Despair and devastation ring loud in headlines defined by the hopelessness and loss felt by millions everywhere. The weight of those words is heavy, and the futures of many communities seem uncertain at best. But brave individuals are rewriting their story. Theirs is not a story of hopelessness and loss, but one of optimism and strength.

War has brought the health system in Yemen to the brink of collapse. IRC teams in Yemen are working to ensure that people in greatest need continue to receive vital services without being put at risk of COVID-19.

No running water. Crowded living conditions. Limited access to health care. This is the reality for nearly 1 million displaced people in northwest Syria, where the IRC has adapted our programs to protect people from the spread of COVID-19.

Jonathan Amissa, a business owner and refugee from Cameroon, wanted to keep his staff safe from COVID-19. He ended up using his sewing skills to help protect the rest of the Boise community.

Jacqueline Uwumeremyi fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa because of violence. After facing constant xenophobia because of her refugee status, she and her five children were finally resettled in Boise, Idaho, in 2018. There she was warmly embraced by local church members and other neighbors, including her close friends Pastor Jenny Hirst and neighbor Chris Johnson.

Christelle, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is an aspiring actress and model, a college student, and a resettlement assistant at the IRC, helping other refugees start their new lives. She is also a cherished friend to some of the first people who welcomed her to Boise, including Janna Brown, 29, and Charlee Andree, 16.

In the fall of 1995, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton told an audience of world leaders and activists gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference for Women: “Human rights are women's rights….And women's rights are human rights.” That conference resulted in more than a famous speech: it produced the Beijing Platform for Action, a roadmap for gender equality across the globe.  Twenty-five years later, how far have we come in ad

When Robert Sebatware met Dave Kurz, he and his wife had just arrived in the U.S. as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Robert hoped his new friend, an IRC staff member, could mentor him in the ways of America. Years later, Robert is the one helping newcomers to America and the two men and their families have developed a bond that goes beyond friendship.

“What a man can do, a woman should do too.” We couldn’t agree more. Meet women's activists working to stop violence against women from our Listen Up program, which aims to amplify the voices and power of refugee women and girls.

What can governments, business and other sectors do to systematically boost the inclusion and empowerment of refugees, particularly girls and women? On the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, which seeks to advance women’s rights, IRC president and CEO David Miliband and IRC volunteer Lilian Dawa discuss the progress being made on gender equality with former U.S.