Forced to flee Haiti alone after an attempted attack on her home, Michelda sought safety in Mexico. Here, she found hope through the IRC’s Resilient Futures Program, supported by the Citi Foundation, which helps refugees build new lives through job training and employment opportunities. Now, Michelda is learning sustainable farming at the Iniciativa Agroecológica Xochimilco school, growing not just crops, but her dreams of a stable future.

Moving to a new country can be an overwhelming and isolating experience for anyone. Refugees who are forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence and/or persecution face particularly acute cultural, emotional and financial challenges during the resettlement process. IRC's HOME Program pairs volunteer groups with refugee families to help ease their transition into life in the U.S. through mentorship and financial and material support.

Announcement

In 2022, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) implemented the Remote Early Learning Program (RELP) in partnership with Sesame Workshop as part of the Ahlan Simsim project. This project aims to provide vital educational support and resources to children in crisis and conflict-affected regions. The program targeted households with children aged 5-6. From March to June 2022, RELP reached 995 children across four regions in Lebanon. This analysis examines the costs of implementing two treatment arms during wave one of the research study: RELP alone and RELP plus Ahlan Simsim Families (ASF), a parenting support program.

Report

Women’s rights and women-led organizations (WROs/WLOs) are a critical driving force in providing effective gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response services to women and girls impacted by conflict and displacement. Although rhetorical recognition of WROs/WLOs has grown at policy levels, funding to WROs/WLOs remains incredibly low. Following on from “Why Not Local?”, this report provides analysis from across three contexts: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Ukraine. It reveals the pervasive systemic barriers preventing WROs/WLOs to access humanitarian funding.

Resource

Forty-year-old Thatha and her four sons escaped ISIS-controlled Hawija, Iraq, to Kirkuk in June.  Recent military operations to retake ISIS-controlled areas have already uprooted 240,000 people from their homes in cities like Fallujah and the areas south of Mosul. Some 3 million Iraqis remain trapped, living under ISIS’s brutal rule.

Key findings regarding women’s sexual exploitation abuse across the conflict Tigray from IRC’s more comprehensive gender analysis report.

Report

In these extraordinary times, the world needs courageous leadership. That is what the International Rescue Committee was founded to provide. Our first employee, Varian Fry, issued fake passports from a safe house in Nazi-occupied Marseille to help people escape persecution during WWII.

The International Rescue Committee has partnered with Richard Curtis—renowned filmmaker and advocate for the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations—to produce a short film that explains how world leaders can turn the tables on extreme poverty, injustice and climate change. Learn more on why we must act now to achieve critical sustainable development goals by 2030. 

Leaving her husband and home in Ukraine, Khrystyna fled to Athens, Greece with her children to rebuild a new life for her family outside of conflict and war.