Redefining Humanitarianism Through Tech: The IRC Model

How predictive tools and digital partnerships are reshaping global aid.

Grace Eunyoung Lee 

Executive Director of International Rescue Committee(IRC) Korea

When the world is shaken by climate crisis, conflict, and war—someone must stand at the frontlines.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is redefining what it means to deliver aid in an unpredictable era—moving beyond relief to resilience. Through cross-sector partnerships and real-time digital tools, the IRC is helping communities prepare, not just recover.

So how is IRC Korea—the first IRC office in Asia—contributing to this global transformation?

From flood-ravaged South Sudan to war-torn Ukraine, Grace Lee of IRC Korea reflects on how technology and partnerships are redefining what it means to deliver aid in a volatile world.

Born from Survival

🎤  What led to the creation of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)?

The IRC was founded in 1933, during a time of rising crisis under Nazi Germany. As persecution escalated, Albert Einstein—having fled to safety in the U.S.—saw that many others were still in grave danger. He chose not to stand by. Instead, he mobilized his network and brought together 51 leading figures to launch a rescue effort.

What began as a mission to help Jewish intellectuals escape oppression quickly grew into one of the world’s first private humanitarian organizations for refugees—well before the UN Refugee Agency even existed.

What continues to inspire me is the clarity of its founding purpose. The IRC wasn’t built on privilege, but on responsibility. 

Known that Albert Einstein once said: 

“I have survived—so now I must help those who have not yet been rescued.”

That spirit still drives everything we do.

A Village Underwater

🎤 What’s one moment that made the climate crisis feel personal?

In South Sudan, after nearly five years of drought, the rains finally came—but they brought catastrophic floods. The land, too dry to absorb water, simply collapsed. When I visited, entire villages were still underwater. Families lived in tents beside submerged homes, schools, and fields.

They rely entirely on farming, but when climate disasters hit back-to-back, recovery becomes nearly impossible.

What stayed with me was this: climate change isn’t just about the environment—it’s about survival, dignity, and the right to stability.

Seeing that up close changes the way you understand everything.

In Northern Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan, an IRC staff member and a client walk through floodwaters surrounding the client’s home. (Photo credit: International Rescue Committee)

Before the Flood

🎤 How does the IRC support communities before climate disasters hit?

We’re working on a project that uses AI to help predict extreme weather. The system shows when and how much rain is likely to fall in certain areas. With this information, we can give cash assistance to the community before the damage happens—so they can get ready in advance.

What makes this approach special is that it focuses on prevention, not just response. Instead of handing out vouchers or emergency kits after a disaster, we help people prepare before it hits. This reduces the damage and helps them protect their way of life.

For example, in Korea, when a typhoon is coming, farmers often need money to fix or strengthen plastic greenhouses. But if they don’t have that money right away, they can’t act in time. The same thing happens in South Sudan.

If farmers there get anticipatory cash assistance early, they can prepare better, avoid bigger losses, and move toward long-term stability.

A Map for Survival

🎤 Any standout examples of tech-powered response in conflict zones?

Yes—the war in Ukraine. When the conflict broke out, millions fled overnight, often with no idea where to go or how to get help.

Together with partners like Zendesk, Meta, and Tech for Refugees, we scaled Signpost—a digital platform that helps refugees locate nearby shelters, clinics, and legal aid based on their location. It also includes chat-based support, so even with language barriers, people can get real-time guidance.

But Signpost isn’t just an app—it’s what I call a digital survival map. Refugees aren’t travelers; they’re people trying to survive. In those moments, information becomes power—and sometimes, the difference between safety and danger.

To me, it’s one of the clearest examples of how technology, used thoughtfully, can restore structure, dignity, and agency in crisis.

Grace Lee, Executive Director of IRC Korea (Photo by IRC)

Shared Tools, Shared Impact

🎤 How have global partners strengthened your work in crisis zones?

We’ve partnered with global leaders like Zendesk, the LEGO Foundation, and Sesame Workshop—each contributing in their own way.

Zendesk helped us scale Signpost, a community-led information system that empowers our clients in times of crisis, including those who have been forcibly displaced. Other IRC partners have also been instrumental in this program, including Tech for Refugees and Meta.

In collaboration with the LEGO Foundation, we have brought learning through play to children and their caregivers who have been impacted by crises in East Africa, the MENA region (including supporting our work with Sesame Workshop) and Latin America—helping them build essential life skills, improve mental health, and strengthen resilience.

We also worked with Sesame Workshop to implement an early childhood education program for children affected by conflict and crisis in the Middle East, enabling them to learn, grow, and thrive.

These partnerships go beyond philanthropy. They bring real-world expertise into the field, allowing us to scale our impact, adapt more efficiently, and respond more effectively.

For companies, it’s an opportunity to turn what they do best into something that deeply matters to people in crisis.

It’s not just charity—it’s shared value in action.

🎤 How have tech partnerships changed the way NGOs like yours operate?

I believe these partnerships have clearly shown that the role of NGOs today goes far beyond distributing food or blankets. In today’s crises, information is survival—knowing where to go, how to stay safe, and who to trust can be just as critical as food or shelter.

That’s why we’ve built digital tools that help people do more than receive aid—they help them navigate their own path to safety.

A refugee family crossing into Poland, for example, can use an app to find the nearest safe shelter or child-friendly clinic—without knowing the language. That kind of access reduces fear and restores agency.

This is a new model of humanitarian response: agile, predictive, and grounded in dignity.

At the IRC, we see ourselves as a bridge—connecting technology to real humanitarian needs, and helping shape what effective humanitarian aid looks like in a changing world.

🎤 Are you also exploring partnerships with Korean companies?

Absolutely—it’s something I’m genuinely excited about. Korea has incredible strengths in agriculture, smart tech, and healthcare, but we haven’t yet seen many of those capabilities connected to humanitarian work.

Korean companies have the potential to lead meaningful, high-impact collaborations—whether through smart farming for food security or data-driven disaster response. These aren’t just ideas—they’re areas I’m actively hoping to explore in the coming years.

We’d welcome the chance to collaborate solutions that turn Korean innovation into global impact.

Grace Lee meets women refugee farmers in South Sudan, part of an IRC-supported seed security project. (Photo credit: International Rescue Committee)

Facts That Move

🎤 The IRC’s website reads more like a journal than a nonprofit site. Why take that approach?

It’s intentional. We chose a journalistic tone because we believe depth, clarity, and trust matter—especially when people are deciding where and how to give.

At first, I wasn’t sure if this approach would resonate, particularly in Korea. But we’ve seen that more and more people—especially students, professionals, and parents—are looking for credible, in-depth information, not just emotional appeal.

We publish weekly articles on global crises, and some—like our Emergency Watchlist—are now organically ranking high in search, without paid promotion.

To us, this is more than content. It’s an intellectual gateway to giving—a bridge from awareness to empathy, and from empathy to meaningful action.

🎤 Have you seen your content directly lead to donations?

One story still stays with me. A middle school class studying climate change came across one of our articles through a simple web search. We hadn’t promoted it, and we had no connection to the school.

But the article helped them understand the urgency and human impact of the crisis. Moved by what they learned, the students made a donation—under their class name.

For them, it wasn’t just about giving. It was about turning awareness into action. 

And for us, it proved something important:

When information builds understanding, understanding leads to action.

That’s exactly the kind of lasting connection we aim to create through our content.

What It Means to Show Up

🎤 Looking ahead, what role do you see the IRC continuing to play?

As crises grow more complex—across borders, disasters, and a changing climate—the IRC is committed to being present where survival is at risk.

At the IRC, we see giving not as a choice, but as an act that begins with awareness. Our role is to open that first door—so that more people can step forward and take part.

Today, compassion alone isn’t enough. This is a time when anyone can contribute in their own way: those with technology through innovation, those with resources through support, and those with influence through their voice.

In the end, it comes down to a simple question:

If I am safe, what can I do for those who are not?

The more often that question is asked, the more our world begins to change.

🔗 International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/kr

🔗 Grace Eunyoung Lee's LinkedIn

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