After fleeing violence in Myanmar, 36-year-old Nwe* faced danger, debt, and despair on her journey to safety in Thailand. But with support from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), funded by the European Union (EU), she found the strength to start again—for herself and her newborn twins.

By the time mothers bring their malnourished children to the IRC health facility in the Imvepi refugee settlement, in the north-west part of Uganda, they are often deeply worried because their child is in an extremely weakened state. As the IRC nutrition assistant that meets them, Esther, 28, gives hope to these mothers, letting them know she is there to support their child and to help provide the critical care they need.

Since the Sudan conflict began in April 2023, millions have faced immense hardship. Through EU-funded IRC programs, Dr. Mogahed Ilkeet, himself displaced by the crisis, delivers life-saving care at Tunaydbah camp in Sudan, near the Ethiopian border. Among those he’s helped is Almas, who fled with her children and little else. With IRC support, her severely malnourished son is now recovering.

Social Emotional Asset Development (SEAD) is the process of building valuable knowledge, skills, mindsets, and resources that support well-being, interpersonal relationships, and positive outcomes such as educational attainment. SEAD builds on the knowledge and skills gained through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and recognizes that when these personal skills and knowledge are put into action, especially in supportive environments and in conjunction with opportunities, they produce specific positive outcomes such as a sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and social connections that become lifelong assets. This framework identifies and explains the social emotional assets that IRC views as particularly important for youth affected by forced migration in RAI contexts. It provides a common language with which IRC staff and partners can communicate and design approaches that are aligned, transferable, and can be systematically improved over time.

As Kenya battles the aftermath of years of severe droughts and devastating floods, millions face rising food insecurity and malnutrition, especially young children in refugee camps. In the face of immense hardship, mothers like Halima and Damac are doing everything they can to protect and nourish their children. With support from the IRC and the European Union, they are finding hope amid the crisis.