IRD Voices Blog » Relief to Development

In Her Own Words: Melissa Price on Miracles

Mar 1 Posted by IRD HQ

A seventeenth-century French philosopher observed that “out of difficulties grow miracles.” That idea smacked me in the face on my first trip to Africa for the Africa Higher Education Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2008. Reminders of the country’s 1994 genocide were still plentiful: abandoned checkpoints, buildings riddled with bullet holes, makeshift memorials, and hesi... more

Filed Under: Civil Society, Economic Growth, Relief to Development, Women & Gender, Youth, Africa, Sudan, Middle East & North Africa, West Bank

Remembering Haiti Three Years Later

Jan 12 Posted by IRD HQ

On January 12 three years ago, a catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. An estimated 3 million people were affected. An estimated 316,000 people died, 300,000 were injured, and 1 million were made homeless. IRD activated its team of first responders and began distributing basic humanitarian aid: water, food, sanitation, medicin... more

Filed Under: Building Infrastructure, Emergency Response, Health & Hygiene, Relief to Development, Water, Women & Gender, The Americas, Haiti

IRD Response in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Nov 7 Posted by IRD HQ

Our thoughts and prayers are with survivors of Hurricane Sandy. Having responded to disasters across the world, IRD knows how difficult it is to deliver relief to people in need. We also know how much harder it is to be in need of relief. IRD, as a member organization of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, is supporting our partner organizati... more

Filed Under: Emergency Response, Relief to Development, The Americas

Reflections on Haiti, Two Years After the Quake

Jan 12 Posted by IRD HQ

When I arrived in Haiti in May 2010, the damage from the earthquake was still everywhere you looked in Port au Prince – buildings half and fully collapsed, rubble piled up over streets – and the wounds of the country were still fresh. Everyone I met shared a story of lost friends or loved ones. But more striking was the sight of life – normal, everyday life happening ami... more

Filed Under: Emergency Response, Relief to Development, The Americas, Haiti

Report from Banadir Hospital

Oct 6 Posted by IRD HQ

N.B. - Sagal Mohamoud, IRD’s Country Representative in Somalia, visited Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu on Friday, September 2. Below is her account of the visit and the current situation on the ground in Somalia. Banadir Hospital is a women and children’s hospital, run by Somali doctors. The hospital has no regular source of funding, but receives periodic donations and... more

Filed Under: Emergency Response, Health & Hygiene, Refugees, Relief to Development, Africa