A crucial barrier to prosperity for many refugees is a lack of credit and access to financing. To meet this challenge, the IRC launched the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), which offers credit building, auto, personal and business loans. As of 2023, CEO made more than 6,000 loans totaling more than $25 million to refugees across 20 states.

Washington’s newcomers continued to receive support in education, community resources, employment opportunities, and healthcare through a simple but powerful service—digital access.

Who is a refugee? What’s the difference between refugees and asylum seekers? Which countries host the most refugees? Find out the answers to these commonly asked questions and get the real facts and statistics about refugees.

Olga Mbongo, a caseworker at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City, shares what brought her to the IRC and the surprises that come with her job.

Lauren Lehman speaks about her experience volunteering with the IRC as a logistics intern this summer, and about the great responsibility and privilege she feels in setting up apartments for newly arriving refugees and ensuring that they feel safe and welcome in their new homes.

Celebrating World Refugee Day

The IRC in Atlanta’s partnership with the Technology Career Program (TCP) at TechBridge—an Information Technology (IT) training course—has helped more than 20 refugees and immigrants to gain a head start in the rapidly growing technology industry over the past year. One recent TCP graduate, Maiwand—who was evacuated from Afghanistan last fall—has gone above and beyond in his commitment to the program, and shares with us below his journey to rebuilding his life and career here in Atlanta.

On Valentine’s Day, the IRC in Atlanta’s staff, clients and volunteers joined nearly 300 fellow advocates at the Georgia State Capitol for the tenth annual New Americans Celebration (NAC).