Distribution day! Hospital and school supplies.

HEEDA CoFounder Leeda Rashid MD MPH delivering school supplies
in late January 2016

As we've visited hospitals and schools while here in Afghanistan, one common theme seems to keep coming up: CAPACITY!  Both in human resources and basic supplies.  

Hospitals need everything from simple oxygen or surgical gloves; and schools need everything from pens to paper.  As we explore ways to support these institutions in the most sustainable way, we often rely on the kindness and dedication of our donors and friends to supply those basics.  

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We visited a school at the Internally Displaced Baghlan Camp and donated school supplies to 30+ 1st-3rd graders. We were floored to find out that the school is run by a 15 year old girl.  There are 170 families in this camp.    We want to explore working with this very inspiring young girl and bring basic electricity (perhaps a solar station) to their camp so she can continue to teach and bring hope to this outlying community.  

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We were also able to bring a lot of general medical supplies to the hospitals this time thanks to a generous donation from Medshare.  Yes we shipped them in our suitcases and yes customs gave us strange looks but we were able to get quite a bit here!!!   

Advanced airway equipment including BVM bags, endotracheal tubes, LMAs, and oxygen tubing were all part of this year's distributions.

 We are exploring a long term solution to shipping all these free medical supplies.  They are sitting in large warehouses in the US waiting for patients who need them most.   Let us know if you have creative ideas.