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Photo Essays

A woman wrapped in pagne cloth sits with a child on a mat
A woman spoon-feeds her child
A refugee receives an IRC emergency kit for women
A woman signs for a kit using ink and her fingertips
Smiling in her thatched shelter, a woman holds up her kit
Two women carry emergency kits distributed by the IRC
A woman holds a flashlight from her new emergency kit

Emergency kits for women

D.R. Congo
02.27.2013

Tens of thousands of women and girls have been forced to flee fighting in North Kivu, Congo, during the past few months — often without time to pack any personal belongings. They shelter in precarious conditions in camps with almost no privacy.

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The IRC supports refugees fleeing from violence in Syria with emergency aid
Syrian children have missed years of school, have suffered severe trauma
Women line up to receive emergency aid of warm blankets; Camps are cold, crowded
Ahmed Dahoud El-Masri, injured in the Syrian crisis, recovers on a hospital cot
Refugee barber cuts a client's hair in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan
A nurse checks Halima's blood pressure at an IRC clinic in Mafraq, Jordan
Syrian refugees outside tents in Domiz camp in Iraq
Ethnic Kurd refugee children from Syria in the Domiz camp in Iraq
A refugee girl tries to keep her baby brother warm in a blanket in Domiz, Iraq
Five Syrian refugee children pose for a photo at Domiz Camp in Iraq
Syrian refugees fill water jugs with clean drinking water in Domiz camp, Iraq
Syrian refugee Jihan Bakar and her children in their tent in Domiz camp, Iraq
Syrian refugee women and girls knit at an IRC women's center in Lebanon
Hind Al-Hujairi paints a henna pattern on a Syrian woman in Lebanon
These refugee children live in one small room with eight other people in the Leb
Syrian refugee Assaa Abdallah and his son in their room behind a Beirut shop

Disaster for uprooted Syrians

Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon
01.17.2013

More than two years after the start of what has become a full fledged civil war, the crisis in Syria threatens the entire Middle East with a humanitarian disaster. It is estimated that more than four million Syrians are now in dire need of assistance and that some two million people have been uprooted and displaced. Photographs and text by Peter Biro

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Two young Palestinian students sit at their desk in school
A student in a West Bank village school raises a card for his teacher
Students raise their hands to be called on in a West Bank school.
A pointer sits on a teacher's desk at a Palestinian school in the West Bank
Palestinian students in the West Bank run out of class after school
A trainer from Bidna Capoeira teaches capoeira to young Palestinians
Palestinian children enjoy capoeira at a youth center in the West Bank

Inside our work in the West Bank

Middle East, West Bank and Gaza Strip
11.03.2012

The IRC has been working in the West Bank since 2011, focusing on education. While the West Bank and Gaza Strip had a well-deserved reputation for providing students a quality education, an IRC assessment found that overall academic performance was slipping.

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Mali, part of Sahel crisis, has widespread food shortage, hunger, malnutrition
This health center near Bamako, Mali treats children suffering from malnutrition
A malnourished girl is nursed back to health; the IRC fights hunger in Mali
A mother feeds her baby in an International Rescue Committee clinic in Mali
Medical workers at the clinic in Kati, Mali test if a small boy is malnourished
IRC treats malnourished children; local health posts monitor their progress
IRC theatre group educates crowd how to prevent, recognize malnutrition in Mali
Boy with acute severe malnutrition rushed to IRC health clinic for treatment
Pumping water in Mali
This girl fled with family to Bamako from Gao to find safety, food

Mali hunger crisis in pictures

Emergency Response, Health, Sahel Crisis
10.11.2012

In Mali, political turmoil has exacerbated a food crisis brought on by a severe drought that has affected much of the Sahel region of West Africa. The crisis has displaced over 300,000 people and has had a devastating impact on children who are suffering from growing malnutrition.

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A carpenter sharpens a chisel
A volunteer at work on a new health clinic in Osh
Filing patient records in Aravan
A tailor shop in Osh
A new latrine at a secondary school in Bazar-Korgon
Children in preschool in Bazar-Korgon.
Setting a new power pole in Osh
Rebuilding a home in an ethnic Uzbek neighborhood in Osh
<p>On the surface, such as at this outdoor market, there are few visible signs of tension in Osh and other cities that were wracked by the violence of June 2010. While there is no certainty that violence is a thing of the past, many ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks are hopeful that by working together to rebuild lives, homes and businesses, they&#39;ll create mutual trust as well.</p>

Rebuilding Kyrgyzstan

Humanitarian Aid, Asia
09.24.2012

The IRC is partnering with communities on quick impact infrastructure projects, supporting small businesses and providing job training in Kyrgyzstan, which was ravaged by four days of deadly ethnic violence in June 2010.  The intention is that working together to rebuild lives, homes and businesses will lead to an increase in mutual respect and trust between Kyrgyzstan's ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities.
 

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Burmese mother with her newborn daughter at a refugee camp in Thailand
Woman walks through the desert outside a refugee camp in Chad
Mother and newborn rest in Liberia
Mother and baby South Sudan
Two clients of IRC family planning program in DR Congo
Health care workers in an IRC-supported clinic in Democratic Republic of Congo
<p>In remote areas, the ability to counsel women on contraception options can be as important as providing medical service. Health care workers in Pakistan&rsquo;s northwestern Nowshera district use educational materials written in the local language to help women decide whether contraception will benefit them and, if so, which method would be most practical.</p>
A local Muslim leader educates men in a Chad refugee camp about family planning
A demonstration of IUD insertion on an anatomic training model
A midwife carries family planning supplies at a refugee camp in Chad
Midwives with healthy newborns in Congo

Family planning in crisis zones

Health
07.10.2012

Women in war zones and communities recovering from disaster have an especially high risk of dying in childbirth. When health systems collapse amid chaos, women are left without access to lifesaving care, including family planning services that can help them avoid unwanted and potentially life-threatening pregnancies. The IRC is working to safeguard the health of millions of women and children in some of the world’s toughest places. 

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IRC staff and patient in ambulance
A father holds his young son who was recovering from malaria
A health worker examines a women in South Sudan
Midwife Rose Jua holds a newborn baby.
Traditional birth attendant Arek Akot, portrait
A woman and her child wait to see a health worker
An IRC maternal health worker examines an expectant mother
South Sudanese woman, portrait
A child pumps water in Kanajak, South Sudan
Door of a mud-splattered IRC vehicle

Inside our work in South Sudan

07.09.2012

As South Sudan nears its second anniversary as an independent state on July 9, the world’s newest nation continues to struggle with enormous problems. The IRC, which has been working in the region since 1989, provides lifesaving obstetric care, clean water, and assistance to survivors of sexual violence.

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<p>Career workshop with GenR at the New York Resettlement office in February 2013, to give refugee youth the opportunity to learn about different career fields in New York City.</p>
<p>NYC refugee youth develop professional skills through program workshops at the New York Resettlement office with GenR.</p>
<p>Guests enjoying the GenR party at the Threads 4 Thought showroom in New York in February 2013: Danielle Sandars, Tiffany Chen, Lisa Musmanno; the IRC&#39;s Danielle Silber and Lisa Brochet.</p>
<p>GenR steering committee members and reception hosts Leigh and Eric Fleet at their Threads 4 Thought showroom in New York in February 2013.</p>
IRC President George Rupp addresses an audience of GenR members and IRC Staff
<p>Guests enjoy the GenR Bay Area launch party in October 2012.</p>
<p>Guests enjoy the GenR Bay Area launch party in October 2012.</p>
<p>A performance at the GenR Bay Area launch party in October 2012.</p>
<p>IRC staff member, Althea Kitchens, helps IRC client prepare display of fresh produce picked from Drew Gardens.</p>
Morena Baccarin, Homeland actress and IRC Voice, attended GenR's summer party.
IRC President George Rupp, refugee Ah Lun, Chef David Burke, Leigh & Eric Fleet
GenR steering committee members Oliver Schulze, Ashley Passik at GenR party
Decor at Second Annual GenR Part, held at the David Burke Garden at James Hotel
Views of the city and party goers at the 2011 GenR Launch Party at The Greenhous
2011 GenR Launch Party featured mojitos with fresh mint from IRC’s New Roots Far
Party goers at the 2011 GenR Launch Party
GenR steering committee member & DJ Christopher Anderson at the 2011 GenR party
Panelists Filmmaker Melissa Fitzgerald; IRC’s Gerry Martone, John Pendergast
Gerry Martone, IRC’s Director of Humanitarian Affairs with attendees
John Pendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project in conversation with guest

We R GenR: Past Events

GenR
07.06.2012

Since its launch in the summer of 2011, GenR members have come together to support the International Rescue Committee's vital mission. This group of young professionals has hosted events, volunteered their time, helped raise funds, connected with their fellow members and had fun!

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Refugees in Yida camp, South Sudan
Sudanese women and children in Yida camp
Syrian refugee Fawaz and his family found shelter in Jordan
Families in drought-stricken western Chad take flight in the desert
Darfuri girls at an IRC "child friendly space" in Chad
Displaced Afghani family outside their tent
IRC staff member speaks with a Haitian woman about preventing disease
Saldo Ali Salat with her goat in Somalia
A member of the IRC medical team examines a child in his mother's arms
A Pakistani man at Jalozai camp
A teacher and boys in an IRC tent classroom in Pakistan
Esther, displaced by violence in Congo
Women sew in eastern Congo
Saw Dah admires his new daughter, born in a Thai refugee camp
Uprooted Iraqis in a makeshift settlement
IRC volunteer Katherine Weingartner teaches workplace vocabulary to Iraqi women.
Refugees sell their produce at a local farmers market in San Diego.

Refugee crises

IRC Worldwide
06.19.2012

Over 40 million people are currently uprooted from their homes due to war and disaster. World Refugee Day is a time to honor the strength and courage of these women, men and children and support those who help them to survive and rebuild their lives.

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the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works to end domestic violence
Many women in West Africa face violent from their spouse on a daily basis
Women face domestic violence if they do not complete their daily chores
The IRC helps women use their voices and make change in their communities
<p>There are different paths to justice, but they rarely lead to any consequences for the man or resolution for the survivor. Many times a woman faces further violence or isolation for coming forward. But as a woman in Monrovia, Liberia said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need an eye for an eye; I need something to stop what&rsquo;s happening to me once and for all.&rdquo;</p>
IRC helps women find work, economic opportunities to take control of their lives
IRC helps women end domestic violence in their communities
IRC cals attention to domestic violence, an often ignored issue during conflict

Domestic violence

Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone
05.18.2012

Violence against women is one of the most widespread of human rights abuses.  In war-torn regions where destruction, displacement and lawlessness breed yet more violence, women increasingly face abuse in their homes.  Around the world, the IRC helps survivors heal and works with communities and institutions to break the cycle of violence.

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