Growing up in Afghanistan, Fatima was taken out of school at a young age and never learned to write her name. After she and her family left their war-torn country to come to Turlock in 2018, she enrolled earlier this year in IRC's Afghan Path to Wellness course. Now, after finishing the course, Fatima can write her name and has obtained her learner's permit.

Mahsa, a young, bright, and promising student, had recently completed her high school education in Afghanistan and was eagerly pursuing her academic aspirations at a public university. During the Utah legislative session, she used her voice and her story to help pass a bill that enabled refugees to obtain in-state tuition rates at Utah universities.

A family from Afghanistan arrives to the DC Metro area and welcomes a new daughter

During 2020, the IRC in San Jose served over 500 refugees, asylees, SIVs, and victims of trafficking from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, and El Salvador among other distressed regions of the world. These families and individuals escaped conflict and persecution in their home countries in order to reach the United States and begin rebuilding their lives. Your contribution this holiday season not only provides families with greatly needed items, but lets them know that San Jose cares about and welcomes refugees.

Meet five inspirational women who have overcome adversity to break down barriers and forge their own paths forward.

The IRC in NYNJ will continue to support Afghan individuals and families, and newcomers from across the Globe in their long resettlement journey. The crisis in Afghanistan has shaped the methodology of resettlement case management at the IRC to bolster proactive and client-facing services and programming. With your support, the IRC in NYNY can defy the temporal pressures and limits that inflate the emotional and financial burden faced by newcomers.

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. 

Meet refugee changemakers who are shaping policies, art, traditions, dreams and futures in ordinary—and extraordinary—ways.