Mahsa, a young, bright, and promising student, had recently completed her high school education in Afghanistan and was eagerly pursuing her academic aspirations at a public university. During the Utah legislative session, she used her voice and her story to help pass a bill that enabled refugees to obtain in-state tuition rates at Utah universities.

A family from Afghanistan arrives to the DC Metro area and welcomes a new daughter

Meet five inspirational women who have overcome adversity to break down barriers and forge their own paths forward.

The IRC in NYNJ will continue to support Afghan individuals and families, and newcomers from across the Globe in their long resettlement journey. The crisis in Afghanistan has shaped the methodology of resettlement case management at the IRC to bolster proactive and client-facing services and programming. With your support, the IRC in NYNY can defy the temporal pressures and limits that inflate the emotional and financial burden faced by newcomers.

Modesto Junior College instructor Emma Berdino didn’t have much hope when she learned her ESL class would be forced to go online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Many of her students, all women from Afghanistan recruited by the IRC in Turlock, were too tech-challenged to use a phone app to complete their homework prior to the viral outbreak.   “Most weren’t able to figure it out,” she said. “I thought, oh my goodness, we’re totally going to lose this class, because they’re not going to be able to do it.”  Berdino is grateful to be wrong, as nearly two-thirds of her students continue to take the course remotely after going exclusively online. 

Meet refugee changemakers who are shaping policies, art, traditions, dreams and futures in ordinary—and extraordinary—ways.

Countries contributing least to climate change are hardest hit by the climate crisis.

We’re celebrating brave women who won’t wait for change to happen for their families and communities.