Airlink in Action: August Update
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August 2024 Update: Airlink’s Latest Responses
Read the latest update from Airlink to see the tangible impact of your support, which ensures humanitarian personnel and critical aid supplies reach those who need it most. Discover the nonprofit partners and communities we’re helping together with the generous assistance of our airline partners and sponsors. As the demand for Airlink’s services grows worldwide, your continued support of our mission is invaluable — thank you!
Hawai’i WildfiresÂ
Recovery
Roughly one year ago, a series of wildfires broke out on the island of Maui devastating communities including the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires displaced thousands of residents and severely disrupted the local economy. With support from United Airlines, Airlink continues coordinating flights for non-profit partners All Hands and Hearts and Red Lightning who are providing rebuilding and debris removal assistance for residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the fire.
Papua New Guinea – Landslide
Response
On May 24, heavy rainfall triggered a massive landslide in central Egna Province, Papua New Guinea, devastating rural mountainous communities. The landslide destroyed six villages, damaged food and clean water sources, and blocked the main highway connecting the area to the capital. The landslide also resulted in the deaths of nearly 700 people and left more than 7,000 people displaced. With support from Philippine Airlines, Airlink supported flights for IsraAID’s response team to Papua New Guinea. The team of five included specialists in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). In addition to providing MHPSS to the affected communities, they also assisted with the installation of water filters and solar lights.
The Philippines – Typhoons Gaemi and Rai
Recovery
Airlink is supporting passenger flights for ongoing response and recovery programs in the Philippines. Typhoon Gaemi significantly impacted the Philippines, causing widespread flooding and landslides that led to 39 deaths and the displacement of more than 600,000 people. With generous support from United Airlines, Airlink supported flights for two responders with GlobalMedic who will be providing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and NFIs to the impacted communities.
Super Typhoon Rai made landfall in the Philippines in December 2021 causing devastating impacts to infrastructure, affecting nearly 10 million people. Rai destroyed more than half of the schools in Southern Leyte.  In partnership with Cebu Pacific, Airlink supported flights for All Hands and Hearts’ (AHAH) volunteers to Southern Leyte, the Philippines where they are building a new disaster-resilient building that will serve as an elementary school for the community. The AHAH team will also be conducting a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training, to empower the community with best practices to mitigate future disaster risks.
Ukraine – Conflict & Displacement
Response
Airlink remains dedicated to providing transportation and logistical support to its non-profit partners who continue to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and surrounding countries. Since March 2022, Airlink has provided flights for more than 1,100 humanitarian responders and nearly 2,500 tons of aid to the region. With ongoing support from American Airlines, Airlink secured passenger travel on behalf of the following non-profit partners:
Global Care Force medical volunteers are providing primary care and mental health counseling in a displacement center where some patients have not received healthcare since the start of the war. In June alone, volunteers provided care to 322 patients.
MedGlobal volunteers provided Point-of-Care ultrasounds training to local medical staff to equip them with the tools and knowledge to respond to mass casualty incidents.
Razom continues to provide trauma and first aid courses for local organizations and communities, these include local and regional first responders, healthcare workers, utility workers, other NGOs, and local schools and universities. Skills taught include rapid patient assessment, tourniquet placement, wound packing, and field triage. The overall goal is to empower participants with the knowledge and skills needed to respond to life-threatening injuries.
International Ministry of Charity Emmanuel volunteers are providing crucial humanitarian aid including food and mental health and psychological support to hard to reach communities in eastern Ukraine.
In partnership with MedShare, and with airlift support from LOT Polish Cargo, Airlink facilitated airlift for a shipment of surgical supplies to Ukraine where Razom will oversee distribution of the items to critical care facilities. These collaborations ensure that clinics and hospitals are well-equipped to respond to frontline medical needs and medical providers are empowered with the necessary supplies to provide lifesaving care.
Hurricane Beryl
Response
In July, Hurricane Beryl inflicted severe damage across the Caribbean as the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. As the storm passed Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, initial reports indicated extensive infrastructure damage, lack of electricity, communications disruption, and minimal access to basic services. In Jamaica, high winds, flooding, and storm surge resulted in widespread power outages and water contamination. Airlink stood up a response to provide support to communities recovering from Beryl’s impact. Thanks to the support of Amerijet and USAID BHA, Airlink supported airlift for emergency responders as well as life-saving, life-sustaining, and life-affirming humanitarian cargo.
In partnership with American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, and United Airlines, Airlink has supported flights for 67 responders with non-profit partners Mobile Medics International, CORE, ShelterBox, All Hands and Hearts, Water Mission, International Medical Relief, Food For the Poor, REACT, Disaster Arbosrist Response Team UK, and Third Wave Volunteers. Responders are providing healthcare, psychosocial support, mass-feeding, WASH, cleanup, and rebuilding support to the impacted communities.
In addition, Airlink supported 18 metric tons of shelter supplies, WASH kits, and basic necessities to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on behalf of LIFT, Good360, and Global Empowerment Mission.
U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis
Response
Airlink continues to support the Haitian Bridge Alliance’s program in San Diego for arriving migrants and asylum seekers. Thanks to the support of United Airlines, Airlink supported a staff member to assess and transition the team to new transit centers, which focused on preventing street sleeping and mitigating the influx impact. Haitian Bridge Alliance’s operations focus on providing timely assistance to asylum seekers, including language support, telecommunications, food, and guidance to necessary facilities.
Southern Brazil Flooding
Recovery
The state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil continues to grapple with the impacts of severe flooding and heavy rain that started in April. About 388,000 people are displaced, with over 10,000 people occupying shelters. There continues to be a need for clean water and emergency supplies such as hygiene and medical supplies.
Throughout June, Airlink mobilized 23 tons of humanitarian aid supplies on behalf of NGO partners Global Empowerment Mission, GlobalMedic, and International Medical Corps. Thanks to the ongoing support from American Airlines and United Airlines, 77 pallets of water filtration kits, hygiene supplies, NFIs, solar lights, and medical supplies were distributed to impacted communities.
Airlink additionally supported flights for ten humanitarian responders, thanks to the support from United Airlines. In June, Airlink continued to support flights for the second phase of CADENA responders, who focused on distributing hygiene and cleaning kits, rain boots and tools, and food kits to the most affected families. Supported Waves for Water staff coordinated with local partners to provide clean water solutions for 10,000 community members. Finally, All Hands and Hearts launched a response to support local officials in debris clean-up and the distribution of donations.
Haiti – Complex Crisis
Response
Ongoing violence in Haiti has displaced over 578,000 people and left nearly 5 million facing acute hunger, with 1.6 million at risk of starvation. The conflict has devastated agriculture, closed over 900 schools, and severely disrupted healthcare, leaving many families struggling to feed and care for themselves and their children. Thanks to airline partner Amerijet, Airlink supported two shipments of humanitarian cargo for NGOs Partners in Health and Food for the Poor, totaling 13 pallets of heatlhcare and WASH supplies, specifically sanitary items for women.
Gaza – Humanitarian Crisis
Response
In response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Airlink has coordinated transportation for over 240 tons of critically needed relief supplies and 80 humanitarian responders in partnership with 14 NGO partners to support the immense needs across the region. This includes hospital theaters, medicines, medical supplies, durable medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, shelter items, baby and feminine hygiene supplies, food and nutrition items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene kits with delivery to emergency response programs throughout the region supporting emergency needs in Gaza and regional cargo pre-positioning. Despite significant difficulties in cross-border transportation to Gaza, Airlink remains committed to supporting partners who retain access for cargo storage and final-mile delivery.
Over the past 2 months, Airlink supported NGO partners Anera, MedGlobal, United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), World Emergency Relief (WER), International Rescue Committee (IRC), International Medical Corps (IMC), International Health Partners (IHP-UK), and Project HOPE in the movement of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, food and nutrition items, and household items with final destination in Gaza. Over 200,000 Gazans will be served by this cargo.
Additionally, in July, Airlink completed our airbridge in partnership with Heart to Heart International and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Since March, Airlink has transported 246 pallets across 25 flights as part of this program. In completion of this airbridge, 54,000 women and girls will have access to critically needed feminine hygiene products.
Hurricane Beryl
Response
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the Texas coast on July 8th after gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm led to widespread power outages affecting over 2.5 million people, intensifying the head and causing food shortages. The economic impact was substantial, with estimates suggesting billions of dollars in damages. Hurricane Beryl hit several areas in Texas particularly hard, including Matagorda County and Harris County. In July, Airlink supported flights for 125 responders providing medical care, muck-and-gut services, mass feeding, and mental health and psychosocial support to the affected communities. Airlink is proud to have supported flights for NGO partners Team Rubicon, Minuteman Disaster Response, Inspiritus, Operation BBQ Relief, ToolBank, and International Orthodox Christian Charities. These programs were made possible with the generous support of United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
Multi-State Severe Weather
Response
In June, Airlink responded to severe storms in Arkansas and Texas which caused major power disruptions and destruction. Airlink supported NGO partners Project:Camp and Inspiritus as they provided child-friendly spaces, mental health and psychosocial support, and emergency rebuilding and debris management assistance to the affected communities. With support from American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines, Airlink was able to respond to these unprecedented storms quickly.
New Mexico Wildfires
Response
In June, a series of wildfires swept through New Mexico, burning thousands of acres and prompting mass evacuations. Several communities were severely affected, with numerous homes and structures being damaged or destroyed. In partnership with Southwest Airlines, Airlink supported flights for The Salvation Army who are handling donations and management for this response. With support from American Airlines, Airlink also coordinated flights for Project: Camp who stood up a camp to create a child-friendly space for impacted families.
Sudan — Conflict & Regional Displacement Crisis
Response
Since April 2023, more than 10 million people have been forcibly displaced by active conflict in Sudan. Airlink remains active in responding to the unprecedented needs. Sudan’s health infrastructure has been devastated, leaving millions of people without access to primary, emergency, and basic healthcare. Last month, with support from Qatar Airways Cargo and additional logistics partners, Airlink facilitated cargo movement in partnership with MEDAIR and Project HOPE, transporting a combined 8 tons of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and equipment. These shipments will be distributed to health facilities and hospitals throughout the country, enabling local partners to treat tens of thousands of individuals.Â
Uganda — Refugee Crisis
Response
Uganda hosts the largest population of refugees in Africa with more than 1.7 million refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan living in the country. On average, refugees in Uganda live in settlements for more than 10 years. Water Mission has been active in Northern Uganda since 2014, providing refugees with access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Thanks to United Airlines, Airlink supported flights for one of Water Mission’s team members to Uganda where they facilitated repairs and rehabilitation of more than fifty water treatment systems, improving both water quality and safe water access for both refugee and host communities.
Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia – Health Systems Strengthening
Response
The compounded impacts of conflict, displacement, and disasters in communities experiencing weak or overwhelmed health systems can leave populations without access to basic health services, and vulnerable to preventable disease and illness. Airlink remains committed to supporting health systems strengthening efforts within fragile settings. Last month, with generous support from Qatar Airways Cargo, Airlink facilitated shipments of critically needed medicines to Malawi and Zambia in partnership with Health Partners International of Canada, where they will be distributed to health facilities responding to disease outbreaks and providing primary care. Both countries recently experienced crippling cholera outbreaks, making the delivery of these medicines timely for overwhelmed and understocked clinics.
In northeast Nigeria, decades of armed conflict and instability have displaced at least 2 million people. To address gaps in healthcare access, Airlink coordinated the movement of medical items on behalf of NGO partner, INTERSOS. The supplies will be distributed to INTERSOS programs in the region, increasing the capacity of health clinics, specifically in hard-to-reach IDP camps.Â
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