The power of small gestures, local teams, and brilliant midwives—these themes and more are explored in this insightful Q&A with Adrienne Kareck, Chief Marketing and Development Officer of Relief International.
A: In a refugee camp in Lebanon, an elderly woman with severe mobility issues was extremely lonely. Her family was unable to afford a wheelchair, so she had to be carried on the muddy and uneven terrain by family members anytime she went anywhere.
Our team helped with healthcare and food deliveries like normal, but realized that what she really needed was dignity and connection to her community. So the local team arranged a solution: a sturdy plastic chair with wheels they found in the camp.
She could now move around the camp, visit with neighbors, and participate in community activities. The impact was profound—her mood lifted, and she regained a sense of independence and dignity that was lost when she fled Syria. The whole community benefited.
In the big crises, those small, personalized gestures can really transform someone’s daily life and ripple out into their community.
That’s just the culture of the team—so caring and committed. When they see a problem, they take action.
A: I’d choose the ability to instantly understand and communicate in every language and non-verbal form. This would eliminate language barriers and enable quicker, more effective connections with people in crisis.
However, our team already exhibits this superpower. With 97% of our members coming from the communities we serve, we naturally grasp local languages and cultural nuances.
This deep understanding allows us to deliver immediate and culturally appropriate responses, resolve conflicts effectively, and empower communities to lead their own recovery efforts.
For example, in Sudan, the midwives at a local clinic we partner with were seeing an increase in gender-based violence during all of the conflict. They also saw how men would often assume they should be seen first. So the local midwives and doctors came up with a plan: a green leaf signal for survivors of gender-based violence to receive prioritized care.
They just knew what the women were going through because they are in the community as well. And they were able to find a simple, private solution to address that.
A: For me, it is the idea that solutions already exist in the community. There is no need to reinvent solutions. As westerners, we need to look and listen and learn and act as a bridge to resources.
I’m also inspired by the midwives, they are so dedicated and incredible. The number of deaths due to miscarriage and birth complications has gone down as a result of our midwives.
They were already there, are always on, and care so deeply about the people in their communities. Many of them are very well known and trusted in the community. At our clinics, 96.6% of deliveries are attended by midwives compared to 39.7% often done alone or by less experienced community volunteers.
A: Absolutely! We offer a variety of training for midwives through our programs. Our offerings include Community Midwifery Training, which prepares midwives to deliver care in community settings. We also offer Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, which teaches essential interventions for managing emergencies during pregnancy and childbirth in health facilities. For more advanced training, we have Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, a globally recognized program designed to improve maternal health and reduce mortality.
This training covers topics such as surgical procedures, blood transfusions, and the use of tools like vacuum extractors and forceps for assisting with vaginal births. Additionally, we provide specialized courses such as “Helping Baby Breathe,” which focuses on newborn resuscitation techniques.
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