Nonprofit Stays for the Long Haul After Disasters

On the heels of every disaster, there’s what Yotam Polizer calls an “aid festival,” a bonanza of charity that sticks around about as long as the international media — which is to say, not long. Polizer works in the thick of this aid festival, arriving on the ground hours after disaster strikes to provide survivors with basic needs like bottled water and blankets.

But for IsraAID, the humanitarian organization Polizer leads, this relief work is just the first step. IsraAID is a nongovernmental organization headquartered in Tel Aviv and not affiliated with any religious group. The nonprofit stays in disaster areas long after the news cameras leave, working with community leaders and local organizations to help people recover and build resilience. In February, for example, IsraAID team members, shown here distributing supplies, landed in Turkey hours after the first earthquake struck, and they’re still there today.

“Because of climate change and because of manmade disaster, many of these vulnerable communities are likely to suffer from future disasters,” Polizer says. “The best thing that we can do for them is help them prepare.”

To build resilience, IsraAID focuses on two essential strategies: strengthening infrastructure and bolstering mental health. It provides communities with off-grid water-purification systems and runs art- and play-therapy programs, as well as other treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. “We believe that people’s well-being is as crucial as food and water,” Polizer says.

This year, Polizer won the Charles Bronfman Prize, a $100,000 award for Jewish humanitarians under age 50. Judges lauded Polizer’s work for living out the Jewish value of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repair the world.”

Ben Kelmer, IsraAID

IsraAID’s operations are indeed global. Today, it’s on the ground in 16 countries and has responded to disasters in 62 countries total since its founding in 2001.

“Our goal is not to be there forever,” Polizer says. “The goal is to provide these resilience programs, and once the community is resilient and they have the capacity to support themselves, we’re phasing out.”