"Help Protect Mothers and Newborns in Kenya"... International Rescue Committee Launches Emergency Fundraising with Ambassador Oh Minae

Operating Funds Cut by 56% Due to Aid Reductions
Only General Hospital in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp Faces Closure
Fundraising Target Set at 145 Million Won for Medicines and Medical Equipment

In June 2025, actress Oh Minae, ambassador for the International Rescue Committee, visited Amasite Hospital, the only general hospital within the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), with Eunyoung Lee as the Korea Country Director, announced on the 3rd that it will launch an emergency year-end fundraising campaign to support the only general hospital in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, which is facing the risk of closure.

Kakuma Refugee Camp is the world’s third-largest refugee camp, home to approximately 300,000 forcibly displaced people who have lost their homes due to war and climate disasters. The camp currently suffers from extremely fragile medical, food, and sanitation infrastructure. Ammusait Hospital, the only general hospital in the camp operated by the International Rescue Committee, is equipped with a delivery room, pediatric surgery room, and a ward for treating malnutrition. However, the hospital now faces the threat of closure as international aid has been drastically reduced. With 56% of essential operating funds cut, ambulance operations have been limited to only one out of every four calls, and most medicines have already run out.

With food aid reduced by about 70%, the number of patients suffering from malnutrition has increased by 50% compared to 2022. There has also been a sharp rise in premature infants born weighing only around 1.1 kg just six months after birth due to nutritional deficiencies. If Ammusait Hospital is forced to close, 300,000 patients will be left without access to medical care, the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and malaria will surge, maternal mortality is expected to double, and the neonatal mortality rate is projected to rise by more than 30%.

The International Rescue Committee Korea Office has set a fundraising goal of 145 million won, specifically for securing medicines and medical equipment, out of the total annual operating budget of about 1 billion won needed for Ammusait Hospital. The fundraising campaign will be conducted through all available channels, including Naver Happy Bean, major donations, corporate partnerships, digital fundraising, and public campaigns. All funds raised will be used exclusively for essential, life-saving support such as retaining medical staff at Ammusait Hospital, providing nutritional and sanitation support, and securing emergency medical equipment. Participation in the campaign is possible via Naver Happy Bean, the International Rescue Committee website, and social networking services (SNS).

Actress Oh Minae, ambassador for the International Rescue Committee who visited Kakuma Refugee Camp in June, is also joining the campaign to lend her support. Ambassador Oh shared her thoughts, saying, "I learned on site that hope does not come from grand gestures, but from the protection of the most basic things like water, food, and a safe place to sleep-that is where the strength to live comes from. I am participating in this campaign with the belief that even a small act of care and sharing can save someone's life."

Eunyoung Lee, Korea Country Director of the International Rescue Committee, stated, "Ammusait Hospital is the last lifeline for 300,000 people. I sincerely ask for your warm interest and participation in this emergency year-end fundraising campaign so that the most vulnerable mothers and newborns are not driven into irreversible crisis."