News from Atlanta, GA

Over the last three months, the IRC in Atlanta has welcomed over 550 Afghan evacuees—more than the total number of refugees our office has resettled over the last two fiscal years combined! But in times of crisis and need, there are always those community members who are motivated to act in order to help their fellow sisters and brothers during times of hardship.

The IRC in Atlanta is thrilled to announce that two of our very own—Kaycie Pitts and Jennifer Potts—have been named as part of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Atlanta ‘30 under 30’ Class of 2021!

Save the date for GAgives on #GivingTuesday—November 30, 2021—and #StandWithRefugees by supporting the IRC in Atlanta!

The only Afghan grocery store in Georgia, Baseer’s Kabul Market has been an invaluable resource for the community as we welcome families who were recently evacuated from Afghanistan by the US. Since mid-October, the IRC in Atlanta has purchased more than 100 hot welcome meals from Kabul Market along with countless loaves of traditional Afghan bread!

The IRC in Atlanta’s Adult Education team recently enrolled a second cohort of former refugees into their new Integrated Education & Training (IET) Microsoft Excel course, a nine-week program focused on teaching adult learners high-level Excel skills.

The IRC in Atlanta has already welcomed more than 250 humanitarian parolees from Afghanistan—including pregnant women, babies and young children—into our communities over the last 4 weeks and we need your continued support!

The IRC in Atlanta's Fundraising Volunteers launch and promote their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns to help ensure our new American neighbors have all the resources necessary to thrive in their new communities.

On Wednesday, September 29, the IRC in Atlanta’s Executive Director, Justin Howell, hosted a webinar briefing with our partners—Alpa Amin, Executive Director of Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network (GAIN); Marjan Nadir, Economic Empowerment Manager at Refugee Women’s Network (RWN); and Chris Purdy, Director of Veterans for American Ideals and Outreach at Human Rights First—to discuss our work and how the community can help us welcome and support new Afghan arrivals in Georgia and continue our more than 40-year history of welcoming refugees to our state.

For the fourth consecutive year, your generous donations ensured 31 dedicated DeKalb County high school students could commit a portion of their summer break to our 2021 Ready, Set, College! summer camp, preparing them to gain admission to college and succeed in higher education and beyond!

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta is working alongside communities and partners to support Afghans living in Georgia and ensure a warm welcome for those families soon to arrive in the coming weeks and months.