Since 1998, IRD has been fulfilling its mission to reduce the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable groups by implementing programs that offer both immediate humanitarian assistance and long term post-emergency recovery programs. These programs are aimed at improving the quality of life for vulnerable groups, including displaced persons, refugees, and others. In emergencies, we provide targeted critical services such as essential commodities, food aid, water and sanitation, and medicines, intended to meet immediate needs of affected populations. For longer-term recovery, we assist communities in identifying and accessing the resources necessary for rebuilding their lives and communities.

Emergency Relief
Over the last eight years, IRD has helped distribute $192 million worth of essential commodities such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, clothing, food, water, hygiene kits, school kits, and blankets to displaced populations and disaster-affected individuals around the world.

In emergencies, IRD has a proven capacity to rapidly implement and initiate response activities. In many cases relief responses such as commodities shipments are mobilized while the initial assessment is still underway, so time will not be lost. IRD has in-house expert emergency technical skills and human resources that can plan and initiate response until longer-term teams can take over.
In 2005 – for the first time – IRD initiated relief efforts in the United States immediately following the Hurricane Katrina emergency. Our distribution programs also targeted the Caucasus region, the Balkans, and Southeast Asia in the wake of the tsunami, among others.

Post-Emergency Recovery and Rehabilitation
IRD’s recovery and rehabilitation programs are designed to improve the quality of life for displaced persons, refugees and vulnerable populations by mitigating the effects of conflict and addressing critical needs. Our programs help provide the foundations for long-term development activities, including activities aimed at: increasing livelihood security of vulnerable groups, distributing income generation grants to low-income families, disseminating relevant information to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and improving water and sanitation facilities in IDP and refugee settlements. Importantly, our programs also focus on resettling IDPs and refugees and supporting these communities with the infrastructure and resources needed to accommodate the returnees. We strive to provide people with the tools needed to rebuild their lives and communities.

Chronic Humanitarian Relief
IRD addresses chronic humanitarian assistance needs resulting from extended conflict, drought, and other circumstances that lead to continued extreme poverty and food insecurity. Initially, IRD both provides essential commodities and designs and implements programs oriented to developmental relief, such as drought mitigation food production projects and water source rehabilitation. We also administer programs that provide primary health interventions through material and infrastructure support and training to rural clinics. In 2005 IRD set up programs in Mozambique to address chronic humanitarian assistance needs, and began work on establishing programs in South Sudan and Niger.

Current Projects
• Armenia - Humanitarian Assistance Program to the most vulnerable populations
• Azerbaijan - Humanitarian Assistance Program to the most vulnerable populations
• Georgia - Humanitarian Assistance Program to the most vulnerable populations
• Indonesia - Emergency Livelihood Recovery and Income Generation Interventions in Aceh
• Indonesia - Emergency Water and Sanitation program for IDP Settlements
• Iraq - Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq program (HAI)
• Iraq - Humanitarian Assistance program in Fallujah
• Iraq - Facilitating Return of Northern Iraq Refugees and IDPs
• Mozambique - Emergency Response to a Drought program
• Serbia - Emergency Survival Aid to IDPs in Serbia; Information Dissemination and Self-Reliance Program in Southern Serbia
• South Sudan - Return and Reintegration of IDP and Refugee Returnees in Rural Communities
• Ukraine - Humanitarian Assistance Program to the most vulnerable populat