International Relief Teams

Give the Gift of Hope this Holiday Season

The upcoming holiday season gives all of us the opportunity to show, in a tangible way, our love and appreciation for our family and friends, and to reflect on the many material blessings we have by living here in America.

Amid the joy and celebration, please remember that it doesn't take much to make a tremendous difference in the life of another human being - $20 provides $1,000 worth of medicines for sick children; $35 trains a doctor or nurse to save the lives of "at risk babies"; $55 provides surgery for a child suffering from facial or burn deformities; $75 provides surgery to restore the gift of sight to a person suffering from blindness due to cataracts.

Please help us continue to bring healing and hope to those less fortunate. Together we are making a difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and children each year. To support this Holiday appeal, please click here.

Restoring Sight in Ecuador

Cataracts, according to the World Health Organization, are the single largest cause of blindness in the world, leaving an estimated 18 million people suffering needlessly from loss of vision. Although the surgical procedure needed to remove a cataract is quick, cost effective and has a high success rate, surgical services in many developing countries are inadequate, inaccessible or too costly for those people most affected.
Throughout the years, IRT has addressed this critical issue through its cataract surgical programs that have operated in eight countries. Recently, a six member surgical team traveled to Quito, Ecuador, where they performed cataract surgery for people living in impoverished areas of the country who had no financial means to have the surgery. In addition to daily hardships and challenges, many had lost the ability to work and to care for their families. Through the generosity of our volunteers and donors, many received the gift of sight and hope for the future. Please click here to support this effort.

Food Aid for Families
in Guatemala

The chronic poverty that afflicts the native population in Guatemala has been exacerbated in recent years by seasonal tropical storms that have affected the rural areas of Guatemala. In 2005, with the support of the U.S. government (USAID), IRT initiated an emergency supplemental food program in those rural areas hit hardest by the tropical storms. IRT's distribution partner in Guatemala is ICADA, a well-respected nonprofit organization dealing with health and agricultural issues in Central America.

"When food crops are destroyed by storms, food scarcity reaches life and death proportions for the native population. It takes farmers many months to recover - until the next harvest, at the minimum. The supplemental food we provide helps prevent starvation until the food supply can be restored", stated Guillermo Sanchez, Ph.D., the CEO of ICADA, in explaining the importance of the program.

During the past three years, IRT and ICADA have distributed 225 metric tons of shelf-stable dehydrated food (12 million meals) in storm-affected regions of Guatemala, using a network of local health, church, civic, and nonprofit organizations to reach families in desperate need of food. Together, they have helped thousands of native Guatemalans survive in the aftermath of these storms. Please click here to contribute to this project.

Saving the Lives of
Newborns in Vietnam

IRT medical volunteers, accompanied by IRT Executive Director, Barry La Forgia, are currently in Viet Nam as part of a vital new training initiative, Project "Healthy Baby" to address Vietnam's alarmingly high rate of infant mortality.

Through Project "Healthy Baby", Vietnamese doctors and nurses who care for newborns are learning to how to effectively resuscitate babies experiencing breathing difficulties or other medical emergencies that demand instant effective intervention.

In partnership with Project Vietnam Foundation, IRT plans to establish 16 regional neonatal resuscitation training centers throughout Viet Nam over the next three years. Each training center will be manned by IRT-trained Vietnamese instructors, who in turn train other practitioners who care for newborns in their regions.

Project "Healthy Baby -Viet Nam" will save the lives of countless Vietnamese babies for years to come. Please click here to contribute to this vital program.

IRT'S 16th ANNUAL
"GIFTS OF HOPE" GALA

We would like to thank all who attended and supported IRT's 2009 "Gifts of Hope" Gala where we celebrated IRT's 21 years of service. We would also like to extend our deepest appreciation to the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event our most successful fundraiser ever along with our emcee and auctioneer extraordinaire, Steve Hamann!

A special note of thanks to our 2009 Event Hosts!