Check out our highlights and success stories from the month of September.

Maryam Hashimi fled Afghanistan with her family. She's now turning her dreams into goals here in Richmond.

Modesto Junior College instructor Emma Berdino didn’t have much hope when she learned her ESL class would be forced to go online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Many of her students, all women from Afghanistan recruited by the IRC in Turlock, were too tech-challenged to use a phone app to complete their homework prior to the viral outbreak.   “Most weren’t able to figure it out,” she said. “I thought, oh my goodness, we’re totally going to lose this class, because they’re not going to be able to do it.”  Berdino is grateful to be wrong, as nearly two-thirds of her students continue to take the course remotely after going exclusively online. 

One of the many services offered by the Immigration department at the IRC in San Diego is a free Citizenship Test Preparation Course to help individuals learn the material they will need to know in order to pass the United States citizenship examination. 

Financial Capabilities, a pilot program launched just three years ago at IRC Richmond, has reached an exciting milestone: distributing over $1 million in loans to clients across the state with zero loan defaults.

During the Summer months of 2016 the IRC in Garden City welcomed a Volunteer Coordinator VISTA and a In-Kind Coordination VISTA.

Three GenR members traveled to Uganda in May 2015 to learn more about the IRC’s robust country programs. The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998, when conflict caused tens of thousands of people to lose their lives and 1.6 million people to become displaced.

More than one billion people volunteer globally for solidarity and humanity, for people and the planet. International Volunteer Day is an occasion to pay tribute to volunteers worldwide and recognize the value of volunteerism in advancing peace and development. It serves as an opportunity to applaud the selfless efforts of individuals who dedicate their time and skills to make positive changes in their communities and beyond. During International Volunteer Day, the IRC in Los Angeles wishes to recognize the outstanding efforts of several of our volunteers. These volunteers have demonstrated the selflessness, dedication, and perseverance that exemplify the heart of the IRC in Los Angeles and our mission. Please join us in congratulating them!

Angelica did not want to take her family and risk the violence and poverty she had fled in Mexico, nor did she wish to continue living in the shadows of being undocumented in the U.S. She thought the only other option would be to tear their family apart with one parent living on each side of the border.