Direct Relief to Haiti

Last year I had the opportunity to start working work with an extraordinary non-profit organization based here in Santa Barbara, Direct Relief International (www.directrelief.org). Their work worldwide, and most recently in Haiti, is truly impressive. Many of you may not be aware of this, but 100% of funds donated to Direct Relief for Haiti will be used exclusively for programmatic activities related to Haiti only. Not one penny will go to pay for administrative fees, overhead costs, fundraising events, or for other programmatic activities in other places.

I am truly humbled and honored to work with an organization like this one.

• Direct Relief is responding with shipments of medicines and medical supplies that are reaching local health partners to treat earthquake survivors.
• Direct Relief emergency response staff are on the ground in Haiti, providing expert logistics assistance to other relief organizations to coordinate delivery of medical and nutritional supplies.
• Direct Relief has been working with health partners in Haiti since 1964.
• Direct Relief has provided nearly $60 million (wholesale) in medical material assistance to Haiti since 2000, focusing on primary health care and basic medical supplies.
• Direct Relief’s response efforts are fast, involve local partners, and are coordinated with other international organizations and governmental authorities to ensure the most efficient use of resources. Direct Relief’s urgent priority is to assist people in Haiti in the immediate aftermath of this emergency, and will continue throughout the major longer term recovery anticipated.

About Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief is a Santa Barbara, California-based nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief has provided more than $1 billion in privately funded humanitarian aid since 2000, including more than $150 million in assistance in the United States. It has earned a fundraising efficiency score of 99 percent or better from Forbes for the past eight years, and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California’s largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.