Samaritan’s Purse Fact Sheet

President & CEO:     William Franklin Graham III

Founded:    1970, by Bob Pierce

Purpose:     To provide immediate, no-red-tape response to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations-especially in locations where few others are working.

Projects:     Samaritan's Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution.

NATURAL DISASTER

U.S. Disaster Relief - Samaritan's Purse has helped 18,000 victims of natural disasters over the past decade by quickly providing emergency supplies, repairing, cleaning and rebuilding homes. Recent relief efforts include providing help to 130 Metro Atlanta flood victims by cleaning mud and debris from homes, helping families salvage personal items, applying anti-mold treatments.  Samaritan's Purse mobilized 950 volunteers to help Atlanta-area flood victims. Other recent efforts include helping flood and tornado victims in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Arkansas.  Samaritan's Purse has five tractor-trailer units in the United States and Canada stocked with emergency supplies ready to roll at a moment's notice to help victims of natural disasters.  After Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma, Samaritan's Purse mobilized and equipped more than 12,000 volunteers who made emergency repairs on nearly 10,000 houses in five states.  The organization also provided more than 350 mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi, made permanent repairs on some 1,000 houses and dozens of churches, and is constructing new homes for families who cannot afford to rebuild in New Orleans.

North Korea - In response to massive flooding in August 2008, Samaritan's Purse chartered a cargo jet to deliver $8.3 million in medicine and other emergency supplies.  It was the first private flight directly from the United States to North Korea since the Korean War.  Samaritan's Purse has been working in the country since the 1997, primarily with medical and dental programs in Pyongyang, providing more than $10 million in assistance.

China Earthquake - A cargo jet chartered by Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association was used to airlift some 90 tons of emergency supplies to Chengdu, China after the deadly earthquake in the region.  The plane was loaded with heavy-duty plastic sheeting for emergency shelters, water filtration systems, medical and hygiene kits, and 15,000 blankets.  Some 200 water storage tanks have also been distributed to devastated communities and are helping to provide villagers with easy access to safe, clean water.

Myanmar Cyclone - When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, leaving more than 130,000 people dead or missing and another 2 million homeless, Samaritan's Purse immediately began working to bring aid to survivors by airlifting some 100 tons of cargo into Myanmar to help provide shelter and clean water.  Additional supplies included medicine, blankets, mosquito netting and clothing.

Latin America and the Caribbean - Samaritan's Purse responded to Category 5 Hurricanes Felix and Dean by providing emergency shelter, clean water, and other critical aid for thousands of families in Mexico, Nicaragua and Jamaica. The organization built more than 3,000 houses in El Salvador after the 2001 earthquakes and 5,000 in Honduras following Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Indian Ocean Tsunami-Samaritan's Purse has helped tens of thousands of families in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India recover from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Dec. 26, 2004. The organization has built some 4,000 houses and established large-scale projects to provide water, food, health care, and replacement fishing boats.

WAR

Iraq - In 2003, Samaritan's Purse airlifted medical supplies and equipment into Baghdad to re-supply and refurbish several medical facilities, including a neglected hospital. In 2006, Samaritan's Purse sent Christmas gifts to some 95,000 children, Muslims and Christians alike.

Sudan - Samaritan's Purse has helped hundreds of thousands survive regional conflicts, while advancing the cause of peace and religious freedom. Franklin Graham was invited to Khartoum in 2003 and 2007 to meet with President Omar al-Bashir to address the concerns of Sudanese Christians. The organization supported four hospitals in Sudan, re-established schools and agricultural programs in the Nuba Mountains, and distributed food to 130,000 displaced people in Darfur and 60,000 Bedouins near the Red Sea. Now that there is a peace accord, Samaritan's Purse has launched a program to rebuild hundreds of churches destroyed during the civil war.

Middle East - When fighting broke out in southern Lebanon in 2006, Samaritan's Purse helped provide food, shelter and other essentials to some 10,000 displaced persons.

Afghanistan-Samaritan's Purse was one of the first organizations to enter Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. Samaritan's Purse established a hospital in Kholm and has helped 4,000 families rebuild homes in northeastern Afghanistan. The organization also repaired and reopened six schools-giving thousands of girls the opportunity for education denied by the prior regime.

DISEASE & FAMINE

HIV/AIDS Projects - Samaritan's Purse emerged as a leader of the international Christian response to HIV/AIDS by organizing the global Prescription for Hope conference in 2002 in Washington, with over 900 participants from 87 countries. Since then, the organization has sponsored training programs and grassroots HIV/AIDS ministries around the world. In partnership with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Samaritan's Purse is reaching over 2 million youth in East Africa with education about HIV/AIDS and abstinence-based prevention programs.

Niger - Samaritan's Purse set up a network of therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers to serve hundreds of malnourished infants, children, and mothers.

ONGOING WORK

Operation Christmas Child - This year the world's largest Christmas program, Operation Christmas Child, aims to collect and ship shoe boxes filled with gifts for some 8 million children. Since 1993, some 69 million boxes have been distributed in more than 130 countries.

Water Filters - Samaritan's Purse has installed more than 70,000 BioSand® water filters in 25 countries, providing over a half million people with a safe and perpetual source of clean water.

Children's Heart Project-Samaritan's Purse has brought more than 450 children with life-threatening heart defects to North America for surgery not available in their home countries.

World Medical Mission - Each year, the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse places hundreds of doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals in voluntary, short-term service with hospitals and clinics in the world's least developed countries.  The project also provides overseas hospitals with critically-needed medical equipment and supplies.

Budget:       $318 million (projected income for 2009)

Expenses:   Ministry Activity = 88%, Administrative Support = 5%, Fund Raising = 7% (2008)

Three times since 2000, Samaritan's Purse has been ranked as the most efficient religious charity in the United States by SmartMoney magazine.

Offices:     Headquartered in Boone, N.C., Samaritan's Purse has affiliate offices in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, and    Germany; plus field offices in more than 20 developing countries.

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