News from Atlanta, GA

The IRC in Atlanta’s Microenterprise Development program recently provided its first small business loan to Mohammad, originally from Syria, who is now the proud owner of The Best Works Auto Care Center in Roswell.

After fleeing Liberia with her family, Love was resettled in the United States at age 15 and she thought to herself, “My life is gonna change here.” As a refugee, Love had been forced to leave school due to the high fees, so she was eager to start her education fresh in her new home.

AmeriCorps Volunteers serve in a variety of ways at the IRC office, each a unique program or initiative that – without that volunteer – would not be possible for the IRC to offer.

Facing political repression in their home country of Burma, Ma’s parents were forced to flee to safety in Thailand when she was just four years old. After being granted refugee status they were admitted to the Mae La refugee camp and were among the first families to settle in the area, which was far removed from Thailand’s towns and cities.

The IRC in Atlanta is proud to announce the launch of our new Microenterprise Development program to assist refugees looking to start or expand their own small-businesses.

Moza arrived in the United States with her family when she was just 13 years old after fleeing ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now aged 20, Moza is studying to become a nurse practitioner and working to empower her community to access healthcare.

Dario Bilakovic recently joined the IRC in Atlanta team as an Immigration Assistant, but this isn’t his first encounter with the agency – he and his family were resettled by the IRC in Atlanta in 1998.

Originally from Sudan, Mattar was resettled by the IRC in Atlanta in October 2013. He was quickly able to become self-sufficient, working various entry-level jobs over his first few years in the U.S. including poultry processing, hotel laundry, and even a stint on a seafood boat in Alaska!

In Fiscal Year 2017, the IRC in Atlanta rented 168 apartments on behalf of clients, ensuring 168 safe, new homes for families starting their lives over. Securing this large number of apartments – often with short notice for arrival dates and family size – would not be possible without essential partnerships between the IRC and property management companies like Strategic Management Partners (SMP).

Thanks to an overwhelming and generous response from the community, the IRC in Atlanta’s youth programs were able to take 26 students to see Marvel’s Black Panther on President’s Day. Our young people were thrilled to see heroes who look and talk like them saving the world, as well as starring in, writing and directing a major American movie franchise.