Direct Relief International - History

History

In 1945, William Zimdin, an Estonian immigrant who had amassed significant wealth in pre-war Europe, began sending thousands of relief parcels containing food, clothing and medicines to relatives, friends, and former employees who were rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of World War II. These efforts were the cornerstone for the William Zimdin Foundation, established on August 23, 1948 as a California not-for-profit corporation.

After Zimdin's death in 1951, Dezso (Dennis) Karczag, a Hungarian immigrant and close business associate of Zimdin assumed management of the organization. In 1957, the organization changed its name to the Direct Relief Foundation, and in 1982, the organization formally adopted the name Direct Relief International.

Assistance provided by Direct Relief in the postwar years was considered to be a means to enable people to help themselves. In 1950, this principle served as the basis for a revolving-loan fund, from which small grants were extended to refugees seeking to establish new lives, with repayments providing capital for subsequent grantees. While the grant program was stopped in the early 1960s, the underlying notion remains integral to current program efforts.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the organization received an increasing number of requests for assistance related to health issues and from areas outside Europe. The geographic focus broadened and the programmatic focus narrowed, as the organization determined that providing medical assistance to indigenous facilities would achieve the greatest overall impact. The mission was refined to serve disadvantaged populations living in medically underserved communities throughout the world.

In 1962, Direct Relief International obtained a license as a wholesale pharmacy, which enabled the organization to secure prescription medicines for use abroad. This early experience in the handling of pharmaceutical products led to the development of strict internal protocols regarding the suitability of certain types of products, inventory controls, and the qualifications of trained health professionals on the receiving end of aid shipments. This focus also established strong ties to U.S. health care companies, which have long supported their efforts with donations of high value pharmaceutical and other medical resources that are allocated through our assistance program.

In Fiscal Year 2008, Direct Relief provided $214 million in direct aid through medical material assistance and targeted cash grants providing 49.7 million courses of treatment in 59 countries worldwide. With $0 of contributions spent on administration or fundraising, $39.80 was leveraged in medical material aid (wholesale) for every $1 spent.