When natural disasters or political upheaval create urgent health emergencies, CMMB responds.  We send life-saving shipments of medicines and supplies to the affected areas. We also provide grants so that urgently needed items can be purchased locally. Our close partnerships with local agencies enable CMMB to identify needs and get medicines to remote areas rapidly.

In FY2007, CMMB made six disaster relief shipments valued at US$3.4 million.  Relief helped those affected by Huricane Felix in Honduras and Nicaragua; earthquake survivors in Peru; and typhoon relief in the Philippines.

In recent past, CMMB has contributed to disaster relief efforts by helping those hit by the May 2006 earthquake in region around Bantul, Indonesia, and by Hurricane Stan in Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.  CMMB’s response to the tsunami in Southeast Asia in December of 2004 is a good example of how CMMB mobilizes to get vital medicines to those in great need:

• CMMB shipped medicines and medical supplies valued at $4.7 million to healthcare facilities in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. CMMB medicines helped local doctors and nurses treat the many thousands of injured.
• CMMB channeled $527,000 in grants through faith-based partners in India to buy medicines and supplies, to conduct trauma counseling, and to support physicians in regions affected by the tsunami.
• CMMB resources were delivered efficiently and with compassion to those in need, thanks to our partnerships with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the Catholic Medical Association of India, and many local organizations, hospitals and clinics.