Ethiopian refugee Tefere Gebre was just 15 years old when he arrived in the United States—starting over in a new world alone, without any family by his side. Over 30 years later, he is executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor union in the world.

In 2024, the spirit of giving and community support shone brightly through the Light One Candle initiative by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City. Light One Candle is an annual gift drive where community sponsors commit to gathering much-needed supplies and holiday wish list items recently arrived refugee families and individuals. These efforts support refugees to gain control of their future and become an integral part of our community as they focus on rebuilding their lives in our community.

The IRC in NJ continues to serve the Afghan community across all departments. Women in Action (WIA) is a career development program embedded in the IRC in NJ’s Refugee Career Pathways program. The goal of WIA is to help participants identify personal and career goals in a supportive environment, embrace an active role in building family economic self-sufficiency, and increase connections with a wider community.  

Olga Ngalula was a financial officer and local seamstress in the Democratic Republic of Congo before being forced to flee her country. Olga and her family were resettled in the United States in August of 2015 and began rebuilding their lives in the greater Atlanta area.

The IRC in Missoula is committed to supporting newly arrived refugees on their journey from harm to home. As part of that commitment, we provide refugees with the basics they will need to start rebuilding their lives here in the U.S. Join our efforts by gathering much needed in-kind donations to assist newly arrived refugee families and individuals as they work to regain control of their future and positively integrate into our community.

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!