Give a Hospital-in-a-Box for West Africa

MINIMUM GOAL: $48,000 [5 more more containers]

STRETCH GOAL: $67,000 [10 containers total!]

Global BC covered of our latest container loading (July 7, 2018) in their News Hour at 6 program:

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation also covered our loading, click here for their story.

SO WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?

• To save lives in Western Africa, we are shipping surplus medical equipment and supplies from Canada.
• This summer and fall, we are preparing FIVE 40-foot shipping containers with life-saving medical supplies, for delivery to the countries of Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. These are hospitals-in-a-box!
• If we have the funding to send more than five, we will!
• The equipment and supplies have been generously donated, as surplus from BC hospitals, nursing homes and private practices
• We need $9,500 to ship and deliver each container, and many volunteer hands to help sort and load.
• Shipping Deadline: Aug 15, 2018
• All help and donations are greatly appreciated by the families of Liberia (where the next container is headed)

*All donations over $25 in Canadian dollars get a tax receipt from Korle-Bu Foundation.

BACKGROUND

Prior to the 2014 ebola crisis, Korle-Bu was partnering with hospitals in West Africa. Korle-Bu would provide the equipment and supplies, and the West African hospitals would contribute the transportation costs.

In 2014, the ebola virus tragedy impacted Liberia, Sierra Leone and New Guinea, in West Africa. Local hospitals struggled to cope with the suffering and death, and Phoebe Hospital in Liberia lost 23 of their 25 nurses to Ebola. Today, those hospitals are focused on rebuilding their teams and systems, but cannot find the funding to ship the much-needed supplies and equipment. They have asked us to fill in the gap for the shipping costs.

You may not know, but due to Canadian rules and regulations, if we don't save and ship these supplies, the outdated-but-serviceable versions of our own life-saving equipment end up in landfills. The teams at our generous BC hospitals recognize this need, and are working with us. This recycling-for-a-purpose is exciting!

In response to the 2014 ebola crisis, Korle-Bu founder Marj Ratel reached out to BC hospitals, asking them to donate 1,000 hospital beds. Thanks to Marj's background as a neuro-intensive care nurse at Vancouver General Hospital, her extensive network of doctors, hospitals and nursing homes has been responding to provide supplies of all kinds. Other donors have offered warehouse space as packing centres, and these are filled with hospital beds, stretchers, operating room tools, x-ray machines, and medical supplies, ready for our volunteers to pack and ship.

We have a system that works to fill a need that grows, but we need your help to get these life-saving supplies to our friends in these West African countries.

Donate online, come spend a morning packing with us, and you'll find yourself coming back again and again. Come join our great team of people, and help us share our surplus with those in need.

#FromCanadaWithLove #Ship5 #HospitalinaBox

To send a cheque, inquire about volunteering, or any other questions: [email protected]

Donations are tax deductible with receipts provided by Korle-Bu Foundation. Donations from any country are welcome but only Canadian donations can be receipted at this point.

More info: http://kbnf.org/

Thanks for your help!