Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

 

While it has been more than a month since the massive quake hit Ecuador on April 16^th, AMDA has shifted the focus of its activities from emergency relief to rehabilitation assistance. As of now, AMDA's collaborating partner Universidad San Fracisco de Quito (USFQ) has sent ninth batch of relief personnel comprising doctors, nurses and education specialists.

In Pedernales, Manabi Province, located in the northwestern coastal region, USFQ’s relief team (backed by AMDA) has started offering an education program for children at a local school. The program is aimed at allowing children to carry on with their daily studying while schools are yet to be resumed. Meanwhile, medical assistance is also being continued at the evacuation shelters.

  

The program which was initiated on May 15^th attracted 120 students on the first day, and a week later, 20 more students enrolled in it.

[How it all started:]

In the disaster regions, schools were initially expected to restart on May 2^nd according to the government, however, it has been postponed until July due to the current post-disaster situation.

In Canaveral district, there are approximately 1,000 households in six communities where most of them rely on fishery. USFQ's relief team negotiated with one of the two schools in the area, a private school which wasn’t seriously affected, to conduct normal school activities for the school-age children. The school is run in a summer-camp style which allows them to carry on with their daily school life.