The IRC in Wichita partnered with two local organizations, ICT SOS and The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC) to train local refugee women about staying safe in America.

Samia has been chosen as one of the inspiring and influential women worldwide. This recognition is because of her essential role in offering psychological support to displaced communities in northeast Syria.

Hear from Jamila, who has been participating in the Afghan Women’s group for almost two years now, and Asra and Usra, two Afghan sisters excited to continue their educational journeys in the United States!

These students received a life-changing opportunity to resettle and study in the U.S. thanks to a new partnership between Arizona State University and the International Rescue Committee.

Modesto Junior College instructor Emma Berdino didn’t have much hope when she learned her ESL class would be forced to go online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Many of her students, all women from Afghanistan recruited by the IRC in Turlock, were too tech-challenged to use a phone app to complete their homework prior to the viral outbreak.   “Most weren’t able to figure it out,” she said. “I thought, oh my goodness, we’re totally going to lose this class, because they’re not going to be able to do it.”  Berdino is grateful to be wrong, as nearly two-thirds of her students continue to take the course remotely after going exclusively online. 

In honor of this past month being designated Social Work Month by the National Association of Social Workers, we are proud to feature Shakira Gibson, a Master of Social Work intern from California State University Stanislaus. Shakira has been assisting the IRC in Turlock/Modesto since September with its Afghan Path Towards Wellness program, which focuses on the mental and physical well-being of Afghan women who have come to the United States as refugees or other special immigrants. (Interview by Perry Fishel)

Progress and challenges in ensuring life-saving services and reducing risks of violence for women and girls in emergencies