How to do foreign aid without stepping on federal toes

thomas tie While much medical aid has been provided to Ukraine as direct relief, recent activity included a significant investment in over 2,000 battery systems to backstop Ukraine’s health system. . That was their priority. And, you know, like any health system, when there’s a power outage, it shuts down and can’t perform basic services. And that was the top priority. So, I think this is what Direct Relief has stepped up its efforts and done this month, continuing to provide more than $1 billion in medical supplies assistance since the war began. The power issue poses an immediate crisis for Ukraine’s healthcare system, which is currently in the midst of a full-scale war.

tom temin And give us a little bit of background about the organization itself. Direct relief.

thomas tie Direct Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian medical organization that operates in all 50 U.S. states and approximately 100 countries each year. Its main focus is to provide medical materials, medicines, vaccines and medical supplies that are needed but cannot be provided to those who need them. This is the typical role Direct Relief has played over his 75 years. We are a secular, fully privately funded and non-political organization. That is, it is a purely humane medical organization. And Ukraine is a country that we have worked on for 75 years, just because of necessity and because it is close to Europe, where we were able to establish and offer a lot. It was the largest scale of its kind. But entering the power sector, at least in the health sector, is relatively new for Direct Relief. Hurricane He is a common phenomenon in the aftermath of emergency natural disasters like Maria, but medical equipment, both at home and in facilities, is becoming increasingly dependent on electricity. While electricity becomes less reliable, climate issues often result in frequent power outages. But in the case of Ukraine, the causes are clearly different, but the health effects are the same.

tom temin And when we travel to get these devices, for example, these batteries are packed in places like Ukraine. Let’s talk about the civilian side and the efforts that are actually being made around the world. For example, how do you get around USAID, public agencies, government agencies that are trying to help the State Department?

thomas tie Yes, we have been very careful. We always notify the State Department and embassies in whatever country we operate in. Just as a courtesy to make sure they know what Direct Relief is doing. In many cases, they can fill gaps that cannot be filled by the private market or government. But as an American organization, we think it’s important to make sure that American policymakers are aware of what we’re doing. There is no desire to do anything offline. We just don’t receive any help from the government, but we work very closely together. And if we receive a signal that it’s not necessary or that it will be complicated, we will consider it carefully. But it’s an organized effort. Ukraine has many stakeholders, both Ukrainian and foreign, at the governmental and non-governmental levels, and we are committed to working with them wherever possible, from United Nations agencies to U.S. government agencies. I am doing my best. .

tom temin And when you’re operating, maybe not necessarily in Ukraine, but where USAID might have a project, or you worked for the Peace Corps years ago and they had a project. Where you might be, can they give you a signal to say: Well, we’re doing this in here, but if you do that, the battery says it’s going to be really helpful. Do we receive such signals from federal agencies?

thomas tie Yeah, I mean, I think the Peace Corps had to withdraw all of their volunteers from all over the world during the coronavirus pandemic. So it was a first. So it wasn’t a source. But in general, you’re right. I think the U.S. government has a lot of influence and has some very skilled and talented people living in the country and experts. So we always consider ourselves a good source of information and we do our best. I think wherever we are operating, to make sure that the embassy knows what the direct relief efforts are. If there’s an event or something, U.S. government officials are usually there. So Ambassador Brzezinski of Poland has been very helpful and supportive of Polish efforts to help refugees. So we meet him when he comes to an event about direct relief work in Poland. So it’s just a different role, but we think it’s a great source of information. As a private nonprofit organization, I think we need to maintain a certain distance in that regard. Independence is important for many reasons. So that there is no confusion. But I think we’ll do everything we can to make sure it’s a coordinated effort. We are cooperating with UN agencies, and of course our embassies will do the same.

tom temin I’m talking to Thomas Tye. He is the CEO and President of his Direct Relief. So what about military aspects? Let’s say you’re trying to get battery power again. These are big, right? These are the size of telephone booths. I imagine each Tesla battery pack. What about military considerations and workarounds? Especially in Ukraine, because you never know where the action will take place.

thomas tie right. As a humanitarian organization, I think we need to maintain a clear distance. So there is no confusion about our role. In other words, we do not support Ukraine’s fighting capabilities. And it is consistent with our humanistic nature. But obviously it’s war. I think we’ve been working closely with mainly the Ukrainians to ensure that we can deliver safely and reliably. Therefore, they are not targeted. That is, we did not make an announcement until they arrived safely in Ukraine. But obviously I think they’re in touch with the necessary people on the military side. However, we have not been invited to such a meeting and probably will not go. And humanitarian organizations need to know where the risks are, from a security perspective, to make sure they don’t harm anyone, but not too closely involved in coordination activities. Everyone understands that. Because it actually crosses a line that could undermine the recognized role of private NGOs in particular. So, again, it’s going to take a lot of coordination and disclosure on our part, and we’re trying to make sure that everyone knows, but when it comes to military strategy and military operations themselves, does not expect to be involved and remains clear.

tom temin This means that in many cases, citizens may be at greater risk than if they were operating under military protection.

thomas tie Yes and no. This means that innocent civilians who are just doing a good job can be targeted if they are seen as part of a military unit participating in an active military operation, even if they are in the Peace Corps. there is. I mean, that may be true, but from a strategic standpoint, even from a public stance, it’s not particularly advantageous to go and kill a bunch of people that they’re trying to help. No one does that intentionally. right. But it is an important issue for us to worry about and be concerned about. Just as Americans visiting Ukraine do, be sure to check with the embassy before sending someone there. And there are many people who travel. But when it comes to security, we are protected only by the security of Ukraine. It’s usually arranged or carried out by the Department of Health or Department of Social Care or something like that, but when you’re there, it’s a slightly different role. You’re not there in a personal capacity representing an organization, you’re representing the U.S. government and carrying an official passport from the U.S. government. But we are still Americans and we definitely check and disclose what we do. And in Ukraine, for example, sometimes USAID funding is stopped, and we picked up some of the activities that USAID was funding the Ukrainian government because of the timing of the spending or for whatever reason. That is, it is loosely coordinated, but not formally coordinated, as is the case with many nonprofits that receive funding from the U.S. government through USAID. Direct relief has always been privately funded for historical reasons.

tom temin of course. And just a technical question. If you’re providing battery backup to a medical facility or hospital, how does charging happen? Because batteries need to be charged before they can be discharged. And what happens if the power goes out?

thomas tie Well, the idea is to charge it when it’s powered on. Therefore, it is available even during power outages. That’s why we use nuclear power. And in Ukraine, I think charging the battery is when it becomes available. Therefore, it can be used in places considering expanding solar power generation, and it has been installed in many places around the world. Typically, our facility in California operates a solar microgrid on 150,000 square meters. So during the day, while the sun is out, the battery charges and we generate our own energy and feed some of it back into the grid. And when the sun goes down, the battery dies. And, depending on the climate and sun availability, Ukraine experiences long sunny days and beautiful days throughout the summer. It’s very bad during the winter, but it’s enough to recharge the battery somewhat, but it really depends on the climate. Therefore, it can be charged from any power source. But more often than not, it’s about having a battery on board for resiliency in the event of a power outage caused by a weather event. But in reality, Ukraine is on the grid that Russia is targeting, and again, the cause is very different from the Caribbean hurricanes, but it does not really support the delivery of the health care system to the people who depend on it. It has the same effect in terms of ruining it.