Women collect materials to build shelter, Yida refugee camp, Unity State, South Sudan.

A woman prepares food in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand. Domestic violence is a rampant problem in the camp. Photo: Peter Biro.

Conflict and the worst drought in six decades drove these Somali mothers and their children to the Dadaab camp in Kenya, home to nearly half a million refugees.

The IRC has been working with community organizers to hold village meetings to encourage men and women to talk about the importance of setting goals collectively, as a family. 

Many of the newly arrived refugees in Hagadera, over 80 percent women and children, find no other option than to settle on the edge of the over-congested camps.

IRC-supported women's organizations in Congo are using community theater to raise awareness about pressing issues like domestic violence. Women at an International Women's Day Celebration in Bunagana, North Kivu Province act the roles of a model family, where everyone gets along nicely.