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IRC field manager Pasquale Ongwen stands holding a small South Sudan flag
The crowd outside the John Garang Memorial Stadium in Juba on July 9, 2011
A teenage girl with her face painted in the colors of South Sudan's flag
Pasquale stands in a crowded field near the just-unveiled statue of John Garang
The flag of the Republic of South Sudan being raised for the first time
A young man in the crowd shouts for joy as the flag of South Sudan is raised
Arms outstretched, women in the crowd cry as they watch the flag being raised
IRC field manager Pasquale Ongwen watches the flag of the Republic of South Suda
The flag of the Republic of South Sudan flies from the top of the flag pole
Susan Purdin & others walk back from the Independence Day celebration in Juba

Independence Day in South Sudan

Africa, South Sudan
07.11.2011

On July 9, 2011 the IRC's Sophia Jones-Mwangi and Pasquale Ongwen joined a vast crowd of tens of thousands in Juba to witness the birth of the world’s newest nation – the Republic of South Sudan, as it celebrated its independence from Sudan.

 

Text and photos by Sophia Jones-Mwangi/The IRC

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Child stands outside a school
Child in a striped dress stands by a window
Man wearing rubber boots seated by a gate
Elderly woman smiles as she sits by a curtained door
Man looks out over a pasture
Woman in a pink dress kneels on rocky ground
A woman holds a baby while balancing a heavy load on her head
An elderly man and a small child sit in the shade under an abandoned train car
Two boys laugh, standing a dusty playground
An elderly woman with short hair and wearing a necklace sits on dusty ground
A woman wearing a headscarf peers, smiling, over the wall of a veranda
A boy laughs outside a mud brick building
A wman wearing a red headscarf and a necklace gazes fixedly
Two women glance away
Tthree men and a small child stand outside a hut
A young woman
A small boy leans against a pole under the awning of a mud hut
A group of childen stand in a dusty yard
A woman carrying a load on her head holds a small child

Portraits of South Sudan

South Sudan
07.08.2011

Photojournalist Christopher Scott traveled throughout South Sudan as a volunteer to document the IRC’s work helping families and communities in the region rebuild after decades of civil war.  These stunning portraits capture the "intense determination and pride" Christopher says he found in the people he met there.

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Somali herder Abdikaram Ahmed Farah surrounded by the carcassess of his animals
Sheep and goats drink from a water trough repaired by the IRC
An IRC tanker truck delivers water to a drought-stricken village
Abdirahman Aden with a Somali family
Maryan Ali sits with her son and two grandaughters outside a tent
Nadhifo Abdullahi stands with some of her children outside of a tent
Men drawing water from a tanker truck as children look on

Lifesaving water

Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia
07.07.2011

As a protracted drought continues to grip many parts of the Horn of Africa and East Africa, the IRC is providing lifesaving water and other aid to thousands of people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

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A boy stands in front of stagnant water and debris in a photo from 2010
Two women stand outside a tent
Flood victim Mir Salam in a picture from a year ago, sits next to his belongings
An aerial view of Azakhel showing trees and a few cows, but no houses.
Elders at the Camp look over Peter Biro's photos from a year ago.
Mir Salam wearing a broad smile
Two young girls eating at Azakhel Camp
A young boy smiles at the camera
Akhtar Muhammad speaks to the IRC about life in Azakhil Camp
A mason lays bricks for a future religious school for girls

Return to Azakhel

Pakistan
07.05.2011

A year ago the Azakhel Refugee Camp in western Pakistan was home to thousands of Afghan refugees. Many had lived there their entire lives and had build sturdy mud brick homes. But in August of 2010, the worst flash floods in living memory roared through the camp, washing the homes away. The IRC's Peter Biro documented the conditions with his camera immediately after the waters began to subside. Peter's colleague Ned Colt went back to Azakhel in the summer of 2011 to see what had changed.

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Sarah Wayne Callies speaks with four young refugees
Jencarlos Canela with his father in Miami
Rashida Jones at the IRC office in New York
Jencarlos Canela, Sarah Wayne Callies and George Rupp in New York
John Legend at the IRC's headquarters office in New York

Voices for the IRC

GenR, IRC Worldwide
06.16.2011

Meet IRC Voices Sarah Wayne Callies, Jencarlos Canela, Rashida Jones and John Legend.  These young stars are using their voices to raise awareness about the plight of refugees.

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<p>Poe Law, 58, who suffers from a muscular disease, exercises in the IRC&rsquo;s center for disabled refugees in the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Juh Meh, a staff member at the center, helps a refugee, Nya Reh, with his exercises. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Kwae Reh makes a plaster cast for a prosthetic leg in the center&rsquo;s workshop. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>When a polypropylene leg is finished it is fitted with a rubber or wooden foot. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Maung Maung lost a leg to a landmine in 1990. He now crafts prosthetic limbs in the IRC workshop at Ban Mai Nai Soi. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Maung Maung helps as Hae Pweh Mu, 18, is fitted for a prosthetic arm. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Kwae Reh (left) and Suh Reh make a cast for Hae Pweh Mu&rsquo;s prosthetic arm. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Suh Reh lost his left leg to a landmine in 2005. &ldquo;At first I could only walk for ten minutes on my artificial leg before I became exhausted,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t keep my balance and I fell all the time.&rdquo; <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Suh Reh (left) and Juh Meh make a home visit to Taw Reh, a disabled refugee. Taw Reh, who was left partially paralyzed after a stroke, exercises at a purpose-built beam. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>
<p>Nye Ree Oo, 11, was born with cerebral palsy. He is one of many patients who regularly receive physiotherapy by the IRC staff. <span><em>Photo: Peter Biro/IRC</em></span></p>

Rehabilitation for disabled refugees

Thailand
05.25.2011

In a sprawling refugee camp in Thailand, an IRC rehabilitation center and prosthetics workshop serves disabled refugees from Myanmar. It is equipped with weights, exercise bikes and other rehabilitation equipment, and artificial limbs are constructed in an adjacent workshop.
 

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<p>When refugees first began to arrive in Tanzania, they did not have food, clean water or a place to live. The IRC addressed these emergency needs and continues to work with the World Food Program to distribute food, soap, blankets and other basics and provide security to almost 40,000 refugees in Mtabila Camp and a varying number at the transit center in Kigoma.</p>
A group of women gather to receive information and support
<p>Women and children are particularly vulnerable when forced from their homes into temporary conditions. Living in poorly lit settlements with little security, they are susceptible to exploitation and abuse. The IRC works to identify problems facing women and children and offer alternatives to make sure they stay safe while they wait to return home or find a permanent one in Tanzania. In 2009, the IRC assisted 23,000 Burundians and 1,500 Congolese to return home. To date, almost 15,000 refugees have become legal citizens of Tanzania in our transit center in Kigoma.</p>
<p>The IRC identifies vulnerable children in the camps and responds to their needs with a wide range of services. Through informal education and other programs, the IRC is supporting young Burundian refugee children in Mtabila Camp with creative learning activities, sports and recreation in a safe environment. </p>
<p>In the Nyarugusu Camp, the IRC runs a youth center that provides cultural, recreational and educational activities for youth. Having a fun, safe place to go is vital to their development, and while they are there, they learn valuable lessons about sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.</p>
<p>The IRC works with people with physical and mental disabilities and helps ensure they get the care they need, including counseling, home visits, prostheses and rehabilitation.&nbsp; The IRC also makes sure they are treated fairly and have access to economic opportunities by raising awareness and sensitizing communities.</p>

Inside our work in Tanzania

Tanzania
05.17.2011

As refugees fleeing conflict arrived in Tanzania, the IRC welcomed them with essential services and continues to make life in temporary camps as safe, clean and livable as possible they await their return home.

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<p>Once a thriving fishing port and tourist resort, the city of Rikuzentakata in the Iwate prefecture of northeastern Japan was almost completely obliterated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. AAR, which operates in Iwate and other hard-hit prefectures, is focusing on assistance to survivors with disabilities, the elderly, and others who have difficulty accessing humanitarian aid. So far, over 45,000 people have been assisted by the group.</p>
<p>Asunaro Home is perched on a small mountain above Rikuzentakata. Established seven years ago, the facility offers people with autism and other mental disabilities opportunities to build vocational skills and earn an income. It's one of many local social service agencies supported by AAR.</p>
<p>More than half the people served by Asunaro Home have been living in crowded evacuation centers. &quot;Life in the centers with hundreds of other people is very constricting and unsettling,&quot; says Kazue Saijou, Asunaro&rsquo;s director. &quot;Asunaro is a safe place for people with disabilities to interact with one another.&quot; Although hot meals are provided at the centers, they rarely include fresh vegetables. AAR is providing produce such as the cabbages, greens and Daikon radishes displayed here by some of the Asunaro Home program's participants. The vegetables will be used in meals served at the facility.</p>
<p>Some 30 disabled people come to work at Asunaro Home every day, making tea bags and bamboo-paper stationery by hand. They also bake organic treats such as apple bread, citrus cakes and cookies. Before the quake, the snacks and crafts they produced were sold from a vending truck at local parks and train stations, generating income that helped Asunaro Home to provide its services.</p>
<p>Because Asunaro Home is not recognized by the Japanese government as an official evacuation center it has received no emergency financial assistance. To keep the agency afloat in the aftermath of the disaster, AAR is providing basic supplies as well as dried fruit and other baking ingredients. Now Asunaro Home is beginning to make and sell its snacks again. In the long run, AAR hopes to help Asunaro Home find new customers for its products beyond Rikuzentakata.</p>
<p>Although the tsunami spared Asunaro Home, the roads leading up to its mountaintop property were heavily damaged by the earthquake. Working with AAR, the IRC funded repairs to the roads and parking lot. &quot;The cracks were large enough to fit an adult,&quot; says Kazue Saijou. &quot;We were very worried about the safety of everyone.&quot; When it was unsafe to open the facility for the participants to come every day, Ms. Saijou used to visit them in the evacuation centers. They would plead with her to let them come back. &quot;Now that the road has been fixed,&quot; she says, &quot;Asunaro is open for everybody once again.&quot;</p>

Help for tsunami survivors with disabilities

Asia, Japan
05.12.2011

The IRC continues to support the relief efforts of three Japanese aid groups assisting survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.  One of them, the Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR), is focusing on assistance to people with disabilities and others who have difficulty accessing humanitarian aid

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A woman helps boys with schoolwork, part of IRC programs of child protection
A teacher stands in classroom- the IRC trains teachers for better education
A girl studies in class; the IRC improves access and focus on girls education
A health worker gives a child medicine; the IRC gives clinics supplies, training
Women sit with their babies at a health clinic where they receive obstetic care
A young man stands in front of his small business, part of IRC job promotion

Inside our work in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone
05.11.2011

The IRC is supporting Sierra Leone as it rebuilds after a long civil war with education, health care and job training, and by protecting women and children.

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Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti walk past rubble after the earthquake
A child stands in a temporary camp, where the IRC helps with health care
An IRC volunteer distributes emergency supplies and clean water to help Haitians
A girl sits in her tent housing while boys peek in, lacking privacy and security
Children jump rope, part of the IRC's child protection, reunification programs
Children sit in a Child Friendly Space in IRC education and protection programs
The IRC gives lanterns and other supplies to protect women in temporary camps
A father washes his child and brushes his teeth, showing healthy hygiene habits
A man stands in front of earthquake rubble, the IRC is helping Haiti rebuild
IRC staff in a temporary camp, which are vulnerable to storms and other threats
IRC staff tests water for cholera, the IRC prevents and treats cholera
Two girls smile; the IRC will help keep Haitians safe, healthy as they rebuild

Inside our work in Haiti

Haiti
05.10.2011

The IRC launched its efforts in Haiti immediately after the January 12, 2010 earthquake and continues to address environmental heath, family reunification and protection issues as the country recovers and rebuilds.

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