What's Emergency all About?

Mission Statement

In today’s conflicts 90 percent of the victims are civilians. Every year war takes the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Emergency provides free of charge, high standard medical and surgical care in war-torn areas.

Emergency promotes a culture of peace, solidarity and respect of human rights.

Emergency is an independent, neutral and nonpolitical humanitarian organization established to provide care to civilian victims of war and of land mines. All Emergency facilities are designed, built and managed by specialized international staff committed to training local medical personnel.

The work of Emergency around the world is possible thanks to the help of the thousands of volunteers and supporters.

How Emergency Operates

Two basic factors are weighed before Emergency decides whether or not to undertake a project:

1) The effective need for specialized medical or surgical services

2) The absence of similar humanitarian projects in the given country

Because health care is a basic human right, Emergency:

- offers medical and surgical treatment completely free of charge
- guarantees treatment to anyone in need of assistance, without any racial, ideological, political discrimination

- provides high quality assistance, employing standardized therapeutic and work protocols which have been tried and tested in emergency situations

- trains local staff thoroughly, with the intent of handing over all operations of the medical center to them and to local authorities as soon as self-sustainability can be achieved

Emergency builds:

- hospitals specifically dedicated to war victims, surgical emergencies and specialist therapy in places where there are none
- physical and social rehabilitation centers

- first aid posts for emergency treatment

- heath care centers for primary medical assistance

All Emergency facilities are designed, built and run by specialized international personnel, who provide training for local staff.

How is Emergency different than other organizations?

Emergency has the capacity, skills and focus to provide specialized long-term care for civilian victims of war and land mines free of charge.

Emergency provides high standard surgical and specialized care. Hospitals and rehabilitation centers are established and operated in depth and for the long term, from trauma surgery and advanced life support for civilian victims of war to public health clinics and First Aid Posts.

Emergency offers training programs for local medical and nursing staff in each of its permanent facilities.

Emergency creates a permanent health-care capacity where it operates through education and training of local health-care personnel. Emergency’s long-term goal is to have a sustainable system in place to be turned over to the local health authorities, where neutrality of care provided free of charge can be guaranteed.

What humanitarian programs does Emergency offer?

Emergency provides surgical, medical, pediatric, maternity and rehabilitation care to the survivors of war and land mines. Public Health Clinics and First Aid Posts are connected to the major Surgical Centers.

Emergency also offers social reintegration programs for rehabilitated victims of land mines and to war widows in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Who funds Emergency and Emergency, USA?

More than 90 percent of fund-raising is based on the activity of volunteers and the contributions of small private donors. More than 93 percent of those funds are allocated to humanitarian programs.

How are Emergency’s hospitals’ locations selected?

Humanitarian projects and programs are identified on the basis of most urgent needs of the populations in war-torn countries and the interaction of such needs with available local resources, project feasibility and opportunities.

Does Emergency stay involved with a hospital after it has been turned over to the local health authorities?

Emergency stays involved by providing supervision, further training and monitoring of compliance with agreed upon principles and protocols of care.

Are reports about Emergency available?

An Activity Report for 1994-2005 is avalible. It summarizes Emergency activities around the world. To request a copy of this reports contact http://www.info@emergencyusa.org/, or 724.766.4518.

EMERGENCY'S contact person for the Prostrations for Peace event is Gerri Gorman. People are encouraged to stop by the table at the ceremony to learn more, or contact Gerri at (312) 413-9013. Click to view a number of local events hosted by Emergency.