Direct Relief International
Founded:
1948
Contact:
Anthoula Randopoulos,
Vice President, Philanthropic Investment
Address:
Direct Relief International
27 S. La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara,
CA
93117
Phone:
(805) 964-4767
Fax:
(805) 681-4838
E-mail:
info@directrelief.org
URL:
http://www.directrelief.org/
NPO Spotlight: Direct Relief International
Mission:
To improve the health of people in need by providing essential material resources that strengthen locally run health programs around the world and during times of disaster.
About the Organization:
Direct Relief International is a nonsectarian humanitarian assistance organization founded in 1948 by William Zimdin, originally as the William Zimdin Foundation. The organization has continued operations uninterrupted, as the Direct Relief Foundation from 1957 to 1982, and afterward as Direct Relief International. Throughout its history, Direct Relief has worked with healthcare companies to provide assistance to impoverished areas and in response to humanitarian emergencies. With a staff of thirty-three people and hundreds of volunteers, it furnishes appropriate and specifically requested medical supplies to community-based health institutions and organizations in more than 140 countries, including the United States. In 2004, it provided almost $122 million (wholesale value) in medical aid to fifty-four countries, serving more than 22 million people.
Current Programs:
The work of Direct Relief International supports health care, with a focus on maternal and newborn health, and disaster response efforts. During the first week of response to Hurricane Katrina, it provided more than $10 million in aid to hospitals, clinics, and shelters throughout the affected region, the largest single domestic relief shipment in its history. Almost twenty tons of pharmaceuticals, basic medical supplies, and specially requested personal care items went to the Gulf Coast. Through its California Clinics program, Direct Relief has distributed more than $12 million in medical resources to sixty-two community health clinics statewide that are licensed to dispense prescription medicines.
Web Site:
The Direct Relief Web site features a timeline for the work of the organization, a video, a map showing countries where Direct Relief works, international partner profiles, and access to a monthly e-mail bulletin. It also highlights upcoming events, corporate and foundation donors, corporate in-kind donors, and a list of most needed items.
Funding:
The bulk of support for Direct Relief comes from in-kind product donations, through which the organization maximizes the effect of its cash budget; in 2003, it delivered $3,400 in medical aid for every $100 donated. Direct Relief also receives cash donations from individuals and companies, and to a lesser extent, grants from foundations and corporations.
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