GlobalMedic
35 Coronet Rd M8Z 2L8 Toronto, ON, Canada

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deployed all of our assets to fight the virus and support at-risk communities.

A huge thank you to our friends at Smile Canada! Today they picked up 35 of our Feed the Six food kits to deliver to households of children with disabilities.

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Alarmingly, 1 out of 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. COVID-19 has overwhelmed shelters and services designed to assist women who experience abuse, leaving them even more vulnerable than before the pandemic. With a little bit of teamwork, we continue to support at-risk women and girls around the world including here in Canada. Earlier this month, Air Canada flew our hygiene kits packed with items donated by P&G everyday Canada from Toronto to Vancouver. Then, a generous Air Canada employee delivered them to Sardis DoorWay, an organization that offers support and programs for at-risk mothers of young children in Chilliwack.

Today is World Toilet Day! More than half the global population lacks safe sanitation. About 1 in 3 people (2.2 billion people) around the world do not have clean drinking water. The impacts of poor sanitation disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially women, children, and people with disabilities. Since the beginning of 2018, we have delivered Family Emergency Kits to 29 countries, including Syria, Yemen, Guatemala, and Mozambique. An FEK always starts with a ‘point of use’ (or household) water purification solution. We then add other items including basic hygiene supplies such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, oral rehydration sachets and a solar light.

Last year there were floods and wildfires that affected large parts of the population in Paraguay. Many of the families affected by these disasters lacked access to clean drinking water and hygiene supplies. We got Family Emergency Kits to these families and we also sent protective firefighting gear to local fire stations. This year, in preparation for more flooding and fires, we sent a container full of Family Emergency Kits with a water purification solution, hygiene items, a solar light and oral rehydration salts to support vulnerable families in Paraguay. We also sent 139 protective firefighting suits donated by Toronto Fire and 20 Canadian Wheelchair Foundation wheelchairs donated by the Knights of Columbus Ontario State Council.

Thank you Air Canada for celebrating Jowett and all the great work he does. He is always ready to step up and help out wherever he is needed and we are proud to have him on our team! Jowett is a Rapid Response Team Lead and coordinates our RescUAV program in B.C. Jowett has deployed with us to Indonesia and Mozambique to provide food and clean water to families affected by disasters. He also deployed to the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian where he stayed for months to help coordinate our ResUAV, food, water, shelter and livelihood programs. Jowett delivered our hygiene kits to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines in B.C. and he is constantly finding new ways to help support his community. Thank you Jowett!

The Philippines has been devastated with 5 tropical storms in a matter of three weeks. Typhoon Goni is being recorded as the strongest typhoon of the year. Over 24 million people have been affected by severe flooding and more than 500,000 people have been displaced. Landslides and power outages are affecting many parts of the country and families have been forced into evacuation centres. We are responding by sending Family Emergency Kits to people affected by typhoons in the Philippines. The Family Emergency Kits will contain a household water purification unit as well as hygiene supplies such as soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste. To donate to the Philippines Typhoon Goni Response, please visit the link in our profile.

In August 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees flooded into Bangladesh. They fled violence in their home country of Myanmar. There are over 860,000 refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, making it the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. Due to the mass influx of people, there is a lack of adequate healthcare within the camps. We are responding by operating a health clinic to support the needs of Rohingya refugees and the host community. The clinic will provide maternal and newborn care, reproductive health care, nutrition and emergency health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also providing public health programming including the promotion of social distancing and wearing of face masks.

We set up a tent for the House of Friendship Emergency Food Hamper Program. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols the number of patrons able to be in their building at one time is limited. As the winter weather approaches, this tent will allow patrons to wait for their turn to enter while staying sheltered from the elements.