During her fifth home visit of the day, Um Ibrahim, a health outreach volunteer, immediately knew something was wrong. The 17-year-old daughter complained of intense pain in her leg. She was unable to walk and her leg was swollen, red, and very warm. Um Ibrahim reacted instantly and escorted the young woman and her mother to the nearby Jordan Health Aid Society Al-Taj Clinic.

Um Ibrahim, a volunteer with International Relief & Development’s Strategic Health Support (SHS) Program, had received training providing her with the knowledge and ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of serious health disorders. Every day she visits Iraqi families in her community; educates them on basic health issues such as nutrition, reproductive health, and the importance of seeking care when needed; and provides referral slips for subsidized care.

The goal of SHS, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State, is to provide access to quality primary and secondary health care, and medications to the most socially and economically vulnerable Iraqi refugees and other nationalities. IRD maintains a vast network of trained volunteers who visit refugees in their homes, and provide basic health assessments and referrals to receive subsidized medical attention at partnering health clinics in Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid. As of September 2009 the SHS program had provided needed medical services to over 76,000 Iraqi refugees.

The clinic doctor diagnosed the young woman with deep vein thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot in her leg that could potentially travel to her lungs and kill her. She needed immediate care that was beyond what the clinic could provide. The SHS Program arranged for the young woman to be transferred to the Red Crescent Hospital in Amman, where she was treated and her life was saved.