Hudson woman organizes shipments to newly independent South Sudan
by Tim Troglen | Reporter
Hudson — A group of men once known by the title "Lost Boys of the Sudan" recently helped recapture their identities by giving back to the country they were forced to leave.
Members of the once lost boys joined with the non-profit MedWish International Sept. 30 in Cleveland to begin the "Save South Sudan" campaign by loading and sending a 40-foot shipping container with more than five tons of medical supplies and equipment.
"The Lost Boys" were young Sudanese boys who fled the Sudanese civil wars by the thousands, leaving their families and walking thousands of miles to the safety of Ethiopia, according to MedWish International.
This was just the first shipment to be sent to the war-torn African country, according to Tish Dahlby, executive director of MedWish International.
"This first shipment is only scratching the surface," said Dahlby, a Hudson resident. "Their needs are overwhelming and MedWish International is committed to supporting these relief efforts."
The supplies were donated by hospitals, medical vendors and individuals throughout Northeast Ohio, Dahlby said. Supplies included examination tables, beds, stretchers, diagnostic tools and basic first aid supplies.
"Conditions are very basic at many of the clinics, with no electricity or running water in many facilities," Dahlby explained. "Therefore the selected contents of the shipment were all basic in nature, such as manual versus electric beds."
This was the first humanitarian aid shipment from Northeast Ohio to South Sudan in history, said Matthew Fieldman, director of development for MedWish International.
Most of the former "Lost Boys" who live in the Cleveland area have never been back to see the families they left behind, Fieldman said.
"This shipment was the first chance they have had in nearly 20 years to reconnect with their loved ones and homeland," he said.
South Sudan declared independence July 9, Fieldman said.
"For the first time, it is possible to provide humanitarian aid to this new nation of 8 million people who face significant health challenges," he said.
South Sudan is in an "ongoing humanitarian crises," with an infant mortality rate of 11 percent, one out of 50 women dying of childbirth complications and one in seven children dying before the age of 5, Dahlby said.
From 1985 to 2005, Sudan was torn apart by the Second Sudanese Civil War, she said.
"More than 4 million people in Southern Sudan were displaced as a result of the war and, from 2003 to 2005, Sudanese government forces committed genocide in the Darfur region," Dahlby said.
There are about 20 "Sudanese Lost Boys — refugees from the Second Sudanese Civil War" who live in the Cleveland area and support large families financially back in Africa, according to Dahlby.
"Now that there is peace in that region, an opportunity has finally arisen to help the victims of years of genocide and civil wars," she added. "There is already a significant connection already established between Northeast Ohio and Southern Sudan, and now we have a real chance to save lives for these beleaguered people."
MedWish International ships equipment to a variety of locations across the globe, Dahlby said.
"There is a great need for even the most basic of medical care around the world. MedWish serves as a safety net for many of these countries," she added. "Too often well-trained healthcare providers are forced to stand by helplessly and watch their patients suffer, not because they lack the knowledge to treat their patients, but because they lack the medical supplies to deliver the care."
MedWish bridges the gap, "empowering healthcare providers to save lives," she said.
Dahlby said more shipments will be made to the people of South Sudan.
"MedWish’s International’s preference is to always continue to provide ongoing aid when needed," Dahlby said. "Their needs are overwhelming and MedWish International is committed to supported these relief efforts."
MedWish International accepts donations of money and supplies, she said.
"Financial contributions help to defray the cost of building humanitarian aid shipments," she said.
MedWish International is a not-for-profit organization committed to re-purposing medical supplies and equipment discarded by the healthcare industry with the objectives of providing humanitarian aid in developing countries to save lives and reducing waste to save the environment. For more information on making donations, visit www.medwish.org or call 216-692-1685.
Email: ttroglen
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146
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