International Relief and Development Inc.

International Relief and Development Inc. (IRD) (renamed Blumont)
Founded 1998
Focus international development
Location
Area served
International
Product US Government grantee
Key people
 Arthur B. Keys, Jr (Founder), Roger Ervin (President)[1]
Employees
501-1,000 [2][3]
Website www.blumont.org

International Relief and Development, Inc. (IRD), renamed Blumont, is an organization that purports to implement relief, stabilization, and development programs worldwide.[4] According to Blumont, its mission is to deliver "innovative, evidence based, locally driven solutions that advance the aspirations of people, communities and donor partners worldwide"[5]. In 2011, more than 80% of IRD's $500 million annual budget came from USAID.[6] In recent years, Blumont has completed work in the Middle East, South America, Asia, and Africa for governmental entities in the U.S. and Britain, such as USAID and UKAid and for organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations[7].

In January 2016, IRD announced that it was changing its name to Blumont and relocating to Madison, Wisconsin.[4]

Leadership

Founder

Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr. founded IRD in 1998. As of 2012, Keys claimed 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.[11]

Amid investigation, Keys retired from IRD and moved to a farm in Western Pennsylvania's Washington County in 2015.[12] Previously, Keys was 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.[13]

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 bachelor's degree from Bethany College. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Bethany.[14] He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Bethany.[15] He is also the recipient of the William Sloane Coffin ’56 Award for Justice and Peace[16] given annually by Yale Divinity School and was honored in Atlanta as a 2011 Emory University History Maker [17] and by the Emory University Alumni Board with the 2009 Emory Medal[18] for his years of humanitarian service.

President & CEO

Roger Ervin assumed leadership of IRD in December 2014 [1], and now serves as the President and CEO of Blumont. Ervin has been working for over 28 years in government, academic and private sector roles. Before Blumont, Ervin worked as Senior Vice President for Global Markets at LMI. He also teaches management courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Business and at the UW Department of Political Science[19][20][21]

Current Operations

Palestine

In Palestine, Blumont Engineering Solutions is the contractor for the Yatta Distribution Pipeline, funded by USAID for USD $17.6 million. The project will construct 20 km of new transmission pipelines and connectors and 40 km of new distribution pipelines to supply water to unserved or poorly served areas.[22]

Mali

In Mali, IRD/Blumont, under DFID's BRACED program, is implementing the "Wati Yelema Labenw" program that is strengthening resilience to climate disasters of vulnerable populations in Koulikoro, Segou, and Mopti. Through work on social cohesion, livelihoods, natural resource management and governance, the program directly reaches 2,400 people and builds off the results of the previous RIC4REC project (Strengthening Community Initiatives for Climate Resilience).[23]

Zaatari Refugee Camp

In Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, UNHCR and Blumont worked with Brian Tomaszewski from the Rochester Institute of Technology to create Refugee GIS, RefuGIS. RefuGIS is a project that uses hands-on training in mapping to give refugees in Zaatari empowerment and access to enriched livelihoods and education. Is is the "world's first GIS project for refugee, by refugees."[24]

In January 2018, Angelina Jolie made a visit to Zaatari Camp to visit the TIGER (These Inspiring Girls Enjoy Reading) project, which focuses on education and empowerment in displacement. The UNHCR project, in partnership with IRD/Blumont, is designed to fight the epidemic of refugees dropping out of school. [25] In 2017, the TIGER girls project was presented a special award at the Arab Women of the Year 2017 ceremony. [26]

In February 2018, the Peace and Sport organization announced new activities focused on peace building in Zaatari Camp, launched in collaboration with IRD/Blumont, as well as UNHCR, the International Table Tennis Federation, the Fédération Internationale de Teqball, and the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations. The activities include sports coaching seminars for refugees, as well as working with the Zaatari Women Commission and the TIGER girls to promote the program and disseminate "peace values and gender equity through sport activities."[27]

Colombia

Blumont, along with the Colombian government's Victims' Unit and the Norwegian Refugee Council, implemented programming/workshops in Puerto Torres, Caquetá Department, in September 2018 to "diagnose the damage suffered by the inhabitants of the region" as it relates to armed conflict and the displacement and missing persons associated with it. Workshops help survivors of armed conflict reflect on their lives before, what happened during the conflict, and what damages it has caused afterward.[28]

Also in Puerto Torres, Blumont contributed resources to build a communal structure, toolkits, and sports equipment for use in public meetings and educational events.[29]

Pakistan

Blumont and partner organization implement the USAID-funded Sindh Community Mobilization Program (CMP) as part of USAID and the Government of Sindh's Sindh Basic Education Program. The five-year program operates in Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Dadu, Kamber Shahdadkot,Jacobabad, and Kashmore and five town in Karachi. The program utilizes community mobilization to work toward increasing the enrollment of girls in schools and improving kids' health and hygiene.[30]

Criticism - IRD

In 2015, IRD was the subject of a Washington Post investigation. Among other irregularities, the organization had charged the US Government $1.1 million for staff parties and retreats at exclusive resorts.[31][32] USAID suspended IRD from future federal contracting, but IRD filed suit and a district court voided the suspension. The court lead by Judge Royce Lamberth found that USAID had not followed several federal guidelines in its investigation of IRD, and ruled their suspension illegal. USAID nullified and vacated the suspension and retracted any statements asserting that the suspension was valid or appropriate.[33][34] Employees who left IRD were asked to sign confidentiality agreements.[35]

IRD routinely hired individuals who previously worked for USAID, including former acting administrator Alonzo Fulgham.[9] In 2014, it was reported that at least 19 former USAID employees had 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.” [32]'

Iraq

In Iraq, USAID funded $644 million to IRD to implement the Community Stabilization Program. At times, IRD spent more than $1 million a day of USAID money.[36]

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 multi-year road building project. In 2009, it was reported that one of IRD's staff was fired after he allegedly questioned the exclusivity of an IRD event and seating that segregated foreign staff from their Afghan counterparts.[37]

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.[38]

References

  1. 1 2 "Blumont: The new face of IRD". Devex. 18 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Working at Blumont". Glassdoor.
  3. ↑ "LinkedIn - Blumont". LinkedIn. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Blumont: The new face of IRD". Devex. 22 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "About Blumont - Blumont". Blumont. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Reviews prompt suspension of Iraqi jobs program, USA Today, July 26, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Alumni Advocate: Roger Ervin - Update Magazine | Spring 2018". Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Who We Are" (PDF). International Relief and Development. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Doing well by doing good: The high price of working in war zones". Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  10. 1 2 Review: High salaries for aid group CEOs August 31, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Longtime USAID contractor embroiled in scandal fires top managers, others". Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  12. ↑ LINDSTROM, NATASHA (March 14, 2015). "Founder of nonprofit retires to Washington County amid scrutiny". Trib Total Media. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  13. ↑ 2005 Yale Divinity School Alumni Award Recipients 2005 Yale Divinity School Alumni Award Recipients, Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Bethany College Board of Directors". Bethany College Board of Directors. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Bethany College". ALUMNUS KEYS TO SPEAK AT BACCALAUREATE SERVICE. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Yale Divinity School-Coffin Award". Coffin Award Recipients. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  17. ↑ "Washington County Observer-Reporter". Emory honors city native. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  18. ↑ "Emory Alumni Association". 2009 Emory Medals honor law, theology alumni. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  19. ↑ "Roger Ervin - Faculty - Wisconsin School of Business". bus.wisc.edu.
  20. ↑ "Roger M. Ervin: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com.
  21. ↑ "Alumni Advocate: Roger Ervin - Update Magazine | Spring 2018".
  22. ↑ "Yatta Distribution Pipeline". SES Consulting. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  23. ↑ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Wati Yelema Labenw: Strengthening community initiatives for resilience to climate extremes | BRACED". www.braced.org. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "Refugees are learning to map their world and gain marketable skills in the process | Design Indaba". Design Indaba. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "Angelina Jolie Travels to Jordan with Daughters Shiloh and Zahara to Meet with Syrian Refugees". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Saudi women shine at Arab Women of the Year awards in London". Arab News. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  27. ↑ "Peace and Sport « Live Together » program in Za'atari Refugee Camp celebrates its first anniversary". OSI Monaco (in French). 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Terminado diagnóstico del daño en comunidad de Puerto Torres, Caquetá | Unidad para las Víctimas". www.unidadvictimas.gov.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  29. ↑ "Con recursos de Blumont realizan caseta comunal en Puerto Torres (Caquetá) | Unidad para las Víctimas". www.unidadvictimas.gov.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  30. ↑ University, The Aga Khan. "Projects and Research Activities | HDP | MC, Pakistan | The Aga Khan University". www.aku.edu. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  31. ↑ "USAID suspends IRD, its largest nonprofit contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan". Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  32. 1 2 "Nonprofit contractor sent government $1.1 million bill for parties and retreats". The Washington Post. 13 March 2015.
  33. ↑ Hsu, Spencer S. (2015-08-03). "Judge: USAID must undo suspension of largest war-zone contractor, IRD". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  34. ↑ "Statement on International Relief and Development | Archive - U.S. Agency for International Development". 2012-2017.usaid.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  35. ↑ "Auditors examining nonprofit organization's confidentiality agreements, 'revolving door'". The Washington Post. 6 May 2015.
  36. ↑ U.S. Nonprofit Screws up Iraq Jobs Program, Now Working on Afghanistan Repeat, Wired, November 11, 2009.
  37. ↑ How To: Lose Friends in Afghanistan Wired, July 7, 2009.
  38. ↑ U.S. military dismayed by delays in 3 key development projects in Afghanistan Washington Post, April 22, 2011.
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