Aug, 2023
Chronic disease medications expand healthcare services to the most vulnerable
Ahmad is a 67-year-old Lebanese resident of Tofahta, a town in the South Governorate. Ahmad, a retired teacher, has had asthma since infancy.
Perhaps due to the stress he has endured in his life, his asthma has grown worse over time, eventually progressing into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The condition is life altering. He has even had incidents of blacking out from lack of oxygen and had to use an oxygen machine.
Despite the gravity of his condition, the economic crisis of recent years has put the continuation of his treatment in jeopardy. And he is far from alone in Lebanon today.
Across the country thousands of vulnerable patients with chronic diseases are in danger of being unable to obtain the vital medicines they need to manage their conditions. This is where the CARMAH program comes in. In partnership with Americares, Anera’s CARMAH project, funded by the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, helps individuals like Ahmad access their medications and maintain hope for the future.
“A former student of mine introduced me to the CARMAH project,” Ahmad says.
“It’s been a lifeline during the crisis here in Lebanon. Before the collapse, I needed around $1,000 monthly just for my medications, but after the [devaluation of the currency], I can't possibly afford them now. So the CARMAH project provided essential assistance when I needed it the most.”
Ahmad gets his medicines from the local clinic, the Tofahta Healthcare Center.
Due to his condition, Ahmad has to limit his time outdoors. He spends most of his time at home to avoid the air pollution in Lebanon, caused by garbage fires, the ubiquitous diesel generators and vehicle traffic. So every month, his wife Safiya visits the health clinic to pick up chronic disease medications for her husband.
Safiya, 61, stops at the clinic on her way home from work as a school administrator in the city of Nabatieh. She is grateful that a program like CARMAH exists.
“I come every month to this center to pick up Ahmad’s medications but never have we felt for a second that we’re receiving charity or stripped of our dignity, because of the amazing team here. I’m so grateful for all that you do.”
Despite all the pain and challenges that Ahmad has endured, he and his wife maintain an unprecedented willpower and determination to keep moving forward.
Send Help to Lebanon
The economic crisis in Lebanon puts families like Ahmad's at risk of being unable to obtain vital medicines. Your donation can expand on current efforts like the CARMAH Project, ensuring vulnerable communities have the resources they need to care for their loved ones.
“The CARMAH project provided essential assistance when I needed it the most.”
Ahmad and Safiya are pseudonyms to protect their privacy. The couple requested not to have identifiable photographs of themselves published.
Lebanon
South Governorate
The South Governorate of Lebanon is a beautiful place with white beaches, archeological ruins, bustling old souks, fertile fields of citrus and banana trees, and a deep history. Its residents are from different religions: Shia and Sunni Muslims, Druze, Eastern Orthodox, Maronite, Protestant, and Greek Catholic Christians. Its biggest cities are also the third and fourth largest in the country, Saida and Tyre.
