Hello
dear fellow bloggers, the non-profit I am pitching to you today is the International
Rescue Committee.
In
January 1933, Adolf Hitler, the head of the Nazi party, became chancellor of
Germany. Within two months, the Nazis had gained total control of the country. Months
later, in July 1933, a committee of 51 prominent American intellectuals,
artists, clergy, and political leaders formed a branch of the International
Relief Association in New York, at the request of its chief, German-born
physicist Albert Einstein. Its mission, as The New York Times reported on July
24, 1933, was to "assist Germans suffering from the policies of the Hitler
regime." The International Relief Association, which later merged with the
Emergency Rescue Committee is what went on and grew into International Rescue
Committee today.
The International Rescue Committee has since grown into
an organization that offers emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees
worldwide and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The
organization is currently working in over 40 countries and 28 US cities where
it resettles refugees and help them become self-sufficient by focusing on their
health, education, economic wellbeing, power and safety. Aside from material
aids it provides to refugees, the IRC also offers a platform to lobby for
resolutions on ongoing wars. On their official website, they states that “They
serve people whose lives have been upended by war, conflict and natural
disasters; they work in countries there people don’t have the support they need
to recover from crisis; they respond within 72 hours, staying to help countries
stabilize and people rebuild their lives; they resettle refugees welcomed by
the United States, helping them to succeed and thrive.
Let’s stop here for a
second to discuss why we care about helping refugees even though they don’t
seem to be our problem?
1.
There are more
than 60 million displaced people in today’s world, they are desperately in need
of shelter and care.
2.
War is brutal,
most refugees of war lost their ancestral home or had their family members
slaughtered during the war. The pain they suffer is unimaginable to us. Even though
it is not our obligation, we should do what we can to alleviate their suffering.
3.
Many of the
refugees are actually skilled and educated, they just need proper help and time
to resettle to bring even a larger return than what is spent to help them.
4.
It might come as a
surprise, but study finds refugees that come to the US actually pay the US
government thousands more than they get from it. (http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-do-refugees-cost-us-taxpayers-2017-6)
5.
We love peace, we
should offer our helping hands to those who don’t get to enjoy peace.
As
an organization aimed to helping refugees, the International Rescue Committee
have truly done a spectacular job over the years, both in terms of transparency
and effectiveness. To date, the IRC has earned Charity Navigator’s highest four
stars rating, it is even bestowed the effective non-profit badge by
GlobalGiving. The IRC also meets all 20 of BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s
accountability standards. As for the
financial performance of the organization, it is a multi-million organization
with a total revenue 737 million in 2016. Program expenses take up the majority
of its revenue, about 92.3 percent. This high number means that with every $1
of donation, more than 90 cents is going to programs and services that directly
affect their clientele. The administrative expenses and fundraising expenses
are both relatively low, which are 5.1 percent and 2.5 percent respectively.
The program expenses are growing rapidly at around 16.8 percent per year. And
the fundraising efficiency is outstanding, with 0.02 dollars per dollar raised.
It
is safe to say, all of these attributes point to a great non-profit organization
to which we can entrust our resources to make positive changes in this world. A
more comprehensive overview regarding their ideas, strategy and their approach
to solve problems can be found on their website. Moreover, they have a page
named “crisis watch” located on top of their main page where we can closely
monitor the crisis going on in other parts of the world, besides, it gives an
overview about their current project in the concerned area. Feel free to check
them out!
Sources:
Hi JT!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great organization, and I like that you have chosen an organization that deals with refugees as this is a cause we have not addressed very much in class yet.
You mentioned that 92.3% of their funds go to their programs which help refugees become self-sufficient by focusing on health, education, economic wellbeing, and safety. Although these objectives are very important, I was just curious to know if this organization focuses on helping refugees assimilate to the new culture they are thrown into? I know that it must be very difficult to have to leave your home and move to a different country where the population may act differently or speak a different language. Although health, economic wellbeing, and education are important, I believe it may be difficult to achieve these objectives in a country one isn't quite assimilated to (this may be especially difficult in the case that the refugees speak a different language.)
You also mentioned this organization works towards keeping these refugees safe. Does this mean the organization simply ensures they make it to their destination safely or does the organization also ensure that these refugees are placed in a safe and welcoming environment? I would think the concept and establishment of a community would allow for refugees to feel more at home and establish a support network so that they can thrive.
All in all, I appreciate that this organization works towards tackling such a widespread and complicated problem. I would just like to see that they focus on building relationships amongst and between refugees, as these people have been through a lot and may be distrustful of others. Language and cultural barriers do not help in resolving this problem, and I believe if these refugees feel comfortable where they are and build a sense of community, they will be more able to thrive as newfound citizens of wherever they are relocated and tackle other obstacles such as education, economic security, and health.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi JT,
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you chose an organization that deals with refugees as we have not spoke about a non-profit that supports them, but many people in the class have mentioned personal ties with this issue. Upon reading Allyson’s comment I also began to wonder if they help these refugees assimilate into the culture they are relocated to. After looking over their website I could not find a clear answer to this question. The website clearly breaks up their five main focus areas: economic wellbeing, education, health, power, and safety. I found all these focus areas to be critical aspects of being able to lead a happy, healthy, and productive life in a new country; however, I believe they are missing the importance of cultural education. I do not believe these refugees should be forced to assimilate into the culture of the country they are being resettled in, but it would be extremely beneficial for them when transitioning. When my father came to America after the Iranian Revolution, he said he was a child again. He had to learn a new language and a new way of life. The education aspect of transitioning was smooth for him as he learned the language well enough in a year to apply to college to get his bachelor’s degree and eventually his PhD. On the other hand, he still has issues with the cultural differences between his country of origin and the United States. As a 50 year old man who has been living here for thirty years, my family still has to remind him that some of the things he does or says is not culturally acceptable here. This does not mean my father is being forced to change his way of life, but he knows that understanding these social rules will benefit him in the long run. As a business owner, understanding American culture has allowed him to gain more clients and be able to maintain a relationship with them. In addition, it helps him understand his employees and how to treat them with respect. When he first came to the United States, he had trouble with understanding how truthful you can be with a stranger. It took him loosing a couple of jobs for him to realize that somethings are better left unsaid(or as he says, “Americans are too sensitive”). Therefore, for my dad and many other people like him, having a good foundation of cultural education could have extremely improved his transition. It would allow them to create better connections with people and improve their chances of getting jobs.
Now the question is-how could IRC do this? Some of the main ways that has been proposed by researchers are: building friendships with people that understand the culture and listen to people tell stories about the culture. For my father, my mother was a huge help in understanding American culture as she guided him. For refugees, IRC could help them join community organizations or sports teams. This would be a great way for refugees to foster friendships with people who have an understanding of the society and could educate them on certain social cultural expectations and practices.
Overall, IRC has 5 very important focus areas that greatly improve the lives of refugees as they transition into new countries. I believe they would be a great organization to donate to, but I believe one way they could improve is adding a program that promotes this cultural education. Thank you for writing about this organization and I hope to hear more about your perspective on this!
Here are some interesting ideas on how to learn about new cultures:
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/building-relationships/main