Whenever we can, we raise funds and pay for our own travel to disaster areas to help people who have been victimized by a natural or man-made disaster. In Thailand, during a family vacation and what ended up as our first experience of disaster relief doing tsunami relief, we helped foreign tourists injured by the waves at Ranong Hospital get in touch with family members and friends, get back home quickly and with dignity by providing clothing and phone service. We also helped local tsunami survivors who lived on the coast by purchasing a truck load of water and food care packages for them with help of local volunteers, police and rescue workers.

Since December 2004, KIRF has made three trips back to Thailand to help people regain their livelyhoods with new boats and fishing supplies. We have also been able to set up and educational fund for 54 orphans who lost one or both of their parents to the deadly waves through the Population & Community Development Association (PDA) of Thailand.

KIRF has assisted families with needed living supplies along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi after Hurricance Katrina in the fall of 2005. Angela Kirwin, Co-Founder, made two trips to Mississippi and worked with a local school district and various volunteers to help identify families and children in need and deliver relief. As soon as the pages descibing our work in Mississippi are done they will be posted here.

At the beginning of 2006, Mark Kirwin, Director of KIRF travelled to India to help out with drought relief in the northern state of Bihar. With local partner KIRF India's assistance, KIRF was able to provide sources of safe drinking water in poor rural villages after two years of drought by drilling 7 new wells.

KIRF will be assisting with drought relief in northern Tanzania this Summer. Details will be posted on this web site soon.

Whenver possible (for example, when we have sufficient funds and a favorable exchange rate) KIRF incorporates sustainable development in disaster relief once immediate survival needs are met. In Thailand we purchased fishing boats and supplies for fisherman who had lost their source of livelihood when the tsunami destroyed their boats. Also, in Thailand we funded the building of a fish farm and ecological preserve guesthouse that now supports a co-operative of about 32 families.

Sustainable development is very important in areas of chronic poverty and we help people get out of their poverty entrapment by offering free literacy education through the Kirwin International Education Centres run by our partner KIRF India. We also have funded a micro-loan co-operative for woman and have drilled 7 new wells in a region suffering from drought. KIRF India also plants trees and engages in recycling programs and conservation education for the local recipients of its aid.

In Cambodia, Mark Kirwin, KIRF's Director, purchased building materials, doors and desks for an orphanage called the Lighthouse outside of Phenm Phen.

We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.

– Margaret Mead