Relief International (RI) and Medical Refresher Courses for Afghans (MRCA) are pleased to announce that the French non-governmental organization has joined the RI alliance network and is now named MRCA/Relief International – France.
Since 1985, MRCA has been providing health training, curative and preventive health care services to reduce mortality rates and improve patient care in hospitals across Afghanistan. Relief International began working in Afghanistan in 2001, reconstructing schools and training midwives. Since then, RI has teamed with local communities to provide emergency response to natural disasters, and to tackle challenges in health, agriculture, education, governance and civil society. Globally, primary health care makes up the majority of RI’s programming, including through community health workers, primary care facilities and hospitals.
The RI-MRCA affiliation is a natural partnership, yielding a combined focus in health, economic opportunity, education, WASH, and mainstreaming protection. We are pleased that MRCA/Relief International – France will continue the historic mission of MRCA in Afghanistan while complementing RI’s activities and operations in other fragile settings across the globe.
President & CEO Nancy E. Wilson said, “We are thrilled to have MRCA join our alliance network of Relief International organizations. Its reputation for excellence providing healthcare in Afghanistan for more than thirty years has earned it great standing in France, and we look forward to taking its mission global while expanding its activities into all four technical sectors of Relief International. I am also delighted to welcome MRCA Chairperson Stéphane Crescitz and Philippe Oberlin as members of the leadership bodies of RI’s alliance network.”
“Joining the Relief International family of organizations will allow MRCA to redouble its long-standing efforts to the development of a strong Afghan health system, while taking our mission global,” said MRCA Chairperson Stéphane Crescitz. “Our shared vision for helping people in fragile settings makes this partnership a potent one, increasing our reach and augmenting the effect of our work in Afghanistan and beyond.”
About Relief International
Relief International is an alliance of Relief International USA, Relief International UK, MRCA/Relief International – France, and Relief International – Europe. Together, these nonprofit organizations provide development assistance and humanitarian relief to fragile communities in sixteen countries. The alliance now includes more than 3,200 staff and an additional 5,000 auxiliary personnel (otherwise known as stipended local volunteers or indirect staff), implementing programs in four core sectors at a rate of $120 million annually. The mission of the alliance is non-political and non-sectarian.
Contact
To learn more, please contact Senior Director for Communications & Development Courtney Lobel at [email protected] or +1.202.503.1200.