Direct Relief (formerly known as Direct Relief International) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations by providing the appropriate medical resources. The charity provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. It is the largest channel for donations of prescription medications and medical supplies in the U.S. Direct Relief does not accept government funding but instead relies on private, charitable contributions and donated medicine and supplies. The organization is headed by an independent board of directors and its president and CEO, Thomas Tighe.

History

In 1945, William Zimdin, an Estonian immigrant to the United States and businessman, began sending thousands of relief parcels to relatives, friends, and former employees in Europe to help with the aftermath of World War II. In 1948, Zimdin formalized his efforts with the establishment of the William Zimdin Foundation. Dezso Karczag, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, assumed management of the foundation following Zimdin's death in 1951. Karczag changed the organization's name to Direct Relief Foundation in 1957. In the early 1960s, the foundation refined its mission to serve disadvantaged populations in medically underserved communities around the world. To assist with this effort, Direct Relief became licensed as a wholesale pharmacy in 1962 to be able to provide prescription medicines. During this time, the organization also supported victims of natural disasters in the US and homeless populations in Santa Barbara, California. The foundation assumed the name Direct Relief International in 1982. In 2004, the Direct Relief provided almost $122 million in medical aid to 54 countries. The same year, the organization assisted Sri Ramakrishna Math and GlaxoSmithKline with designing and implementing a one-year nurse assistant training program in India. The program was launched to empower young women in districts affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. By 2019, over 1,200 nurses had graduated. In 2011, Direct Relief Women, a volunteer branch of the nonprofit, was created, and held its first fundraiser for Direct Relief International. All money raised went toward providing safe births around the world. In 2013, Direct Relief International assumed the name Direct Relief. After raising $3,300 for the American Cancer Society through a partnership with Direct Relief in 2016, Matthew Moffit and Direct Relief produced Zeldathon (playing Legend of Zelda for 36 hours straight) and formed Direct Relief Gaming, which has raised $14.1M since its inception and partnered with organizations such as Humble Bundle and Bungie. In 2018, Direct Relief provided about $1.2 billion worth of wholesale materials to health centers in over 100 countries. The organization also donated approximately $23.5 million to support the operations of health groups, including hiring more staff and converting buildings to solar energy and battery backup microgrids to better withstand disasters. 2018 was also the year that Direct Relief opened a division in Puerto Rico.

Operations

Between 2000 and 2014, the Direct Relief's operating budget averaged roughly $11 million per year. Over the same period, it reported delivering more than $1.6 billion in medical resources and supplies worldwide. Medical supplies come largely through in-kind donations by hundreds of pharmaceutical manufacturers. The organization manages logistics and distribution through enterprise systems that include SAP, Esri, and in-kind transportation support from FedEx. In 2019, Direct Relief opened a new Santa Barbara warehouse and distribution headquarters. The new building is 155,000-square-feet, earthquake-safe, and outfitted with state-of-the-art distribution technology for medical supplies. Direct Relief partnered with Tesla to create a microgrid power supply for the building. Solar panels are integrated with battery storage and generators to keep the headquarters running for up to six months in the face of a disaster and to store temperature-sensitive medications like insulin and vaccines.

Emergency preparedness and response

Relief efforts

Hurricanes

Earthquakes

Volcanoes

Disease outbreaks

In 2013, Direct Relief launched a program in partnership with Basic Health International to screen and treat women in Haiti for cervical cancer. Up to April 2020, the organization had distributed more than 145,000 pounds of medical aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Direct Relief shipped supplies to hospitals and clinics in all 50 US states as well as institutions in 32 countries. The organization also started a new COVID-19 fund to provide community health centers financial support for healthcare workers. 3M donated $10 million to the fund. By June 2020, over 518 health centers had received funding through the COVID-19 fund. In May 2020, Direct Relief announced that it was partnering with FedEx Cares to ship personal protective equipment to underserved communities around the US. The charity has sent over 350,000 surgical masks, 30,000 face masks, and 10,000 goggles to Mexico.

Wildfires

Direct Relief provides support to local and international wildfire incidents, including masks, vehicles, and funds to advance firefighter technology. In July 2019, the organization released an analysis of which small towns in California could be the hardest hit by a fast-moving wildfire based on the numbers of low-income, immobile, aging, or disabled people in the community. Nine towns were given a "very high" social-vulnerability score.

Typhoons

Maternal and child health

Direct Relief delivers medical aid to people in high-need areas worldwide by supporting partners that provide child and maternal health services through the full process of pregnancy. The organization provides midwives with the tools needed to provide delivery, antenatal, and postpartum care safely. In 2017, Direct Relief distributed 300 midwife kits to fourteen partners in seven countries in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting 15,000 safe births.

Wars

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