34,000 Pounds of Lifesaving Nourishment Flown to Somalia

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A humanitarian air shipment of 34,000 pounds of a high-calorie Xango nutritional supplement - especially beneficial for children, and expectant or nursing mothers - departed on September 20 to provide lifesaving help to severely malnourished refugees in Mogadishu. The shipment is one of three scheduled deliveries that will help feed a total of 13,000 starving children and adults in the Horn of Africa for one month. The specially formulated food for supplemental nutrition is just one facet of AmeriCares large scale famine response in the region, where hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled their homes in search of food. Despite an outpouring of international support, more than 13 million people in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition rates have reached 58%, and it is estimated that as many as 3,000 people may die every day. As the numbers of displaced and malnourished continue to rise, lives hang in the balance. The need is great. Help AmeriCares reduce human suffering and save lives in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia » Humanitarian Relief Pipeline: AmeriCares first shipment of medicines and supplies to treat 15,000 arrived in Mogadishu in Nutritional Supplement to feed 4,300 people: A second planned shipment of the special nutritional supplement will be integrated into bulk food distribution centers and used in feeding centers in and around Mogadishu. Aid to feeding program: This program, targeted to help children under age 5 in drought-affected communities in Kenya, will receive enough of the nutritional supplement to feed 4,300 severely malnourished children in feeding centers and clinical settings providing medical attention for the most vulnerable children. Water purification tablets to help 30,000 people for two months: A shipment of 3.1 million water purifying sachets is underway to replenish water stocks for three camp-based water and sanitation programs in Kenya and for communities suffering famine in Ethiopia. Over ${esc.dollar}1.2 million in medicines and supplies: A delivery of donated and prepositioned medicines and supplies is being prepared to help clinics and mobile medical teams working in Mogadishu camps. Additionally, AmeriCares will provide medicines and consumables to treat 15,000 patients in the northern region of Mudug, Somalia. Read More about AmeriCares Historic Aid to the Region and Field Hospital »