Meet 7 humanitarian frontline workers making a difference every day

This World Humanitarian Day takes on special significance as the International Rescue Committee celebrates our 90th anniversary. We were founded in 1933 by people who stepped forward in the face of danger to confront adversity and impunity, and to offer hope and assistance to those in need.

Nearly a century later, our 40,000 staff and volunteers all over the world continue to carry on this legacy and dedicate their lives to this cause. The IRC provides critical aid and support in over 40 countries, with a focus on safety and security for all involved.

We honor those who have dedicated their lives to helping those in need, and remember those who have been injured or lost their lives in this work. Meet seven of the IRC's frontline humanitarian workers who make a difference every day in the communities they serve.

Natalia, IRC Cash and Basic Needs Officer, Poland

Natalia worked as an IRC Cash and Basic Needs Officer, Poland

Natalia, IRC Cash and Basic Needs Officer, Poland

Photo: Karolina Jonderko for the IRC

Natalia Zeepah, 37, worked as a cash and basic needs officer with the IRC in Warsaw, Poland, until the fall of 2022.

Like many mothers from Ukraine, she experienced the same terror and impossible decisions to make for her family when the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated.

“There is one rule which I use in my life to understand people and their personal situation: Just imagine yourself in the place of this person. So, if you imagine that Ukrainians lost their houses, places they know, or if you imagine that they can’t be safe anymore in their homes... Just imagine this and you will understand who refugees are: people.”

Natalia assists Kateryna Kolesnyk, 29, to register for cash assistance.

Photo: Karolina Jonderko for the IRC

Dilshad, IRC Women’s Center Manager, Bangladesh

Dilshad, Responsible for a Women's Centre in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Photo: Habiba Nowrose for the IRC.

Dilshad manages the IRC’s Women’s Center in Nayapara refugee camp in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

At the center, Rohingya women and girls develop skills, build confidence, learn about their rights, and have a safe space to recover from trauma.

A Women’s Centre participant, Sumiya, draws with Dilshad. November 2021.

Photo: Habiba Nowrose for the IRC

Lina*, IRC Case Processing Officer, Syria

Lina*, 27, is an IRC Case Processing Officer who works in Mahmoudli Camp, Syria.

Photo: Delil Souleiman for the IRC

Lina, 27, is an IRC Case Processing Officer who works in Mahmoudli Camp, Syria. She is a working mother; her children are in daycare while she works in the camp. At 8.30 am she starts receiving patients for the self-help sessions, psychosocial support sessions, and case processing services.

According to Lina, people in the camp live with permanent anxiety due to instability and insecurity. Lina explains that because mothers can’t afford basic supplies, they often turn to alternatives like using pieces of cloth instead of diapers. The IRC’s newborn baby kits and dignity kits include basic necessities and supplies which help mothers cover their babies’ basic needs.

Lina provides Huda*, 20, with infant supplies. Huda, displaced from Hama, has lived in Mahmoudli Camp for two years.

Photo: Delil Souleiman for the IRC

Itzel, IRC psychologist, Mexico

Photo: Andrés Brenner for the IRC

Itzel, 32, is a psychologist working with the IRC in Tenosique, Mexico near the border with Guatemala.

Itzel talks with client Jean Michael while walking outside

Itzel talks with client Jean Michael, 27, a Haitian client who participated in the IRC’s Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programmes in Tenosique, Mexico.

Photo: Andrés Brenner for the IRC

Mokube Bertha, Community Activist, Cameroon

Mokube Bertha, IRC Community Activist, Cameroon

Photo: Ojong Spencer for the IRC

Mokube Bertha, 42, is a mother of seven, including two adopted children, from southwest Cameroon.

Mokube faced many struggles as a woman in her community. People, especially men, ridiculed her for her education, and whenever Mokube tried to defend herself or shed light on the injustices in the community, a majority refused to acknowledge her.

So, in 2020, when the IRC offered training sessions to community members on gender-based violence (GBV), Mokube took the opportunity to learn more about GBV and began sensitizing community members on the topic.

Mokube leads a women’s sensitisation session for the IRC. Topics discussed include gender-based violence, women’s rights, and social cohesion.

Photo: Ojong Spencer for the IRC

Dr. Shahirah Abdullah, IRC Reproductive Health Officer, Yemen

Photo: Gabreez Productions for the IRC

Dr. Abdallah, 29, is an IRC reproductive health officer in Yemen.

She manages five mobile health teams serving internally-displaced person camps and remote communities, as well as the IRC health facilities in Al-Dhale’e. Her vital work focuses on providing prenatal care, supervising midwives, and managing community health staff. This programming is funded by the European Union.

Dr. Shahira conducts a follow-up checkup on three-year-old Enqath.

Photo: Gabreez Productions for the IRC

Dr. Sila Monthe, IRC Health Manager, Kenya

Photo: Patrick Meinhardt for the IRC

Dr. Monthe, 29, is the IRC Health Manager at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The camp is home to nearly 200,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and other crisis-affected countries. Thanks to funding from the EU, Dr. Sila and her team work around the clock to help combat the hunger crisis. They screen children for malnutrition and provide high-calorie emergency food like Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF).

After treatment, Dr. Sila and her team follow up with the children regularly to ensure they are healthy and receiving the nutrients they need.