International Relief and Development Inc.

International Relief and Development, Inc. (IRD) or Blumont is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization responsible for implementing relief, stabilization, and development programs worldwide.^[2] In 2015, IRD was the subject of a Washington Post investigation that highlighted the organization's performance and management of taxpayer money. Among other irregularities, the organization had charged the US Government $1.1 million for staff parties and retreats at exclusive resorts.^[3][4] In January 2016, IRD announced that it was changing its name to Blumont and relocating to Madison, Wisconsin.^[2]

According to IRD, their mission is to reduce the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable groups and provide the tools and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency. Specializing in meeting the needs of communities emerging from conflict or natural disaster, IRD collaborates with a wide range of partners and donors, local organizations, and many others to deliver sustainable services. IRD has offices and activities in nearly 40 countries in Europe and Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia and the Pacific. IRD works in seven key service areas: community stabilization, infrastructure, health, agriculture, democracy and governance, relief, and logistics.^[5] More than 80% of IRD's $500 million annual budget comes from USAID.^[6] The vast majority of its funding — 82 percent of $2.4 billion — has been spent on projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. ^[7]

Leadership

Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr. founded IRD in 1998. Dr. Keys has more than 30 years of experience with domestic and international humanitarian assistance, economic development, and food/agriculture programs and ^[8] oversaw nearly $525 million annually for global development assistance. According to 2007 tax records, Keys was paid $552,722, more than the salary of his counterparts at similar organizations. ^[9] Keys' wife, daughter and brother-in-law took home an additional $265,278 in salary and benefits.^[10] In 2015, it was reported that federal investigators were examining the expenses of Keys, and his wife, Jasna Basaric-Keys, IRD’s director of operations, who together received $5.9 million in total compensation between 2008 and 2012. ^[11]

Dr. Keys retired from IRD in 2014 and was previously the Executive Director of Interfaith Impact for Justice and Peace, the Secretary for Public Ministries of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries, and the President of the consulting firm Keys and Associates.^[12] When brought under scrutiny for their lavish salaries, Keys and his wife returned or forfeited $1.7 million in retirement pay and bonuses.^[3] Keys relinquished his claim to $590,625 in retirement money that had been set aside for him in 2012 and forfeited $320,710 due to be deposited in his retirement account. Basaric-Keys returned $176,318 of a $289,273 bonus she received in 2013 and returned $496,211 in a retirement account and $120,313 out of $121,065 in “other compensation” she collected from the nonprofit.^[9]

Dr. Keys is a native of Washington, Pennsylvania. He has a Doctorate from Emory University and a Master of Divinity from Yale University. He received his Bachelors degree from Bethany College. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Bethany.^[13] He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Bethany.^[14] He is also the recipient of the William Sloane Coffin ’56 Award for Justice and Peace^[15] given annually by Yale Divinity School and was honored in Atlanta as a 2011 Emory University History Maker ^[16] and by the Emory University Alumni Board with the 2009 Emory Medal^[17] for his years of humanitarian service. Dr. Keys is fluent in Serbo-Croatian and has three children.

Operations

Overall

Much of IRD’s work for USAID is performed under cooperative agreements, which are more flexible than contracts, with fewer deadlines and demands. The arrangement makes it difficult to hold IRD accountable because deadlines and deliverables are rarely specified. For years, USAID relied heavily on these agreements, partly because they required less oversight from the agency, according to government auditors.^[9]

Employees who left IRD were asked to sign confidentiality agreements stipulating that they could be sued for making disparaging remarks about the organization, potentially violating whistleblower protection.^[7]

IRD routinely hires individuals who previously worked for USAID, including former acting administrator Alonzo Fulgham. ^[9] At least 19 former USAID employees have been hired, some of whom were previously responsible for oversight of the organization. ^[9]

IRD hired the lobbying firm Wexler & Walker to develop its media strategy. Their 2010 guidance said that the most important message for senior IRD officials to remember is “We help the most vulnerable people in some of the most insecure parts of the developing world.” ^[4]

Iraq

In Iraq, USAID funded $644 million to IRD to implement the Community Stabilization Program, a jobs and public works program Iraq. At times, IRD spent more than $1 million a day of USAID money. In a March 2008 audit, the USAID inspector general in Baghdad expressed concern that millions of dollars may have been siphoned off by insurgents.^[18]

In July 2009, USAID suspended IRD's work on the Community Stabilization Program, citing evidence of phantom jobs in addition to possible financial support to insurgents.^[10]

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, IRD administered a three-year, $400 million project to build roads in southern and eastern provinces of the country. One of IRD's staff was fired after he questioned the exclusivity of an IRD event and seating that segregated foreign staff from their Afghan counterparts.^[19]

Multiple problems were identified in IRD's agricultural work in Afghanistan, which involved spending $300 million to help farmers in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. Many of the goods meant for farmers were sold in Pakistan and distorted the local market. Afghan officials derided features of the programming, such as paying farmers for work they would do anyway. IRD claims to have provided 5.4 million days of labor to unemployed men and generated an estimated $200 million through distributed seed. USAID decided not to award an extension of the program to IRD though it provided interim extensions until another implementer could be found.^[20]

Sectors and services ^[21]

IRD’s programs provide assistance to the world’s most vulnerable people in seven key service areas.

Acquisitions and logistics

In 2010, IRD shipped and delivered more than $100 million worth of donated goods to more than 20 countries. Through a network of pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, and charities, IRD gained access to supplies that enabled them to build a hospital and equip it. In Southern Sudan, IRD was supported by USAID and the National Democratic Institute to distribute solar-powered, wind-up radios to residents of Upper Nile State. Now residents can track the country’s political developments and agricultural information in real time rather than through word of mouth.

Community stabilization

IRD understands how to meet the unique social and economic needs in volatile areas. Through a partnership with USAID and the Afghan government, IRD’s Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Productive Agriculture (AVIPA) project distributes seed and fertilizer vouchers to farmers and trains them in modern agriculture methods. The result: a bumper harvest of locally grown wheat and a reliable source of food for rural families.^[22][23][24]

Democracy, governance, and community development

Successful development programs require collaboration among citizens, government, and civil society organizations. By mobilizing Iraqis into community action groups as part of the Community Action Program III (CAPIII), IRD encourages people to identify, prioritize, and address their development needs. Through training programs, IRD helps government officials be more transparent, effective, and responsive.

Health

Good health strengthens communities. IRD programs help communities meet basic health needs, rebuild infrastructure, train providers, educate citizens, and raise awareness of health issues. In Zimbabwe, USAID supported IRD to install rainwater harvesting systems and other stable and safe water sources for homes and schools.

Infrastructure

New roads and refurbished bridges and schools stand as physical symbols of progress. They also mean new jobs, renewed purpose, and steady incomes. IRD’s Rapid Impact Emergency Program, funded by the UN Development Program in Southern Sudan, enlists local residents to build or improve health clinics, schools, and water and sanitation facilities while creating economic opportunities and improved access to local services.

Relief and humanitarian assistance

IRD provides emergency relief while planning for and addressing long-term humanitarian problems. For example, in 2009, war forced 2 million Pakistanis to flee their homes. Then in 2010, devastating floods struck some of the camps for these internally displaced persons, making an at-risk population even more vulnerable. With funding from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), IRD responded to the emergency needs of displaced families while promoting collaboration and peace building among various tribes.

Sustainable food and agriculture systems

IRD uses agricultural advancements and technologies to tackle short-term nutritional needs and long-term food production issues. In Cambodia, IRD supported the creation of a comprehensive chain of improvements to food quality and availability. From better crop production, to expanded output at local mills, to the sale of wheat-flour noodles fortified with vitamins and minerals to vulnerable families, the US Department of Agriculture-funded Better Foods for Better Lives program is strengthening low-income communities.

References

External links

• Official website