All completed EMERGENCY projects from 1994 until today

AFGHANISTAN

EMERGENCY has been in Afghanistan since 1999, when we built the Anabah Surgical and Paediatric Centre. Five projects have been completed.

2001 – Aid to war widows, with livestock distribution for 400 families in the Panjshir Valley.

2001-2003 – 694 patients examined and treated in our outpatient clinic in Duab prison. Our prison clinics provide basic medical treatment and refer surgical cases to EMERGENCY hospitals in Afghanistan.

2002-2004 – Over 13,000 patients examined and treated in our outpatient clinic in Sheberghan prison, where the most basic of human rights were being neglected.

2003-2007 – Carpet production workshop, to promote the economic autonomy of women, widows or those who were poor, in the Panjshir Valley.

2006-2007 – 1,880 patients examined and treated in our outpatient clinic in Lashkar-Gah prison.

ALGERIA

2003 – Launched a Rehabilitation and Prosthesis production Centre in Medea. EMERGENCY refurbished and equipped a building within the public hospital, and also helped with the training of national staff. The management of the centre, called Amal, meaning “hope” in Arabic, was transferred to local health authorities in 2004.

ANGOLA

2003 – Intervention in Benguela Province, at the invitation of a congregation of Angolan Sisters. Two health centres were restructured, equipped and managed for more than a year by EMERGENCY, and we also provided training for national staff.

CAMBODIA

1998-2012 – Construction and operation of a Surgical Centre in Battambang and 5 First Aid Posts in the Samlot District.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

2009-2018 – A Paediatric Centre was opened in Bangui, becaming soon a reference facility in the country’s health system for free, 24-hour assistance for children and their mothers, and for the training of local staff.

2013-2018 – Intervention and activity within the Complexe Pédiatrique, Bangui (CPB), the only public paediatric hospital in the country. The project, which has been ongoing for five years and has been supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, included the refurbishment and reactivation of two operating rooms and the entire operating block within the war surgery program and emergency surgery program. Over the years, thanks to the results obtained and always at the request of the hospital management, we expanded our intervention by taking charge of the emergency room, the intensive and sub-intensive care departments, the triage area, logistic and auxiliary services such as the laundry and the laboratory and, in 2017, we began to also support the remaining departments. The project also included training in order to transfer skills to local staff at the facility, which is now a national reference centre for the treatment of paediatric patients. On June 30, 2018, the definitive transfer of the project to the Director of the hospital and to the Central African health authorities took place.

2014-2019 – Collaboration with the National Blood Bank in Bangui: through careful and continuous training of local staff, support with supplies and technical help, we have ensured a gradual increase in the number of blood bags collected over the years, used for life-saving treatment.

ERITREA

2000 – Surgical team sent, at the request of an Italian Cooperation. EMERGENCY staff worked for two months at MekaneHiwet Hospital in Asmara, treating the victims of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

IRAQ

1996-2005 – A Surgical Centre was constructed in Sulaymaniyah, in the north of the country, to treat the victims of anti-personnel mines. The facility includes units for the treatment of burns and spinal injuries. In 2005, the centre and 22 First Aid Posts were delivered to local health authorities.

1998-2005 – A Surgical Centre was opened in Erbil, in the north of the country, to care for the victims of anti-personnel mines. The facility includes a unit for the treatment of burns and one for spinal injuries. In 2005, the centre was entrusted to the local health authorities. In January 2017, our international team returned to work at the centre to support hospital staff in providing assistance to victims of the conflict in Mosul, officially handing control of the hospital back to the Ministry of Health in August.

2001 – A Rehabilitation and Prosthesis production Centre was built in Diana, in the north of the country. The Centre was handed over to local health authorities.

2003 – At the Al-Kindi hospital, EMERGENCY provided medicine, consumables and fuel for generators. At the same time, medicines and healthcare materials were donated to the hospital in Karbala, south of Baghdad.

2003 – A Rehabilitation and Prosthesis production Centre was built in Dohuk, north of the country. The Centre is now run by local health authorities.

2004 – EMERGENCY supported the people of Fallujah during the siege of the town in May. Raw materials, water and drugs have been distributed to community and city hospital representatives.

2014-2020 – Seven health centres for Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs in Iraqi Kurdistan, providing basic healthcare assistance, obstetrics and gynaecological services and vaccination programmes. The centres in Khanaquin, Qoratu, Arbat, Ashti and Tazade camps conducted more than 600,000 outpatient consultations. They are all now under the responsibility of local health authorities. 

ITALY

EMERGENCY’s projects in Italy focus on providing socio-medical support to people in vulnerable situations.

2005-2007 – Organised hygiene courses, preventative medicine, and first aid to detainees at Rebibbia prison complex. At the same prison, EMERGENCY organised screenings for tuberculosis. EMERGENCY has guaranteed the provision of specialist doctors in some Lazio region Penitentiary Institutions.

2006-2019 – The first EMERGENCY clinic in Italy, in Palermo, providing basic and specialist medical services to people facing legal and financial barriers. Over 104,000 services provided.

2013-2014 – FEI project “Development of health routes and integration paths” in Messina, Ragusa and Catania. One project opened in Catania, one in Messina and three in the province of Ragusa – in Scicli, Santa Croce Camerina and Vittoria – with the aim of facilitating access to public health services for migrants, particularly migrants from non-EU countries.

2013-2018 – Assistance to migrants arriving in Sicily, providing primary care and psychological support to more than 18,000 people.

2015-2016 – Mobile unit for socio-medical orientation for the most vulnerable members of the population in Bologna.

2016-2021 – Over 13,000 services provided as post-earthquake assistance in Central Italy, including psychological support and nursing care.

2020-2022 – Collaboration with local organisations and over 1,000 volunteers to deliver 200,000 parcels with food and hygiene products to more than 20,000 people affected by the social crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Built a Field Hospital in Bergamo, providing accessible information and services to vulnerable groups like migrants, homeless people and travellers in our clinics across the country. In all our projects around the world, implemented specific staff training, the formation of triage areas, and the compartmentalisation of spaces and patient flows to intercept suspected cases, report them to the responsible health authority and minimise the risk of infection within our facilities.

2022 – Ran various projects throughout the year to provide socio-medical help and psychotherapy at our clinics and information points across Italy to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. We also extended our food aid programme from the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver basic goods to Ukrainian families, and from April to June, we ran basic Italian language courses at Casa Emergency, our headquarters in Milan.

LIBYA

2011 – War Surgery Program in the under-siege city of Misrata.

2015-2016 – Sent an international team to the Surgical Centre for War Victims in Gernada to provide assistance to wounded soldiers in Benghazi and Derna, areas between ISIS militias and government forces. The intervention was initiated at the request of the Ministry of Health of the Tobruk government, stationed in Al-Bayda. EMERGENCY staff also adapted the infrastructure to reflect EMERGENCY standards, trained local staff, and organised activities to promote operational autonomy for the centre.

MOLDOVA

In 2022, EMERGENCY provided assistance to victims of the war in Ukraine.

2022 – Between April and December, EMERGENCY provided primary medical care, cultural mediation and psychological support in Bălți to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. In June, we launched a psycho-educational project for children between the ages of 5 and 14. As the number of asylum seekers entering the country stabilised and the Moldovan health system strengthened, the project came to an end.

NEPAL

2015 – Delivery of tents and medicines to the village of Kirtipur after the earthquake.

NICARAGUA

2003-2004 – Provided pharmaceutical supplies to the “Casa de la mujer”, a network of dispensaries providing assistance to women with cancer and diabetes.

PALESTINE

2003-2004 – A surgical team was sent to the orthopaedic unit of the Jenin Public Hospital. In addition to carrying out clinical activities and training of healthcare personnel, EMERGENCY began a new physiotherapy and orthopaedic ward for patients.

RWANDA

1994 – the first EMERGENCY project renovated and reopened the Kigali hospital surgical department. During a 4-month mission, a surgical team operated on more than 600 war victims. At the same time EMERGENCY also reopened the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where over 2,500 women received medical and surgical assistance.

SEARCH AND RESCUE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

From 2016-2022, EMERGENCY provided medical support and cultural mediation onboard the search and rescue ships of other charities.

2016 – In June and July, our staff provided rescue, medical care and cultural mediation assistance onboard Topaz Responder, a ship used for the search and rescue of migrants. During those two months, our staff assisted almost 5,000 people.

2019-2022 – Over 3 years, doctors, nurses and cultural mediators from EMERGENCY assisted in 12 search and rescue missions onboard Open Arms, run by the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms.

SERBIA

1999 – Supported Belgrade’s orphanage, Jova Jovanovic Zmaj.

SIERRA LEONE

2002-2020 – Paediatric Centre in Goderich provided free treatment to children under 14 years old, mainly treating malaria, malnutrition and gastrointestinal and respiratory infections. Provided malnutrition and health education programmes.

2014-2016 – Opening and management of 2 Ebola Treatment Centres, in Lakka and in Goderich. The latter had 100 beds and was the only one in the affected areas to have an Intensive Care Unit. Opening of a quick-diagnosis laboratory.

2015-2017 – First Aid Post in Lokomasama provided 17,645 free medical consultations and referred 543 patients for further treatment. During this time, staff from the facility also delivered 30,741 outreach visits.

2015-2020 – First Aid Post in Waterloo provided 21,600 free medical consultations and referred 4,473 patients for further treatment. Staff also delivered 51,073 outreach visits.

SRI LANKA

2005 – Provided the General Hospital of Kalutara with surgical instruments and materials to enable clinical activities after the tsumani that struck the country.

2005 – Following the 2004 tsunami, the Return to the Sea project was completed, which included the distribution of motor boats, canoes and fishing nets to fishermen in the village of Punochchimunai. In order to facilitate the resumption of daily life, children were helped to return to their studies.

2005-2008 – Rebuilt 91 masonry homes for the families living in the village of Punochchimunai who remained homeless after the tsunami. Housing took place in September 2008 due to the resumption of hostilities between government and separatists that had halted construction for many months.

SUDAN

2004-2005 – The Emergency Surgery Department of Al Fashir Hospital in Northern Darfur was rebuilt and restructured. The structure includes a surgical block and a ward of 20 beds. The department was transferred to the Ministry of Health in August 2005.

2017 – Opening and management of one of the 4 Acute Waterry Diarrhoea (AWD) Treatment Centres in Port Sudan at the request of the Sudanese Federal Ministry of Health and the Red Sea State.

UKRAINE

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, EMERGENCY began a multifaceted approach to provide assistance. See the completed projects in Moldova and Italy for more information. To Ukraine, we sent hospital supplies based on tailored requests made by local facilities.