Aid for the World
Aid for the World is a private international humanitarian organization dedicated to establishing meaningful local and international partnerships to address critical needs in unique new ways. The organization was founded by Carl Keyes with the motto "finding simple solutions to global problems"
Aid for the World
Aid for the World is a private international humanitarian aid organization that combats poverty and social injustices in unique ways. Aid for the World partners with local communities to help individuals and families address their immediate needs and develop sustainable livelihoods.
The organization has programs and projects in the United States, South America, Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
In 2009 AID for the World Staffers visited the New York STOCK Exchange to ring the Opening Bell while raising awareness for a benefit gala that took place at the American Museum of Natural History and featured the Honorable Colin L. Powell as keynote speaker.
Carl Keyes
Keyes discovered his calling for international humanitarian service in the 1980’s, traveling to build medical clinics, industrial training centers, and churches in West African countries such as Ghana, Mali, Benin, and Cote D’Ivoire; Keyes was confronted with some of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. As he journeyed between cities and remote villages he witnessed first-hand poverty, starvation, HIV/AIDS and death personified in the faces of men, women and children.
These encounters with the worlds’ forgotten radically changed his mission. He began envisioning Simple Solutions to Global Challenges…and over 20 years before its existence, laid the first cornerstone for AID for the World.
On the morning of September 11th, 2001 as Keyes traveled into midtown on the Long Island Railroad, he looked through his window and watched in horror as the United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. After getting to his office, setting up a mini-command station complete with television and phone, Keyes was compelled to journey to the heart of the destruction. By the end of the day he was orchestrating a faith-based emergency-response mechanism completely staffed by volunteers. For the next year he worked out of his non-profit organization Urban Life Ministries (ULM). ULM was given a warehouse in Staten Island which they converted into a respite center which prepared hot meals for over 500 men and women in protective services, giving them cots to sleep on and computers to communicate with their families.
Keyes and ULM supported the work of the Mayor’s Office in multiple programs over the year. In the beginning, volunteers helped city employees register displaced families from downtown, as Keyes solicited contributions in the form of computers and office supplies from major corporations. They provided televisions, cartoon films, and carpets, developing “miniature living rooms” at their 23rd and Lexington command center so that parents could offer their children a sense of security and familiarity. ULM volunteers walked among the families, taking orders and serving three meals a day, coordinating child care and Pier 94 so that parents were able to continue the hunt for lost loved ones. Two Churches in Lower Manhattan were converted into 24 hour-a-day respite centers with computers, hot food, and beds to serve the needs of rescue workers. Mayor Giuliani mandated that all members of protective services receive at least eight hours of counseling, so the Keyes’ responded by recruiting professional counselors and therapists for their new Restoration Counseling Center, located 2 blocks from Ground Zero. The Center was open for over a year and half providing all those affected by the tragedy… offering grief counseling and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at no cost.
Aid for the World- American Division
Hurricane Katrina and Mississippi In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast with devastating fury. Carl Keyes watched the news, praying for the people affected without any indication that he would be called to join the recovery effort. Within the first two days, he was contacted by a colleague who was working with FEMA and identified as the man coordinating supply distribution in the weeks and months after September 11th. The representative from FEMA asked him to travel to Mississippi, one of the poorest States in the country, to replicate his work. Within 24 hours, he was in Birmingham with his friend Kevin Beck loading a truck with water, chainsaws, and gasoline. Upon arrival in Biloxi, MS, they began delivering supplies and recruiting volunteers to serve critical needs. During that time ULM placed tarps on over 1,000 roofs and brought in over 1,400 tractor trailers of supplies. They served over 500,000 hot meals to Katrina victims and volunteers, and immediately relocated 1,100 families to seven different states. While these initiatives were successful, it quickly became clear that short term programs would not be enough. The Gulf Coast had been ravaged by Katrina’s path, and poverty in the region magnified the impact of the destruction and hindered rebuilding efforts. The city of Biloxi has set deadlines for homeowners to demolish derelict homes and clear sites, but many of them cannot afford the cleanup costs. If their deadlines pass, families run the risk of losing their property, so the City Officials asked ULM (now AID for the World) to manage site clearance. The work in MS continued for two years as thousands of volunteers have come from all over the country to tear down hazardous homes and help families get on their feet financially. We have completely remodeled 300 houses and placed 1300 families back in their homes. AID for the World is committed to helping communities chart a new journey of sustainable development that will promote economic growth for the state. While homeownership is an important step in that journey, job creation and gainful employment options will help families move into the future. While requests came from the Department of Homeland Security to branch out of Mississippi into New Orleans, Keyes and ULM leadership developed another key tenet of AID for the World. Emergency disaster relief programs are more effective in a localized context. Keeping the agenda of the organization streamlined for specific communities, we can use simple solutions to affect dramatic and positive change for future generations.
McDowell County In 2007, AID For The World - American Division began its programs in McDowell County West Virginia after some research revealed it to be one of the poorest counties in the country. AID is steadfast in its goal to end needless suffering. Our two pronged approach uses modest resources combined with tremendous imagination to 1) address immediate crises and 2) develop a sustainable economic platform for the City or County. This approach includes distributing several tons of new and used clothing, connecting homes to the city sewage system, and we’ve given multiple monetary donations to families for food, clothing, utilities, medical bills, and housing. It has partnered with multiple local and federal agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA RD, Economic Development Authority (EDA) and Redevelopment Authority (RDA) Each relationship is critical to our efforts providing housing assistance. The AID philosophy believes that education is the key to community advancement and we have established relationships with the faculty and students of several Colleges and Universities. Faculty members have incorporated the mission of AFA into their curriculum and are planning multiple visits to one of our Cities of need. As of 2009, AID is working in 10 States across America. The goal is to work with the City fathers to help them realize their dream for their City. AID helps to create jobs, create industry, provide green ideas, with practical uses. This is done by a team of AID experts in Marketing, Economics, New Urban Community Planners, Corporate Strategists, Green Authorities, Technology Gurus and a host of others, depending on the City and the need.
Aid For The World - African Division
The focus is on the neediest in developing nations, recruiting volunteers and training long-term indigenous workers. In areas where people have been neglected the solution requires the entire spectrum of humanitarian work. Expeditions, well drilling, HIV prevention education, orphan care, trade relations, sustainable agricultural projects, micro-finance co-ops and basic education are a few of the solutions we provide.
AID has worked in 31 different countries, bringing the necessities that are unique to each Country, City and/or village. Economic Sustainability along with ecological projects have been at the forefront, as opposed to just giving items away. AID reaches approximately 100 new villages each year and are currently caring for 7000 children who have lost their parents and caregivers to HIV/AIDS. Many of the orphans themselves are infected, and we provide comprehensive medical care and education through the 18 schools we have built on their behalf.
Philip Smethurst, Director of AID For The World - African Division has worked for over 20 years, leading expeditions and creating innovative projects as new problems face him over the years. Simple solutions for global problems is nor to say the problems are simple, but the philosophy of AID is to start at the simplest position and work from there.