The IRC finds conflict-affected countries need $1.7B to limit potential hunger brought on by COVID-19, $760M needed in high refugee-hosting developing countries.

When Mohammad and his family fled to the United States, they thought their struggles were in the past. Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, Mohammad fears he won’t be able to provide the basic necessities for his family. To support Mohammad and other families affected by COVID-19, the IRC in Silver Spring created Wish Lists on Amazon where individuals can donate items that families requested.

While we all do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many families in Los Angeles need our support more than ever—here's how you can help.

From sharing health and safety information to providing asylum-seeking families with much-needed support, IRC caseworkers are keeping clients informed of the rapidly developing COVID-19 pandemic and making sure they stay safe.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City continues to support community-wide pandemic response, recently organizing a vaccine clinic with community partners to ensure 87 refugees and new Americans received the first dose of the COVID vaccine.

Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have collided with long-standing sexual and reproductive health inequities. While COVID-19 has had a significant, and in some cases devastating, impact on health systems around the world, studies show that people whose human rights are least protected—such as refugees, displaced peoples, and conflict-affected populations—are the ones who suffer the most. The IRC’s work in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh—home to the world’s largest refugee settlement—inevitably became more challenging during COVID-19. This assessment explores the intersecting impacts of the pandemic on the demand, access, and delivery of SRH services and protective measures. It incorporates the perspectives of women, girls, and boys from Rohingya and host communities, as well as service providers (e.g., frontline health workers, doctors, midwives, etc.) and other key informants (e.g., local officials, NGO staff, etc.). It was also intended as a learning exercise, so that SRH services can be more accessible and prioritized during future public health emergencies.

As many people will not have wide-spread access to COVID-19 vaccines this year, these months are crucial to begin building trust, engaging communities, and increasing both knowledge and acceptance of the vaccine so that once doses do arrive, a successful rollout can occur. This brief outlines 5 things the international community to assist with these efforts.