Rev. Jesse Jackson Visiting MedShare to Address East Africa’s Famine

Aug. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- ATLANTA, Georgia – On August 9, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, will visit MedShare to address East Africa’s famine.

The U.N. fears that thousands have died due to hunger, and Rev. Jackson hopes to partner with MedShare to mobilize his influence to send humanitarian aid to treat those suffering from malnutrition in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya.

“According to the UN World Food Program, over 11 million people are in need of emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa,” says Rev. Jackson. “In Kenya, an estimated 3.6 million people have been affected; this includes refugees, rural pastoralists, and urban poor who are unable to buy adequate food because of escalating prices. In Ethiopia, at least 4.5 million people are in need of assistance. I strongly believe that we can show how compassionate we are as a country by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless.”

“MedShare is honored to host the Revs. Jackson and Lowery, and explore opportunities for medical supplies and equipment that we can provide to address the healthcare issues that thousands of East Africans are facing as a result of the famine,” says A.B. Short, CEO and Co-founder of MedShare.

MedShare is an innovative nonprofit with a dual mission to deliver surplus medical supplies to underserved populations around the world while lessening the impact of medical waste in the U.S. The organization has delivered 700 40-foot containers of humanitarian aid to needy health facilities in 88 countries.

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MedShare bridges the gap between surplus and need, to improve healthcare and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment to those most in need.