In partnership with the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, the IRC Small Business Development Center is proud to present our first International Marketplace, a hub of refugee and immigrant-owned businesses to give you the perfect place to #shopsmall, #shoplocal, and #celebrateimmigrants.

The International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City actively participated in the 2021 Utah Legislative Session providing opportunities for refugees to shape policy outcomes and lead the way in making Utah a more welcoming state for all who live here.

We are excited to welcome David Oliver, our new deputy director! David brings leadership and expertise in program design from his tenure at the IRC in Atlanta. David's commitment to serving the community and his deep understanding of client-centered programs will enable us to continue our growth in supporting our resilient clients as they seek to heal and rebuild their lives.

Follow the IRC in San Diego's program successes and updates throughout the months of November and December.

IRC and GenR LA held their annual bike event and Halloween carnival for asylum seeking children and refugee families at the IRC office in Glendale.

Take a look back with us at some of the major milestones in our work over the last nine decades.

In partnership with the IKEA Foundation, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) launched Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (Re:Build) in 2021. The initiative targets 20,000 refugees and host community members to help them sustainably reach economic self-reliance and social cohesion. From 2022-2023, a three-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested the effectiveness of mentorship on economic well-being and social cohesion on 1,570 of the Re:Build clients. All clients received a cash grant to start or improve a small business, i.e., a micro-enterprise. The program paired one-third of the youth with experienced entrepreneurs who served as business mentors. Another third received business mentorship and engaged in perspective-sharing exercises to build trust and social cohesion. The Best Use of Resources (BUR) team measured the cost-effectiveness of improved economic outcomes among the treatment arms evaluated through the RCT. The cash-only treatment costs €731 per client, while mentorship treatment arms cost €1,133. Most expenses went to program supplies and activities for all treatment arms. In contrast, mentee support costs drove additional costs required for the mentorship treatment arms, which covered transport and mentor stipends. Of the total €1,623,629 spent on the project, 10% of the project costs went to HQ and internal cost recovery. Impact evaluation results for the randomized controlled trial will be available in May of 2024, at which time we will update this brief to complete the cost-effectiveness analysis results.

Check out our highlights and success stories from the month of August.

Schools in Leon County recently welcomed students back to the classrooms, both virtually and in person. The IRC in Tallahassee partners with Leon County Schools to prepare students and families for this unprecedented school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.