This has a been a tough year for so many. But thanks to your support of the International Rescue Committee, thousands of refugees and displaced people in crisis zones around the world have been able to access food, clean water, medical care and safety. Thank you for helping children and families whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

After six years of war in Yemen, the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened a crisis that has left over half of the population hungry and nearly 4 million people internally displaced—all while the virus spreads at unprecedented levels.

An International Rescue Committee aid worker (his identity obscured for security reasons) takes us inside Areesha displacement camp, northeast Syria. Here 43,000 people who fled ISIS are crowded into a camp built for less than half that number.  Some 25,000 people are living on one piece of bread a day. Others have nothing to eat. The IRC is responding with emergency meals, which we have distributed to 5,000 families.

Since opening in 1979, the IRC’s locally funded office in Atlanta has welcomed close to 30,000 refugees from over 65 countries to resettle in communities across Georgia. A committed staff of more than 150 professionals—many of whom were refugees themselves—work together with community supporters to assist families in rebuilding their lives.

We Won't Lose Count" is the new single from Trinidadian-American activist and musician TRISHES.

After years of war in Yemen forced Bodor Ali Muhammad Abdullah al-Jabri to flee her home along with her husband and two girls, she became pregnant with her third child. Living in a displacement camp, she worried whether the delivery would be safe.  Luckily, there was a solution. IRC teams in Yemen are providing lifesaving emergency aid, medical care, clean water, education, and women’s protection to millions in the country.

Between May 4th-12th, 2021 the International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted a drought needs assessment in the provinces of Herat, Badghis, Pakitya, Helmand and Khost to get a clear understanding of the impact of the situation caused by the extreme weather conditions that have affected different parts of the world, including Afghanistan. A sample from 484 community members across the five provinces show that water resources are becoming increasingly scarce as result of slow onset drought conditions, with reported cases of increased conflict over water in various communities. Pastoralists have started experiencing loss of livestock and strain on pastoral livelihoods and this will worsen as food prices increase; it has already been reported that some households have not been able meet their food needs. Key findings include: -83% of 484 people interviewed are already experiencing displacement within their communities -75% respondents reported an increase in conflict arising in areas where water supplies have depleted -81% of participants with children under the age of 5 reported diarrhea and illness owing to a lack of clean water -Interviewees said that some families are being pushed towards extreme survival measures  such as selling off their assets,livestocks reducing the number of meals, and child marriage To prevent large-scale displacement, early response is required to support households faced with challenges of food security and livelihoods in form of cash-based assistance or food distributions. Livelihood support should also be prioritised to protect household assets including provision of livestock fodder and veterinary service. This drought assessment report did not include the other major humanitarian factors such as COVID-19, food security situation and conflict, which impact the lives of the Afghans as a whole.

Seventy years ago, 145 countries signed the 1951 Refugee Convention in the wake of World War II, when the displacement of millions of people across Europe shed light on the need for humanitarian protections for those forced to flee violence and persecution. Since 1951, 50 million people have been protected under the Convention’s umbrella. Yet, today, the consensus that forged the Convention and the international cooperation that underpins it are being increasingly undermined. Over the past several years, we have seen a decline in resettlement, a hardening of refugee inclusion and asylum policies, and humanitarian aid lagging behind needs, across the regions that once most firmly upheld these protections. This report outlines how the US and Europe were key players at the time of the Convention's creation - now is the time for these same actors to reinvigorate it.