The international community’s response to famine prevention is in urgent need of reform as nearly one million people face famine conditions. Six countries are at highest risk of famine: Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, northeast Nigeria, and South Sudan. They host nearly 100 million people facing food insecurity – close to one-third of the global caseload. This represents a tripling in food insecurity compared to the ‘four famines’ risk in 2017. By late 2022, these states already hosted nearly one million people who were projected to slip into famine conditions and millions more on the brink, putting them at risk of starvation. Getting the global response right in these states could tip the scale away from catastrophe.

Abdelgabar Mohamdian is a farmer at heart. He grew crops and raised livestock in Sudan. Now, 17 years after he came to the United States, he is growing vegetables and making them available to the community through the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Phoenix’s New Roots weekly produce box program.

Ibrahim pursued ambitious goals after arriving in the U.S. from Sudan in 2012: from completing high school to becoming a U.S. Citizen, Ibrahim is living his American Dream.

2023 has been a turbulent year, and the IRC predicts humanitarian crises like Gaza and Sudan will worsen in 2024. But while the headlines worldwide may be dire, there are still many positive stories and uplifting moments from 2023 worth remembering.

Creating Opportunities through Mentoring, Parental Involvement and Safe Spaces (COMPASS) was implemented with refugees living in camps on the Sudan/Ethiopia border, conflict-affected communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and displaced populations in north-west Pakistan.

Millions of girls around the world face discrimination and lack of opportunity. Their voices aren’t always heard or needs considered.