Helping South Sudanese Refugees in Kenya
IsraAID sent a delegation of pediatricians to Kakuma Refugee Camp to introduce specialized medicine techniques to doctors in Kenyan clinics that serve an estimated 200,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly 60 percent of whom are under the age of 18. The mission was led by U.S. pediatricians and also included Israeli peers, who all treated patients in Kenyan hospitals, and helped deliver training sessions to local doctors. In addition to this mission IsraAID supports the psychological and medical needs of refugees in Kakuma and the neighboring Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement on an ongoing basis in a variety of ways, such as providing recreational activities and potable water for over 150 refugee children per day, organizing vocational training for unemployed young people, and bolstering healthcare infrastructure in Kakuma’s hospitals and clinics. In 2018 alone, IsraAID helped provide 11 tons of therapeutic food supplements for malnourished children. IsraAID also led a week-long pilot mission to set up a mobile dental clinic in Kakuma, a collaborative effort with Henry Schein Inc., as well as a team of Israeli and American volunteer dentists. Despite the demographic growth and impoverished nature of the population, there is just one dental officer in the sole existing clinic in the camp, which is insufficiently equipped with the supplies and equipment necessary to perform important procedures. The oral hygiene products supplied by Henry Schein Inc., as well as the dedicated work of the four volunteer dentists, made a significant impact for the 180 patients that were treated.