This has a been a tough year for so many. But thanks to your support of the International Rescue Committee, thousands of refugees and displaced people in crisis zones around the world have been able to access food, clean water, medical care and safety. Thank you for helping children and families whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

No running water. Crowded living conditions. Limited access to health care. This is the reality for nearly 1 million displaced people in northwest Syria, where the IRC has adapted our programs to protect people from the spread of COVID-19.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, neighbors are working together with the International Rescue Committee to build up and improve their communities. They're making and influencing decisions that affect their communities' futures—for example, deciding whether to build new schools or health centers, improve roads or construct water collection points.

In observation of Ramadan, the IRC in NY hosted a beautiful Iftar in the office on Wednesday, April 12th. The staff gathered to transform the office into an elegant dining space, setting up tables with dates and water, for clients and friends in attendance. The staff teamed up to host, decorate, and prepare the food for the Iftar. Ahmed, our Senior Finance Manager led the Adhan (call to prayer), after which friends and family prayed the sunset prayer and of course, ate!  

After years of war in Yemen forced Bodor Ali Muhammad Abdullah al-Jabri to flee her home along with her husband and two girls, she became pregnant with her third child. Living in a displacement camp, she worried whether the delivery would be safe.  Luckily, there was a solution. IRC teams in Yemen are providing lifesaving emergency aid, medical care, clean water, education, and women’s protection to millions in the country.

Since early June, tens of thousands of Iraqis have fled Islamic State militants who have targeted religious minorities in a violent rampage across northwestern Iraq. Thousands remain in need of food, water, shelter and safety. Last month, the militants attacked one of Iraq’s oldest minorities, the Yazidi people of Sinjar.

Forty-year-old Thatha and her four sons escaped ISIS-controlled Hawija, Iraq, to Kirkuk in June.  Recent military operations to retake ISIS-controlled areas have already uprooted 240,000 people from their homes in cities like Fallujah and the areas south of Mosul. Some 3 million Iraqis remain trapped, living under ISIS’s brutal rule.

In March 2014, West Africa experienced the largest ever outbreak of Ebola, infecting over 28,000 people and claiming over 11,000 lives. See photos from the International Rescue Committee's response on the frontlines.

It’s been over 10 years since the crisis in Darfur, but ongoing violence has made it difficult for Sudanese refugees in Chad to return home.

The floods in Pakistan are devastating to people and their livelihoods. Watch to learn how the International Rescue Committee is helping those affected.