Supporting Recovery from Nepal’s Floods and Colombia’s Earthquake, and More

Over the past week, Direct Relief sent 518 shipments of requested medical aid valued at approximately $36.6 million to organizations across 41 U.S. states and territories and 18 other countries.

Shipments from U.S. operations contained approximately 2.3 million defined daily doses of medication and weighed 59,734 pounds. Direct Relief also disbursed $723,000 in grants during this period.

Field Clinic Brings Ongoing Care to Flood-Affected Nepal

The Aug. 26 Bhotekoshi-Trishuli flood destroyed bridges and damaged roads, cutting off communities in Kispang Rural Municipality.

Mountain Heart Nepal established a tented field clinic in Kispang-5, Nuwakot, with Direct Relief's support. Dr. Aashish Dahal will be stationed there for three months to provide ongoing care to flood-affected families.

Mountain Heart Nepal also delivered Direct Relief-supported emergency medical response backpacks to frontline health teams across the municipality's five wards, equipping first responders working in local health posts and clinics.

"We are privileged to receive these," said Dahal, the only doctor serving the rural municipality. "Each bag is like a mobile emergency unit. Our first responders will be better equipped and more confident on the ground."

Prenatal Vitamins Support Maternal Health in Sierra Leone

Direct Relief shipped 2,240 bottles of multiple micronutrient supplements to Aberdeen Women's Centre in Sierra Leone on Sept. 17. The prenatal supplements contain vitamins and minerals to help address nutritional gaps during pregnancy.

"For the women to have access to prenatal vitamins, it is such a key pillar to support, not only maternal wellbeing, but infant wellbeing too," said Katie Wade of Aberdeen Women's Centre.

Aberdeen Women's Centre has partnered with Direct Relief since 2013.

Getting Medicines to Patients After Colombia's Earthquake, and Beyond

A medicine can be available in a company's warehouse and still be out of reach for a patient who needs it. Closing that gap requires knowing what health workers need, arranging safe transport and storage, and navigating donation requirements.

As Colombia recovers from its August earthquake, Direct Relief and longtime partner Banco de Medicamentos are working to strengthen those connections so more medicines can reach people during the recovery and beyond.

The earthquake affected more than 400 health facilities. Direct Relief provided emergency grants to help partners reach affected communities with medical personnel, supplies, mobile health services and safe drinking water. That response builds on more than $27 million in medical aid provided to Colombian health organizations since 2015.

Expanding that support means helping more companies donate medicines to health facilities that need them. Banco de Medicamentos makes those connections possible through its national network, pharmaceutical logistics and industry expertise.

In September, Direct Relief and Banco de Medicamentos met with senior Colombian government officials and private-sector partners to discuss earthquake recovery and ways to expand medical donations. A central opportunity is to identify available medicines already in Colombia and match them with needs reported by health facilities, while making it easier to receive medical donations from abroad.

"The earthquake created an immediate need for action, but our conversations in Colombia reinforced that the opportunity goes well beyond a single emergency," said Jonathan Mangotich, senior corporate engagement manager for Latin America at Direct Relief. "By connecting locally identified health needs with the capabilities of government, nonprofit and private-sector partners, we can build on the work already underway and create more durable pathways to expand access to health."

For patients, those efforts can help make treatment more consistently available, whether they are recovering from an injury or managing a condition that requires ongoing care.

Operational Snapshot

The following shipment and grant figures cover Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2026.

United States

Direct Relief sent 482 shipments valued at approximately $3.9 million to organizations in 41 states and territories. The shipments contained 681,089 defined daily doses of medication and weighed 26,108 pounds.

Around the World

Outside the US, Direct Relief sent 36 shipments valued at approximately $26.4 million to 18 countries. They contained approximately 1.6 million defined daily doses of medication and weighed 33,626 pounds.

Destinations included Ethiopia, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Syria and Ukraine.

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