults to children who have had chronic malaria, to a teen suffering from cerebral malaria and needing to be restrained due to mania, the protocol has cured every case.

Joshua Mbugwa, pictured below, was bedridden for some time and unable to work, he had a most compelling story.  In addition to Malaria he was infected with painful, debilitating jiggers (tiny mite infestation in the feet), which can literally eat away the toes. Not only did the treatment cure the kir_jun_09_3malaria, it also cleared up the jiggers so he could walk and work in the fields again.   Very proudly he displayed the blisters and calluses on his hands and blessed Real Medicine for our support.

The stories kept coming – Susan and Margaret have walked the village since early December and have treated over 2,000 cases of malaria.  Special meeting points within the village have been identified and times were designated throughout the week. – Susan says they get “overwhelmed” by refugees wanting the medicine.

One man said “Look at the Health Center, there are no patients there being treated for Malaria…this is unusual.  The treatment is working so well.”

The news of the treatment’s efficacy is spreading like a bush fire and while the successes continue to mount, there are still some challenges.  During rainy season Susan and Margaret will need some additional supplies to maintain their work, i.e. gum boots, bikes and offices supplies to stakir_jun_09_5y organized.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein download Additionally, more time is needed to gain acceptance by the Sudanese community.  While Susan and Margaret have offered their services to the Sudanese, they remain skeptical, not so much because of the treatment itself but because it is administered by Kenyans. During their next visit Beth and Megan will train some Sudanese refugees and Ugandan IDP’s to administer the homeopathic medicine to overcome this obstacle. Later this year we will report on the final outcome of our study.

For more information, please visit the Trauma Relief for Kenyan Refugees in Uganda project page

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Dispute over results of the 2007 Kenyan presidential election resulted in widespread demonstrations and ethnic violence. Tragically, over 300,000 people were displaced and as many as 12,000 Kenyans made their way into neighboring Uganda to find shelter in refugee camps.

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One specific need among the refugee population was treatment for the psychological effects of trauma, and RMF was quick to get on the ground and assist, bringing acupuncture services to camps. Black Irish movie full

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Recent studies suggest that acupuncture may be as effective as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychological conditions. “Acupuncture is a proven, easily transportable, and cost-effective healthcare tool,” says Megan Yarberry, RMF’s Team Whole Health Project Coordinator “We’re hoping to provide support and healing to hundreds of people each day.”

This last December RMF visited the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement and found the acupuncture program thriving.

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