IRFF is working to improve the lives of people around the way in a variety of ways.  We address the immediate needs of people living in poverty globally - income, food, education and medical care – while attempting to provide people with the tools they will need to create financially stable lives for themselves. 

Universal Primary Education

IRFF recognizes the importance of education in developing countries and is very active in supporting schools and educational centers.  IRFF supports several schools in rural areas of Africa and Latin America, and provides educational supplies to many others.  We have built over 20 primary schools in the past 30 years, providing access to education to hundreds of students, and we provide scholarships to allow students to continue their education in secondary school. 

Economic Empowerment

IRFF’s primary focus in economic empowerment is currently in the field of microfinance, which has proven to be extremely successful.  We distinguish ourselves in the holistic approach that we take to our program, providing a training program for our participants, which includes not only business and finance training, but also character education to promote personal and social responsibility.

Families all over the world have benefited from our programs which support them in starting their own small businesses.  The lives of families have been transformed by income earned from small grocery shops, animal rearing, small farms or any other variety of business.  With this income, families are able to provide food, send their children to school, and even build better homes.  Beyond this, IRFF provides vocational training in such areas as computer literacy and agricultural techniques to provide families with the skills to provide for themselves.

International Friendship and Service Projects

IRFF is committed to building understanding and friendship between people of different nationalities, races, religions and cultures.  To this end, we run short term and long term service projects that bring young men and women from different countries together in pursuit of a common goal: improving the quality of life of a community in need.  While serving the selected community, participants learn about the challenges faced by developing countries and the various current and successful methods being employed to overcome those challenges.

Health Services

IRFF is working to meet the need for health care services and health education in developing countries.  We conduct medical and dental clinics and informational workshops for families and educate communities about the prevention of HIV/AIDS and STDs in culturally relevant ways that address the importance of abstinence before marriage and committed relationships.

Disaster Relief

IRFF responds to natural disasters and catastrophes all over the world with quick and targeted action. Although we are not the largest of organizations, we stretch our resources to provide the maximum impact.  In recent years, we have provided services and supplies to those who have suffered as a result of various hurricanes and tornados, the attacks of September 11th, the tsunami in South East Asia, Hurricane Katrina, flooding in Nepal and Bangladesh, earthquakes in Kyrgyzstan, flooding in Guatemala, war in Iraq, and the California fires. 

Partnership with the United Nations

IRFF has worked in association with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI) since 1991.  Our work is aligned with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and we are committed to accomplishing these goals by the target date of 2015.  Our work also compliments the UN’s vision of creating a global culture of peace by bringing people of all races, religions, cultures and nationalities together in service.