Responding to Nepal Floods, Supporting Cancer Prevention in Uganda, and More

Over the past week, Direct Relief has delivered 555 shipments of requested medical aid to 47 U.S. states and territories, and to 22 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 9.8 million defined daily doses of medication.

Medications and supplies shipped this week included rare disease treatments, diabetes treatments, cancer therapies, fistula repair kits, and backup power equipment.

Support Reaches Flood-Affected Families Across Nepal's Trishuli River

Mountain Heart Nepal delivered 100 hygiene kits donated by Direct Relief to flood-affected families in Bidur Municipality-8, Nuwakot, an area across the Trishuli River where access remains severely disrupted following damage to bridges and roads. With crossings limited to temporary ziplines, residents have reported waiting three to four hours to cross due to demand.

The kits were distributed to 100 households, with priority given to families with the most significant losses and to vulnerable members, including women and older people.

Mountain Heart Nepal has identified continuity of care for chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory illness, as a growing concern, as disrupted roads and lost income make it harder for affected families to obtain regular medication refills.

In response, the organization is focusing on sustained primary healthcare access in hard-to-reach communities, including distributing medicines and medical supplies, supporting local health facilities, deploying medical personnel, and establishing field clinics where routine care has been disrupted.

HPV Vaccines Depart for Uganda Cancer Institute

A major shipment of therapies departed this week for the Uganda Cancer Institute, a public medical facility working in partnership with the Ministry of Health to provide cancer research, training, consultation, prevention, and treatment.

The 12-pallet shipment contained 117,990 doses of HPV 9-valent vaccines for patients seeking care at UCI, an organization that provides treatment for a broad range of cancers, including breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate, lung, kidney, bladder, pancreatic, endometrial, and skin cancers, as well as leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Institute also provides integrated care for patients with co-existing medical conditions. This week's shipment of HPV vaccines will support populations outside Uganda's current national vaccination target group.

Since 2017, Direct Relief has provided UCI with 96 shipments valued at more than $345 million, comprising donated medicines-primarily cancer medicines-and medical supplies, as well as a $50,000 grant.

Strengthening Pediatric Care at Puerto Rico Hospital

Direct Relief staff, including Chief Operating Officer Craig Redmond, recently visited Hospital Pediátrico Universitario in Puerto Rico, Fundación Hospital Pediátrico's leading public pediatric hospital, to see the impact of a partnership built over several years. The visit included a tour of the Pediatric Interventional Radiology Suite, developed in large part with Direct Relief's support.

Staff also visited the Pediatric Renal Dialysis Unit, where Direct Relief's support has funded a dedicated Care Coordinator since 2021, helping patients and families navigate services throughout their care. During the visit, staff met a patient who will mark one year since receiving a kidney transplant this September, whose care was coordinated across institutions with the Care Coordinator's support.

Operational Snapshot

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 511 shipments containing 1.6 million doses of medications this past week to organizations, including the following:

Around the World

Outside the US, Direct Relief shipped over 8.2 million defined daily doses of medication, totaling 161,026 pounds, to countries including the following:

Year-to-Date

Since January 1, 2026, Direct Relief has delivered 16,500 shipments to 2,470 partner organizations in 53 U.S. states and territories and 89 countries.

These shipments contained 297.3 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.3 billion (wholesale) and totaled 3.4 million pounds.

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