Medair

Medair is an international nongovernmental humanitarian organization headquartered in Ecublens, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Its stated purpose is to relieve human suffering in remote and severely affected locations and to help people affected by conflict and natural disasters recover with dignity. The organization is inspired by the Christian faith, but its assistance is intended for vulnerable people regardless of race, gender, religion, age, or nationality. Medair’s origins trace to a 1988 response in Soroti, Uganda. Physicians Erik Volkmar and Josiane Volkmar-André were asked to help establish a coordinated response to a conflict-related crisis with support from Medicaments pour l’Afrique, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and Youth With a Mission. In 1989, the Volkmars and six other volunteers founded Medair in Switzerland. The organization initially focused on urgent support for displaced communities whose health and other essential services had been disrupted. It later became operationally independent from its founding organizations, while continuing to work with partners such as Mission Aviation Fellowship when access to isolated areas requires specialized transport. Over time, Medair expanded from a small emergency-response initiative into a multi-country relief and recovery organization. Its work has included programs for internally displaced people and refugees, emergency shelter, primary health care, nutrition, water and sanitation, hygiene promotion, cash assistance, mental-health and psychosocial support, infrastructure rehabilitation, and disaster-risk reduction. Medair directly implements many programs through country teams and also collaborates with local and international partners to reach difficult or insecure locations. The organization has responded to crises including conflict and displacement in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ukraine; the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh; Ebola-related needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and major floods, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Its historical work includes post-genocide recovery in Rwanda, long-running support for displaced communities in northern Uganda, post-tsunami relief in Sri Lanka, earthquake response and recovery in Pakistan, and sustained operations in South Sudan. Medair’s principal institutional functions are coordinated from its Swiss Global Support Office, which provides program, logistics, funding, recruitment, finance, fundraising, marketing, and information support. Affiliate offices in countries including Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and South Korea primarily support fundraising and recruitment rather than field coordination. The organization also operates a Global Emergency Response Team for rapid deployment. Its programming combines immediate relief with recovery and resilience. Emergency teams may provide shelter materials, household items, safe water, sanitation facilities, emergency health care, and support for safe demolition. In later phases, Medair uses disaster-resilient construction and its “Building Back Better” approach to help communities restore homes and infrastructure. Health and nutrition activities include treatment for acute malnutrition, support to clinics, vaccination and maternal-health services, community health volunteers, and assistance for people affected by gender-based violence. In refugee settings, it may combine shelter, hygiene supplies, clinics, water systems, sanitation, and cash assistance. Medair also uses geographic information systems, mobile data collection, and partnerships with academic and technical organizations to improve needs assessments and shelter design. As of 2022, the organization reported operations in 13 countries and direct support reaching more than 4.6 million people. Medair is governed by an International Board of Trustees and managed by a chief executive supported by an Executive Leadership Team.

Medair began with a coordinated humanitarian response in Soroti, Uganda, in 1988. Physicians Erik Volkmar and Josiane Volkmar-André worked with Medicaments pour l’Afrique, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and Youth With a Mission to assist displaced people in a conflict-affected area where essential services had been damaged. The experience led to the formal establishment of Medair in Switzerland in 1989 by the Volkmars and six additional volunteers. During its early period, Medair broadened its work to displaced populations and crisis-affected communities in Sudan, Liberia, Iraq, and other locations. By 1995 it was operating independently of the organizations that had supported its founding, although partnerships remained important for reaching places inaccessible by road or on foot. The organization subsequently developed a model combining rapid emergency action with longer-term rehabilitation and community resilience. Medair’s country history includes a post-genocide response in Rwanda, where it helped restore medical centers and supported trauma counseling and reconciliation activities. In Uganda, it operated for more than a decade, assisting people living in camps for internally displaced people during the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict and later supporting return and resettlement. In South Sudan, where it began work in 1992, it has provided health, nutrition, shelter, water, and other relief services through successive periods of conflict and displacement. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami prompted a rapid response in Sri Lanka, including water and sanitation services, shelter construction, livelihood support for fishing communities, well cleaning, latrine construction, and hygiene education. Following the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, Medair distributed shelter and household materials, supported the restoration of livelihoods, and contributed to reconstruction in remote mountain communities. From 2012 onward, Medair supported people affected by the Syrian crisis, including refugees in Lebanon and neighboring areas. From 2017 it also responded to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. Other major areas of work have included Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Ukraine and Poland. Programs have addressed displacement, outbreaks, drought, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, and conflict. Organizational leadership evolved as the agency expanded. Co-founder Erik Volkmar served as its first chief executive for approximately 15 years. Randall Zindler succeeded him in 2004, followed by Jim Ingram in 2011, David Verboom in 2018, and Anne Reitsema in April 2023. Reitsema joined Medair in 2004 and held field and international-program roles before becoming CEO. Medair’s modern operating model is supported by a Swiss Global Support Office and affiliate offices that assist with fundraising, recruitment, and other institutional functions. Its field programs combine emergency relief with recovery and disaster-risk reduction. The organization reports expertise in shelter, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, cash assistance, community health, psychosocial support, infrastructure rehabilitation, and the use of digital and geographic information tools for assessment and planning.

• 2023

  Anne Reitsema becomes CEO

  [2]Medair appoints Anne Reitsema as new CEOmedair.org

  Anne Reitsema took over as chief executive officer on 4 April 2023.

• 2017

  Rohingya crisis response

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Medair expanded refugee assistance in Bangladesh following the large-scale Rohingya displacement.

• 2012

  Response to the Syrian crisis

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Medair began assisting refugees and other people affected by the Syrian crisis.

• 2005

  Pakistan earthquake response

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  The organization distributed shelter and household supplies and later supported livelihood restoration and reconstruction.

• 2004

  Sri Lanka tsunami response

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Medair deployed to tsunami-affected Ampara district and delivered water, sanitation, shelter, livelihood, and public-health assistance.

• 1995

  Operational independence

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Medair became independent from its founding partner organizations while maintaining selected operational partnerships.

• 1992

  South Sudan operations begin

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Medair began humanitarian work in South Sudan, later developing long-running health, nutrition, shelter, and relief programs.

• 1989

  Medair founded in Switzerland

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  The Volkmars and six other volunteers formally established Medair in the canton of Vaud.

• 1988

  Initial response in Soroti

  [1]Medairen.wikipedia.org

  Erik Volkmar and Josiane Volkmar-André participated in a coordinated response for displaced people in conflict-affected Soroti, Uganda.

Faith-inspired, field-led humanitarian relief and recovery for people affected by conflict, displacement, epidemics, and natural disasters, with an emphasis on hard-to-reach communities and locally relevant resilience.

• Humanitarian response

  Emergency relief

  Rapid assistance after conflict or disaster, including emergency shelter, household items, safe demolition support, drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care.

• Shelter and recovery

  Shelter and Building Back Better

  Emergency and transitional shelter assistance followed by reconstruction and rehabilitation using stronger materials and disaster-resilient construction practices.

• Health services

  Health and nutrition

  Support for primary-health services, vaccinations, safe childbirth, clinic capacity, essential medicines, acute-malnutrition treatment, and community health education.

• WASH services

  Water, sanitation and hygiene

  Provision of safe water, latrines, hygiene supplies, and community education intended to reduce disease risks in crisis-affected and displaced populations.

• Humanitarian cash support

  Cash assistance

  Cash support helps crisis-affected households address immediate living costs and, where relevant, medical and other essential expenses.

• 2017Rohingya refugee response

  Bangladesh

  Medair supported displaced Rohingya communities with emergency health, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, and related relief services.

  Source
• 2012Syrian refugee response

  Lebanon · Syria

  Medair provided shelter, health care, water and sanitation, hygiene support, and cash assistance to refugees and other people affected by the Syrian crisis.

  Source
• 2005Pakistan earthquake response

  Pakistan

  The response combined winter shelter and household distributions with livestock and seed support and reconstruction in remote mountain villages.

  Source
• 2004Sri Lanka tsunami response

  Sri Lanka

  Medair responded in Ampara with drinking water, sanitation, shelter, livelihood support for fishing communities, latrines, well rehabilitation, and hygiene education.

  Source
• 1994Rwanda emergency and reconciliation response

  Rwanda

  Following the Rwandan genocide, Medair helped restore medical centers in Bugesera and supported trauma counseling and reconciliation activities involving different ethnic communities.

  Source

• 2023

  Appointment of Anne Reitsema as CEOOther

  Background

  After five years under David Verboom, Medair’s governing board appointed Anne Reitsema to lead the organization.

  Action taken

  Reitsema became chief executive officer on 4 April 2023 after extensive Medair field and international-program experience.

  Source

• 2023

  Medair appoints Anne Reitsema as new CEO[2]Medair appoints Anne Reitsema as new CEOmedair.org

  Leadership change

  Medair announced that Anne Reitsema would become chief executive officer on 4 April 2023 after serving in several country and international-program leadership roles.

1. 1Medairen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Medair appoints Anne Reitsema as new CEOmedair.org