EMERGENCY USA is a USA based organization devoted to the promotion of a culture of solidarity, peace and respect for human rights.
EMERGENCY USA provides support to projects that offer free, high quality medical and surgical treatment for the victims of war and poverty.

Emergency

2011 Updates from the Field

SUDAN – WORK IN PRORESS
Realization of the Pediatric Center in Port Sudan advancing toward completion

His name could probably be Mohammed, like it often is in this area. He stops in front of the building site with his dromedary amazingly overloaded with wood and asks our site manager for directions to the center of Port Sudan. He then carries on his way with nonchalance, towards his destination.

Mohammed is one of the possible chance encounters at the building site of the pediatric center we are building in Port Sudan, in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the city.

The center is located in a desert area, among shantytowns built during the massive stream of refugees coming from the south and farm workers abandoning the countryside because of draughts.

The pediatric center will cover an area of 780 square metres in total, subdivided into 3 outpatient clinics, a 14 bed in-patient ward, a 4 bed sub-intensive care unit, a pharmacy, diagnostic laboratories and service areas. The building work is completed and we are now finishing the installation of the cooling system. Temperatures in Port Sudan are over 40°C (104° Fahrenheit) for long periods of the year with humidity which can reach 80%.

We have studied specific technologies for the cooling, insulation and filtering of the building in order to be able to put up with the climate and the constant presence of dust brought by the strong desert winds.

For recycling and treatment of the air we have used a natural ventilation system integrated with an industrial-type mechanical cooling system.

The air is drawn in by external chimneys of the Bagdir type (inspired by the traditional natural ventilation systems in Iran) and conveyed through a skylight well, to the basement of the building where it goes through a sort of labyrinth. The jostling of the air against the walls slows down its speed thus cooling it and allowing the majority of dust and sand to sediment.

A machine with “adiabatic absorption” enables the cleansing and cooling of the air through evaporation. During particularly warm periods, the ventilation system will be integrated with traditional air conditioners in order to ensure an acceptable temperature, especially in the critical areas, such as the hospitalization wards.

Through this system, we will be able to lower by 50% or greater the consumption of electricity for air conditioning.