The following are selected highlights from among IOCC's projects.
ETHIOPIA
More than 13.3 million
people in the Horn of Africa, the population of New York and Los Angeles combined, face the worst drought the world has seen in 60 years. The UN estimates that more than 29,000 children have lost their lives to this disaster and warns that more than 640,000 more malnourished Somali children's lives are at risk if assistance does not continue. IOCC is on the ground at refugee camps in Ethiopia working with agency partner, International Medical Corps (IMC) to manage a community nutrition center where each child receives an emergency packet of a high-calorie, nutritious nut paste as they are registered, examined and enrolled into the supplemental feeding program. IOCC in cooperation with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter Church Aid Commission (EOC-DICAC) is also taking action to improve sanitation conditions and help avert the spread of disease among the refugees. Crowding 120,000 Somali famine survivors into refugee camps in Dolo Ado, Ethiopia without adequate sanitation creates a breeding ground for disease. Working with IMC, IOCC has provided the materials needed to build sanitation facilities in the refugee camps.
GAZA
Thousands of Palestinian families have been living in isolation since the 2000 closing of the Gaza Strip, struggling to survive without jobs, basic food items and adequate housing. Many people work any odd jobs available but rarely bring in enough to feed, clothe and shelter their families. Through an award from the US Agency for International Development, IOCC implemented the distribution of aid packages to over 2,900 families in the Gaza Strip. The short-term aid packages distributed through IOCC's Winter Relief project provided families in need with vital food staples such as canned meat, rice, sugar, and tea as well as basic household necessities like laundry detergent, dish soap, towels, and pillows. IOCC has been providing assistance to the people of Gaza since 2002.
HAITI
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, was the strongest tremor to strike the country in more than 200 years, leaving more than 222,000 people dead and more than one million homeless. It also left many of Haiti's children without a school. Although Embouchure is in one of the most remote mountain regions of Haiti, and access to this rugged area is difficult, rebuilding in the same area was crucial to the well-being of these earthquake survivors. St. Joseph School, originally established in 1982, serves as the only school for more than 300 children from 11 villages in the Embouchure region, and provides community shelter during hurricanes. IOCC along with ACT Alliance partner, Finn Church Aid, provided assistance for the demolition of the old school severely damaged in the 2010 earthquake and the construction of a new earthquake and hurricane resistant building. IOCC has provided more than $4 million in direct assistance to the people of Haiti since January 2010.
For information about other countries where people have been served through IOCC, please use the drop-down box:
