The battle against Gaddafi may be over but the war to get the country back on its feet has only just begun. Now more than ever, the country needs international aid. The recent revolution has left the country crippled and in desperate need of rebuilding that will take years to accomplish.
Despite Libya's vast oil reserves, the great majority of the people remain impoverished and the country has seen few improvements to civil, education or health infrastructure in the last 40 years. The recent conflict has seen the destruction of much of the infrastructure that had previously been in place and a considerable amount of Libya's wealth is still restricted.
The rebuilding of the country will involve more than just the bricks and mortar of schools and hospitals, but also the provision of education, knowledge and skills which arises from the interaction with the international community and World for Libya is taking steps to ensure that Libya receives the support that it needs.
During the revolution World for Libya worked to deliver medical aid and medicine to hospitals across Libya and Tunisia. Our volunteers provided the refugee camps in Tunisia with food, clothing, basic necessities such as toiletries and new toilets. World for Libya provided Libyan and Tunsian hospitals with 11 ambulances and an ambulance bus to deal with the enormous number of injured during the conflict. The charity recruited emergency care professionals and doctors to transport over 280 patients from the Nafusa Mountains to Tunisian hospitals. Working with NATO and local authorities World for Libya converted military helicopters into air ambulances. Which were then used to transport over 750 injured patients from the front line to hospitals in the major cities. Now that the conflict is over, they will form the basis of the emergency response within Libya.
Since the revolution ended the priorities of the charity are focused on building solid foundations on which the country can be rebuilt and to this end there are a range of projects which we are implementing and currently fundraising for, such as:
Virtual Integrated Surgical Training Academy (VISTA):whichwould involve weekly interactive video lectures, an online library of surgical techniques including visual media, and 24/7 on-call advice to international consultants.
Community Health Information Programme (CHIP):This will entail mobile clinics travelling to remote areas in Libya to provide diagnostic primary care as well as basic health services and education. To achieve this, World for Libya will work with other aid organizations as well as the Ministry of Health in Libya.
NGO Training Programme:Prior to the revolution there were only a handful of charities in Libya, most of which were politically motivated. World for Libya is developing a programme to help Libyans form charitable organizations. This programme has four aims; advocacy, guidance, support and collaboration.
In order to achieve these goals we need your support. You can do this by donating directly to charity by visiting www.worldforlibya.org, or simply by following us on Twitter and 'Like'ing our page on Facebook.
For more information please email enquires@worldforlibya.org .
