If people do not have the power to make important decisions, they will struggle to improve their lives. The International Rescue Committee helps those who are recovering from conflict and disaster understand their rights and make informed choices for their futures.

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A Burundian woman leads a community meeting on local issues.
Photo: Ton Koene/SV

Learn more about our goals for power and how we are working to meet them:

Ensure that people are able to choose where to live

How we get there:

Ensure that people are able to choose how to live

How we get there:

Ensure that people are able to influence the decisions that affect their lives

How we get there:

Nelson Rieu holds a photo of himself with Obama
Nelson Versailles Rieu, Airman First Class, holds a photo of himself shaking hands with President Obama. Just five years ago, Nelson fled his home in war-torn Republic of Congo and was resettled by the IRC in Tucson. After earning his high school equivalency, Nelson joined the U.S. Air Force in order to give back to the country that gave him a "safe place to live and freedom."
Photo: Brian Harkin/IRC

Ensure that women and girls are equally able as men and boys to choose where to live, how to live, and how they are governed

How we get there:

Ensure that marginalized groups are equally able as the dominant group to choose where to live, how to live, and how they are governed

How we get there:

Explore our empowerment work.

Outcomes and evidence

The IRC's Outcomes and Evidence Framework supports people working in development and humanitarian aid to design effective programs. It delivers key information on outcomes related to health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power through theories of change that demonstrate how to achieve these outcomes, evidence for which interventions work or don’t work to achieve the outcomes, and guidance on how to measure progress against the outcomes.