Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) is a US-based

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

public charity that provides humanitarian support and development around the world, helping communities recover from natural disasters, conflict, and poverty. RMF was created in response to the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...

, which killed over 200,000 people and displaced thousands more. Pediatrician Dr. Martina Fuchs traveled to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, where she opened a small medical clinic in the Mawella Camp for tsunami survivors. Based on the needs she witnessed and patients requiring longer-term support, Fuchs founded Real Medicine Foundation in 2005. As of September 2018, the organization has grown to include over 70 active projects and has worked in 24 countries. Real Medicine Foundation defines holistic, or "real" medicine, as "providing medical/physical, emotional, economic, and social support." Because of this philosophy, the organization's projects often start with health clinics and disaster relief, but evolve into additional support that includes health research, mobile clinics and outreach, health systems strengthening, education and school support, vocational training, psychological trauma support, and

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

eradication. The end goal is "Liberating Human Potential"; by employing only nationals for in-country operations and working closely with communities in need, the organization works to empower local community members and leaders to create long-term solutions to

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s, conflict, and

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

References

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External links

Official website
Emergency organizations Health charities in the United States Humanitarian aid organizations