Asia & Pacific
In 1999, IRD responded to the IMF financial crisis in Indonesia with a food aid program, the Student Health Improvement Project. Our experience there allowed us to be able to respond in full to the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.
Countries
Afghanistan
Active Presence Since: 2004
Programs: 9
IRD has worked in Afghanistan since 2004, when it began providing infrastructure quality assurance and monitoring support services to USAID. Since then, IRD has maintained a strong presence in Afghanistan leading and supporting a variety of programs in the areas of relief and stabilization, capacity building, democracy and governance, infrastructure, and agricultural development.
Programs
Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Logistical Support Program
Capacity Building through Vocational Training
Establishing Stability in Southern Afghanistan through Cash-for-Work Activities
Southern Regional Agricultural Development in Afghanistan
Strategic Provincial Roads in Southern and Eastern Afghanistan
Human Resources and Logistical Support in Afghanistan
Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Productive Agriculture
Afghanistan Civilian Assistance Program
Construction Trades Training Center
Cambodia
Active Presence Since: 2005
Programs: 3
Political instability in Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979 has prevented essential development in the rural regions of the country. Over 75 percent of the population in Cambodia engages in subsistence farming, which is often inadequate, and most areas suffer from a lack of basic infrastructure.
On March 15th, 2005, using a donation of 5,000 metric tons of wheat and 380 metric tons of soy flour from the US Department of Agriculture, IRD began implementation of the Better Foods for Better Lives program. Better Foods for Better Lives works both to strengthen Cambodia’s food processing capabilities and to provide fortified food products to children and low-income consumers.
With increased efficiency, private sector food processors in Cambodia will be better positioned to compete with companies from the neighboring countries in Vietnam and Thailand.
Programs
Cambodia Food for Education
Child Survival in Cambodia
Better Foods for Better Lives
Indonesia
Active Presence Since: 1999
Programs: 4
IRD has worked throughout Indonesia since 1999 to support peacebuilding, train teachers and youth, improve health and nutrition, and respond to natural disasters.
Programs
Better Foods for Better Lives
SERASI
Indian Ocean Tsunami Response
Earthquake Response in Jogjakarta
Laos
Active Presence Since: 2006
Programs: 3
Laos is one of the least developed countries in Southeast Asia. Although there has been a significant decline in poverty in the last decade, it remains a low-income food-deficit country. The government has placed a high priority on improving education and child nutrition but funding for these sectors, including primary education, has remained low. IRD has been working in Khammouane province since 2007 to expand educational opportunities for children, improve learning resources, develop school gardens and improve school facilities, and provide comprehensive pediatric eyecare.
Programs
Preventing Loss of Sight in Laos
Community-Based Solar Disinfection Program
Safe Educational Opportunities Project
Nepal
Active Presence Since: 2007
Nepal’s famed mountains are a spectacular backdrop for families living deep in poverty, with an average annual income of only $270. A rebellion by Maoists in the late 1990s and early 2000s forced 100,000 people from their homes, and killed 12,000. With the signing of a peace treaty in 2006, people have been returning to their homes and trying to put their lives back together. IRD’s programs in Nepal are providing basic services and creating economic opportunities for these people.
Programs
Pakistan
Active Presence Since: 2008
Programs: 3
IRD has been working in Pakistan since 2008, supporting internally displaced persons (IDP) with relief and humanitarian assistance, helping stabilize and assist communities emerging from conflict, and responding to floods and other needs with in-kind donations and support to smallholder farmers.
Programs
Support to Pakistan Farmers Through Improved Citrus Orchards
Strengthening Pakistan’s Ability to Assist Conflict Victims
Flood Response in Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Active Presence Since: 2004
Programs: 3
IRD in Sri Lanka: In the immediate days and weeks following the tsunami, IRD conducted a series of needs assessments in the southern district of Hambantota in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and other local officials. IRD is currently implementing the “Hambantota Educational Support Improvement Project” (HESIP). HESIP is a two-year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program aims to improve the educational performance of school children through school feeding, infrastructure repair and prevention of parasitic infections in the Hambantota District.
Programs
Community-Based Solar Disinfection Program
Hambantota Educational Support Improvement Project
Indian Ocean Tsunami Response
