IRC in the News: Living with slavery and rape

Global effort needed to assist Somali refugees in Dadaab camp, Xinhua (China’s official news agency), June 16

Three international aid agencies have called on the world to address the plight of Somali refugees living in northern Kenya’s Dadaab complex. The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that it was only a matter of time before the next emergency hits the Dadaab refugee camp, which is hosting some 500,000 refugees. [Dispatch from Nairobi]

 

[Actress and IRC Voice] Rashida Jones in a Role Close to Her Heart, MSN.com, June 15

From Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation to Karen Filippelli on The Office to Marylin Delpy in The Social Network, Rashida has lent her distinctive voice to a host of memorable characters. Now she gives voice to an organization close to her heart: The International Rescue Committee. [Q&A]

 

Resilience, strength are hallmarks of refugees who now call Tucson home, Arizona Daily Star, June 20

World Refugee Day, which is observed today, is a day to honor the strength and resilience of refugees living in Tucson, and to celebrate the generous spirit of Tucsonans who continue, every day, to open their arms in welcome to some of the world's most vulnerable people. [Op-ed by Aaron Grigg, IRC Executive Director, Tucson]

 

People on the Move, Congressional Quarterly Today, June 19

Sharon Waxman has been hired as vice president for public policy and advocacy and as director of the Washington office at the International Rescue Committee, a relief and development group. Waxman was the deputy to the undersecretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights at the State Department. She has worked as a senior national security adviser to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. 

 

City Celebrates Refugee Day, San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17

Bob Montgomery, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in San Diego, said that since 1975, the Vietnamese have been joined by refugees from Cambodia, Laos, the former Soviet Union, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea in San Diego. In recent years refugees also have been coming from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, and from Myanmar, in Southeast Asia.  "We have quite a diverse community of refugees in San Diego," Montgomery said. "They're here because San Diego appreciates the fact that they bring diversity, new culture and they make great contributions to our communities."

 

Refugees Plant Roots in a New Land With a New Garden, New York Times Blog “City Room,” June 15

The International Rescue Committee on Friday inaugurated its second garden in the Bronx, which will have fruit trees, orchards, an aquaponic greenhouse and up to 60 plots and planting beds. Ellee Igoe, an adviser on food programs for the International Rescue Committee, said the garden would help give refugees a chance to overcome barriers. "The act of planting will help them establish new roots" and allow refugees from different countries to exchange agricultural knowledge, she said. Melissa Winkler, a communications coordinator for the organization, said she hoped the garden would help make fresh, healthy produce more available to the whole neighborhood.

 

 

 

UNHCR: 80 Per Cent Of Refugees In Developing Countries, Bernama (Malaysia’s official news agency), June 4

Some 80 per cent of the displaced refugees are to be found in the developing countries, said Antonio Guterres, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York … he called for greater international solidarity to address this challenge. He also spoke about the idiosyncrasies of the unipolar and bipolar world. "The kind of U.S. intervention, as it took place in East Timor, would not be possible in today's unipolar world," he responded to a question by George Rupp, head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) during a Q & A session at the CFR [moderated by Rupp].

 

New Grants, Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 14

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation: To provide short-term economic and social-service support so that low- income refugees and asylum seekers in the greater Baltimore area avoid eviction, improve their economic status, and access local resources and benefits: $150,000 to the International Rescue Committee (Baltimore, Md.).

 

DC Entertainment Launches National Art Exhibition to Benefit We Can Be Heroes Giving Campaign, ABC News 4 (Charleston, S.C.), June 14
 

Using the iconic Justice League characters from DC Entertainment, We Can Be Heroes aims to raise substantial funds for three humanitarian aid organizations working in Africa: Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps. The exhibition is scheduled for Portland (Ore.), San Diego, Atlanta and Chicago.