Hear from the people we support about their experiences rebuilding their lives in the UK, and the challenges they face.
No one is just a number
Read the stories from people the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works with in the UK and find out the numbers that really matter to them.
"Three years feels like 300." Masoma has not seen her family since she was forced to flee Afghanistan three years ago. She says government officials promised they could join her in the UK, but they remain separated.
“I came here with just one backpack.” Iryna loved her life in Kyiv and was building her career in accountancy. But after the war escalated she made the difficult decision to leave her home behind and move to the UK to live with a host family in Hampshire. She took part in the IRC’s Orientation and Leadership courses and now helps others as an interpreter.
“I go to three language classes a week to improve my English.” Yunus couldn't speak any English when he arrived in the UK, making his first few months extremely challenging. Without language skills, finding employment and building a new life in an unfamiliar country proved difficult. But after joining multiple English Language clubs and with the help of the IRC’s Refugee Employability Programme, Yunus is now working for a charity in Bristol.
Make your voice count
Add your name to the numbers supporting the right to seek safety in the UK and show your support for policies that make refugees welcome.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, we now work in over 40 crisis-affected countries as well as communities throughout Europe and the Americas.
Helping refugees rebuild in the UK
In addition to helping those in crisis and conflict zones, the IRC also helps refugees in the UK, where we provide orientation programming and employment support to help people recover and start to rebuild their lives.