Overview

GRI’s Relief and Development programs focus on bringing long-term support and holistic care to victims in post-conflict/post-disaster settings. These programs are designed to be driven through local capacities, with limited dependency on international staff. R&D programs are based heavily on training of local personnel in order to build strength in the local health systems to handle the complications that come with rebuilding society and infrastructure. A large majority of GRI Relief and Development programs are driven through the health sector, but are designed to incorporate aspects of Water/Sanitation, Food Security, Child Protection and Resettlement programs. Through the long-term support that GRI programs offer, communities are able to break through the large barriers that normally keep post-conflict and post-disaster development from taking place.

Program Objectives

• To bring much-needed support to the health systems that have either been destroyed or critically depleted from war or disaster.
• To supply international personnel that will train local staff to operate at the highest level of quality in service delivery and leadership.
• To train and equip local staff, using proven training methods, to create, supervise and operate within a fully functional health system.
• To consistently monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of GRI programs to ensure that maximum support is given in relation to resources used.
• To ensure a seamless transition between GRI-lead health service programs and locally run health service programs and minimize the dependency on international support.

Program Details

• Health System Support: Where health systems have been destroyed or critically depleted, GRI focuses on retraining local health staff to the highest standards, while also ensuring that all health supplies are reaching all health facilities.  In addition, GRI will work with local government health structures to ensure their staff are trained to the same level and gaps in supplies of medicine are filled. 
• Prevention of HIV/AIDS Transmission: HIV/AIDS is present in nearly all post-conflict and post-disaster settings and can ravage entire communities if specific programs are not designed to prevent the high transmission rate that can occur in displaced populations.  GRI supports the prevention of HIV/AIDS through two different approaches:
• Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT): Through inexpensive means, up to 86% of all children that are born to HIV positive mothers can be prevented from acquiring the disease through birth and breastfeeding.  With mother to child transmission being a leading cause of new infections, the majority of new infections can be prevented.
• HIV/AIDS Education and Testing: Stigma and fear still remain as huge barriers to HIV prevention.  In many cases, people are not aware that they are infected or are too afraid to admit it and continue to spread the disease to those around them.  Through education and testing, people are given an opportunity to make wise lifestyle choices to protect themselves and others from this devastating illness.