Roughly 1 billion children worldwide are out of school due to school closures related to COVID-19. Children in humanitarian settings face a double crisis as the health emergency disrupts their opportunities to learn, develop and thrive. Ensuring children can continue to learn during the pandemic, no matter their access to technology, must be central to the COVID-19 response in fragile contexts.

In recognition of National Volunteer Week, beginning on April 17th, the IRC in Silver Spring shares the experience of our Community Engagement team’s Transform Mid-Atlantic AmeriCorps VISTA, Michalina Kulesza, who began her year of service with the IRC in July 2022.