Direct Relief International works to improve the health and lives of people living in developing countries and people victimized by disaster or war. We support locally run facilities, hospitals, and programs that provide health services with essential material resources – medicines, vitamins and nutritional supplements, supplies, and equipment.

Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies.

Nongovernmental, nonsectarian, and not-for-profit, Direct Relief provides assistance to people and communities without regard to politics, religious beliefs, or ethnic identities.

Direct Relief’s assistance programs focus on maternal and child health, the prevention and treatment of disease, and emergency preparedness and response, and are tailored to the particular circumstances and needs of the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations.

This tradition of direct and targeted assistance, provided in a manner that respects and involves the people served, has been a hallmark of the organization since its founding in 1948 by refugee war immigrants to the U.S.

Since its inception In 1949, Direct Relief has provided aid in response to emergencies and to refugee populations. Beginning with postwar refugee assistance in Eastern Europe and Greece, Direct Relief has also provided support for more than 40 years to Tibetan refugees and has consistently responded with targeted medical aid following major emergencies since the 1970 Peru earthquake.

Today, Direct Relief provides appropriate and specifically requested medical resources to community-based institutions and organizations in more than 70 countries, including the United States.