• Marla Ruzicka
• 2006-05-27
• Robert Burns Humanitarian Award

Marla Ruzicka was a passionate young relief worker and the founder of CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict) she was, in the words of one obituary, "an extraordinary, one-person American aid agency, who worked tirelessly to get compensation for victims of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." Though only 28 when she died, killed by a car bomb in Baghdad in April 2005 - she had spent much of her life helping ordinary people whose lives had been shattered by conflict. Before her death Marla had successfully lobbied the U.S. Government through Senator Patrick Leahy to provide medical, vocational and other types of assistance for Afghan and Iraqi families and communities harmed as a result of U.S. and coalition military operations. To date, $25 million has been appropriated for the 'Marla Ruzicka Iraqi War Victims Fund,' and more than $14 million for similar activities in Afghanistan. These funds are administered by USAID through NGOs, in consultation with the U.S. Congress and CIVIC.