Question

Which groups created relief organizations to help individuals?

Answer 1

One of the main humanitarian relief organizations is the International Red Cross. The IRC was actually founded by a businessman from Switzerland, who witnessed the direct aftermath of a battlefield. This is when he decided to create an entity which would help those who were wounded in the battlefield. Throughout the years, the IRC developed itself and the range of its aid. Right now, the Red Cross not only takes care of the wounded, hurt in the war zones, but also gives supplies to countries struck with hunger and disease.

A lot of humanitarian organizations were created by the Roman Catholic Church. An example of this is Caritas International. Caritas' main aim was (and still is) to help the poorest people out there. Also, there is Islamic Relief, which is an NGO underlining the Islamic values.

Another humanitarian organization which has a very high reputation in the international arena is the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), which was started by a group of French doctors. Although it is a young organization, it stands very well and it gathered a lot of doctors who voluntarily travel to the regions where medical care is mostly crucial. They also respond quickly to the victims of natural disasters, like earthquakes. MSF/DWB played a big role in Haiti after the earthquakes, especially since the country was severely touched by the epidemic of cholera.