Main fundraiser photo

Medical relief for refugees

Donation protected
Hello, many of you know me and for those who are just meeting me, my name is Cindy Nelly and I am a midwife. I will be setting off once again to work with refugees. As a midwife I have the privilege of working with women and their families through beautiful and sometimes sorrowful times.
My work has brought me to some of the most difficult places to be a women, pregnant, parenting, and simply living, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti post earthquake, New Orleans post Katrina, slums of Kenya, a hospital HIV/AIDS denying government in Gambia, Colombia, and most recently to the unofficial refugee camps in Turkey. In all my work and travels what holds true is the amazing strength women posses. I am awe inspired and humbled and learn more than I can ever dream of giving in each of these experiences.

Once again, thanks to the support of my amazing husband, family and friends, I will be leaving in January to work with refugee women and their families in Turkey. The work in Turkey will include kicking off a contraception campaign and revisiting camps where I worked while in Turkey fall 2016.

The current refugee crisis is the largest since WWII.
More than 4.5 million refugees from Syria are in just five countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt:

• Turkey hosts 2.5 million refugees from Syria, more than any other country worldwide

• Lebanon hosts approximately 1.1 million refugees from Syria which amounts to around one in five people in the country

War, violence and food instability are driving this mass exodus.
Like many of you, I have read, listened, and watched in horror and helplessness since 2011. Now as the conflict in Syria rages on I have seen first hand the impact direct care can have on the lives of refugees. I have heard stories of survival, seen the wounds of conflict and despiration. I will not "wait and see" what the future holds. I will return and witness the nightmare that continues for so many.

I am using the same campaign I used this past fall (2016) to raise money for more medical supplies. Medical supplies are available for purchase in Turkey. Rather than collecting supplies prior to leaving and bringing them with me, the strategy will be to purchase supplies in Turkey. I was able to purchase a great deal of medications including $80 Mirena IUDs in Turkey (~$600 in US).

I saw first hand how the purchase of these supplies directly impacted the health of women, men and children.

Please join me in helping. What I am offering is small, it will be simple, it is a way to connect with people and say, we have not forgotten. That we are watching, we care about how you are today, about your headache, your sore throat, the baby you will have in this tented camp. For me it is a way to say we will continue to witness you and tell the world we stand with you until resolutions are found.

Any amount of donation is deeply appreciated. Sincere deepest gratitude for your support and attention to this effort. Please spread the word via FB or email.

-Cindy

Campaign Information

1. Who I am- Cindy Nelly CNM

2. Where I'm from- Northampton MA, Gainesville FL

3. My relationship to the parties I am raising funds for- I will be working in partnership with a NGO through MidwifePilgrim. I will be providing direct care and support to refugees in Izmir Turkey. In Izmir I will return to work in the camps I worked in fall 2016.
I will also be working with the Syrian American Medical Society in Lebanon. In Lebanon I will be providing midwifery care in camps and in clinical settings.

4. The funds will be spent on:
essential medications, antibiotics, antihypertensives, antiemetics, glycemic medications,inhalers, and more as needed
medical supplies: suture, bandages, delivery supplies and more as needed
funds for general expenses: interpreter, transport
I will update with posts regularly of how funding is being used. The initial funds for my first trip to Turkey were spent on all of the above items. The funds have also gone to support a Contraception Program for refugees, purchasing more IUDs, OCPs, Depo, and condoms for women and couples. The response and desire for birth control was overwhelming

5. I intend to get the funds to those in need through direct delivery of care and resources, I leave January 26th.

Organizer

Cindy Nelly
Organizer
Gainesville, FL

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.