International Medical Corps now operates in approximately 30 countries with over 8,000 staff members. Its founder got there by selling everything he owned.
Into Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan
Dr. Robert Simon was a young emergency room physician at UCLA Medical Center. After reading about Afghan civilians' suffering during the Soviet occupation, he decided to go himself, becoming the first American doctor inside Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.
What he found was devastating: children poisoned with gas, children maimed by explosives disguised as toys, and children starving. He set up an emergency clinic but quickly ran out of supplies.
Fifty-Two Rejections
Returning to the U.S., Simon asked 52 health organizations for help. All 52 turned him down. Undeterred, he sold his Malibu home to fund the startup in 1984. Within two years, International Medical Corps was treating 54,000 patients per month at 24 emergency clinics in Afghanistan while training over 200 Afghan medics as community first responders.
From Relief to Self-Reliance
The organization's core philosophy became "from relief to self-reliance," training local healthcare workers rather than creating dependency. Today, 96 percent of IMC's 8,000 staff members are locally hired. Since its founding, the organization has provided over $4.2 billion in emergency relief and training across more than 80 countries.
Learn more on our International Medical Corps page.
