True resilience happens when multiple partners come together – like threads– to weave together the social fabric of a community. On the heels of an emergency, when the social fabric has been torn, a diversity of partnerships is essential for response and resilience.
Resilient communities benefit from opportunities for greater health and wellbeing, and Relief International plays a crucial role in pulling those threads together.
Relief International’s 7,000+ staff and volunteers have the experience and agility to meet the ever-changing needs of communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disaster. We partner with them to save lives, build greater resilience, and promote long-term health and wellbeing.
Our work is guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
Relief International partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing.
At Relief International, the pursuit of our mission is underpinned by a set of core capacities that define who we are and how we operate. To achieve our mission, we ensure that Relief International is safe, truly local, conflict sensitive, climate smart, evidence based, and committed to going the distance.
Our values are rooted in ethics and mutual respect. Relief International is non-political and non-sectarian in our mission, guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
Relief International partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing.
At Relief International, the pursuit of our mission is underpinned by a set of core capacities that define who we are and how we operate. To achieve our mission, we ensure that Relief International is safe, truly local, conflict sensitive, climate smart, evidence based, and committed to going the distance.
Our values are rooted in ethics and mutual respect. Relief International is non-political and non-sectarian in our mission, guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
True resilience happens when multiple partners come together – like threads – to weave together the social fabric of a community.
Relief International plays a crucial role in pulling those threads together to help build community resilience and strengthen healthcare systems.
This video was produced for Relief International by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions as part of the Healthier Together Series.
Relief International is a 60-year-old international NGO alliance that is the product of mergers and alliances between four organizations.
Today, Relief International is comprised of Relief International, Inc., Relief International-France and Relief International-UK, which operate under a one-team concept under a single senior leadership team.
Our team totals more than 7,000+ staff and local volunteers working in 16 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Scroll through the timeline below to learn more about our history from 1958 through the present day.
Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) is formed by a group of scientists and engineers employed by General Electric. Focused on poverty alleviation, VITA teams work through public-private partnerships to expand access to information, financial services, and technology in developing communities.
Appropriate Technologies International is founded in response to the Small is Beautiful Movement, which sought to expand access to affordable, simple technologies and technical knowledge. The organization later changed its name to Enterprise Works Worldwide to reflect an emphasis on livelihoods.
Relief International is founded in Los Angeles in response to the Manjil-Rudbar earthquake, Iran’s worst natural disaster on record. Our focus grew to encompass emergency relief and long-term development programs in 10 countries before merging with peer organizations to expand our global impact.
Appropriate Technologies International launches programs that use small technology to earn carbon credits, including through a reduction of methane emissions in India’s dairy industry and producing fuel-efficient cook stoves in West Africa.
Relief International launches its first operations in Afghanistan, where we provide a combination of emergency aid and longer-term development programs to internally displaced people. We have operated in Afghanistan continuously ever since.
A 6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the city of Bam in Iran, destroying 70% of residential areas. Relief International teams are among the first responders. We reconstruct 850 houses, a library, a bakery, and a computer center. We also establish women self-help groups and micro loan pools in two villages.
Relief International-UK is founded in London to establish a European affiliate. We also launch our first large-scale collaboration with DFID, responding to drought in Niger. Our footprint in Europe expands significantly, bringing access to talented staff and financial support from donor governments.
In response to brutal clashes in the Darfur region of Sudan, Relief International launches emergency healthcare operations in the newly formed ZamZam camp, which houses an estimated 200,000 people. Now, more than a decade later, we remain the only organization providing healthcare in ZamZam.
Enterprise Works Worldwide merges with VITA, bringing together expertise of working with local businesses and organizations in 100 countries. EWV supports profit-making enterprises to create employment and increase productivity, addressing development challenges for populations entrenched in poverty.
Relief International merges with Schools Online, founded in 1996 by Silicon Valley technologists. Schools Online connects 6,400 schools in 36 countries to the Internet. The merger paved the way for Relief International’s expansion in education, and the use of technology to strengthen programming.
After the Haiti earthquake, Relief International teams work to improve access to healthcare, safe water, sanitation, and emergency shelter for 230,000 people. We also construct and operate a center where women and girls in vulnerable situations can go to continue their education and learn leadership skills.
Relief International merges with Enterprise Works/VITA. Our combined expertise, skills, and resources accelerate Relief International’s growth in fragile settings, including new programs in the Philippines, Guinea, Haiti, Libya, Niger, and Senegal.
In response to the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Relief International expands our long-standing programming in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan to meet the urgent needs of Syrian refugees uprooted by the civil war. Our work to support Syrians continues to the present day.
Typhoon Haiyan hits the Philippines, cutting off 16 million people from electricity, healthcare, and clean water. We launch our first large-scale disaster response in the country, providing aid to nine communities in Leyte province. We continue to partner with these communities to rebuild and prepare for future storms.
The largest outbreak of Ebola is declared in Guinea. Relief International responds, working with local communities to prevent the spread of the disease through awareness activities and the distribution of hygiene kits. One year later, Guinea is declared “Ebola-free.”
On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes the South Asian country of Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring 22,000 others. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, Relief International teams distribute shelter kits to 2,600 households in 65 villages across the country.
We partner with local communities in Ghana and international CO2 emissions experts to design and produce fuel-efficient Gyapa cookstoves. In June 2016, Relief International sells its one millionth Gyapa. The award-winning business is now self-sustaining and one of West Africa’s leading social enterprises.
More than 700,000 Rohingya refugees flee Myanmar for safety in Bangladesh. Most settle in Cox’s Bazar, home to the world’s largest refugee camp. Relief International rapidly expands our programming in Bangladesh to provide life-saving healthcare, protection, and mental health services to refugees.
Medical Refresher Courses for Afghans (MRCA), a French nonprofit providing healthcare services in Afghanistan, joins the Relief International alliance. Under this new partnership, Relief International-France continues to strengthen Afghanistan’s healthcare system, while complementing our operations across the globe.
Catastrophic flooding overtakes 28 of Iran’s 31 provinces. Relief International’s longstanding history of responding to natural disasters in Iran enables our teams to be first on the ground in the worst-affected provinces. We distribute hygiene kits and cash cards to families whose homes were destroyed by the floods.
Craig Redmond becomes Chief Executive Officer of Relief International.
Collaboration is at the core of our operations. We work alongside communities, local and national governments, and peer organizations to ensure we're delivering the right projects.
+ Learn more
The support of our donors, including individuals, foundations, and governments, makes our global reach possible. We are committed to being transparent and effective stewards of these investments.
+ Learn more
Relief International consistently receives the highest grades available for accountability and transparency.
+ Learn more
Relief International's leaders come from a variety of places and backgrounds, and are united in their dedication to delivering sustainable solutions that put communities first.
+ Learn more
Relief International's Boards of Directors work alongside our leaders to ensure the highest standards of governance, and set the organization's strategy and direction.
+ Learn more
Relief International is always on the lookout for top talent with the expertise, experience, and passion to design and deliver world-class programs in the 16 countries where we work.
