News from Baltimore, MD

Help our team prepare for a family to arrive by setting up their apartment.

Help greet and welcome IRC clients to our office.

As a former refugee from Eritrea, Yassin has a unique understanding of how the resettlement process works. Though his work as a caseworker for the IRC in Baltimore, he is able to share his experiences and assist newly arrived refugees and Asylees as they rebuild their lives.

The Ayala family arrived in Baltimore in September 2018 after fleeing their home country of El Salvador. The family of six spent their first few months building their new life in Maryland. They took English classes, took English classes, and established a great foundation for their new life. However, it was not until recently that the family got a real opportunity to make friends and not only experience American culture, but share their culture with Americans.

Jaya Maya came to the U.S. from Bhutan five years ago with her husband, mother-in-law, and son. After 22 years living in a refugee camp in Nepal, Jaya Maya is glad to be able to continue valuable cultural traditions around farming while nourishing themselves and their families with fresh grown produce through the assistance of the IRC in Baltimore's New Roots program.

Luis met his wife Ana forty years ago through mutual friends. They quickly fell in love and started a family. Their happy family was soon divided when the effects of the civil war and devastating earthquakes crippled the economy in El Salvador, leading Luis to being laid off from his job and unable to find work. No longer able to provide for his family, he decided to make the long and dangerous journey to the U.S in search of work. 17 years later, his wife and daughter were finally able to join him.

After obtaining a green card in 1989, IRC client Annette reflects on the feeling of finally being a U.S citizen.

Family mentors work with a refugee family or individual for six months to ease their transition to Baltimore and the U.S.

Abbas Altamr and his wife fled war torn Syria and arrived in Jordan in 2010 but they did not know that their greatest journey was just beginning. They remained in Jordan for six years and had three children before it was time to go. Some of their friends had already left Jordan to move to the United States and Abbas was ready for his family to join them.

Hear Annette's incredible story: Annette came to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Baltimore in May 2016 for assistance filling out the Application for Naturalization. She was aware that applicants for naturalization must pass a reading, writing and civics exam to become a U.S. citizen.