In today’s fast-paced media landscape, headlines can shift daily. In most cases we see a disaster unfold in the news and an influx of generosity follows – which is amazing! However, the needs of a community devastated by disaster long outlive its time in the limelight. Luckily, many of our charity partners work behind the scenes helping disaster-affected communities around the world achieve resilience long after the headlines fade. Below, you’ll learn how four of our charity partners – Direct Relief, International Relief Teams, Project HOPE, and Mercy Corps – have made an incredible impact in response to emergencies in Hawaii, Syria, Ethiopia, and Ukraine. You can support long-term disaster relief efforts too by donating to these organizations through your workplace giving program or planning a lunch and learn event at your company.
Direct Relief in Maui
Direct Relief’s approach to disasters relies on long-standing collaborations with vetted local groups serving vulnerable communities. Their expertise, community trust, and existing protocols provide a foundation for the organization’s activities. Over the past decade, Direct Relief has provided local Hawai’ian organizations with 15.6 tons of medical resources totaling 415,305 defined daily doses of medicine, as well as $2.14 million in grant funding.
On August 8, 2023, devastating wildfires swept through the town of Lahaina, Hawaii, leveling hundreds of structures and killing at least 100 people. Within hours of the disaster, Direct Relief mobilized resources and personnel, delivering essential medical supplies, hygiene products, and lifesaving equipment.
Recovery efforts continue as many live in temporary housing, attend relocated schools, and obtain medical services at health facilities operating in temporary or mobile settings. Direct Relief provided an update at the six-month mark; they have sent more than 25 tons of requested medicines and medical supplies, including vaccines, insulin, inhalers, emergency medical backpacks, and personal care items, to 22 organizations, amounting to $1.8 million in wholesale value.
International Relief Teams in Syria
As the civil war rages on in Syria, the country’s children are grappling with the profound effects of the ongoing conflict. Children in Syria are consistently exposed to escalating violence, leaving them carrying the heavy burden of fear, loss, and the intense impact of these attacks. There is an urgent call for medical help for Syrian children – a necessary lifeline to heal physical and emotional wounds created by the violence.
Together with their partners on the ground, International Relief Teams has distributed medical help and supplies to affected communities and hospitals. This has allowed them to reach more children who are in need of immediate medical care. Below is the story of Mohammed, a Syrian child who received support from International Relief Teams.
Mohammed comes from a displaced family of five, originally from the western countryside of Aleppo and currently residing in the displaced people camps of Idlib. Mohammed suffered from a narrowing, and subsequent blockage, of his urinary passages. The family brought him in when he was in great pain, and a successful surgical procedure was performed. Mohammed’s condition has improved, and his family is thankful for the care provided to their son.
With the support of their donors and partners, International Relief Teams is helping Syrian children rebuild a future where the scars of the ongoing crisis are replaced with the promise of hope.
Mercy Corps in Ethiopia
Across Ethiopia, more than 760,000 people have been affected by floods, heavy rains, and landslides since October 2023. While people in Ethiopia are currently facing hazardous conditions due to the floods, communities have also been experiencing crisis due to historic droughts in the region.
Failed rainy seasons since 2020 have left more than 23 million people acutely food insecure across the Horn of Africa — including 13 million people in Ethiopia. The severe drought and food shortage have led to malnutrition for young children. In early 2023, Mercy Corps met Khadija and her husband who were facing this crisis with their children in Gumbi Bordode, a district in Oromia. “Two of my young children are now under series of follow-ups by health professionals as they were showing signs and symptoms of food shortages,” Khadija said. “The rains were not in sight for months. Most of the millet seed we sow was dead under the soil. I had nothing to feed my children.”
As part of Mercy Corps’ crisis response and program promoting food security, Khadija received electronic voucher cards to purchase fresh foods and vegetables from a local business. “I’m thankful for the meat, vegetables, and eggs I received today,” Khadija said. “These are very nutritious foods that I don’t get for my family, especially since the drought hit us badly. My youngest son will benefit most.”
In 2023, more than 189,000 drought-affected households like Khadija’s family have received support through Mercy Corps’ crisis response across Afar, Somali, and Oromia Regions. By using technology and working with local markets, Mercy Corps helped to improve short-term food security while sustaining an increase in food production to better withstand challenges that may arise in the future.
Project HOPE in Ukraine
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching deadly missile attacks and occupying parts of the country, resulting in a devastating war that continues today.
Chris Skopec, Executive Vice President of Project HOPE, was on the ground in Ukraine, where their team has been working around the clock to provide communities with the resources they need.
In the days since the full-scale invasion, they have helped over 300 health facilities and centers in Ukraine by:
- Providing generators to hospitals and facilities
- Mobilizing medical supplies to hospitals around the country
- Establishing mobile medical units to reach those who lack access to health care
- Distributing water to people affected by the conflict
Their team has been able to act because of donors’ efforts and generosity. Gratitude is seen everywhere, but the need is still there.
You can support long-term recovery and resilience for communities around the world by donating to these charity partners through your workplace giving program or reaching out to us to help plan a lunch and learn event for your employees to learn more.
