Refugees boost the US economy through work, taxes, and entrepreneurship, generating $123.8B in net fiscal benefits (2005-2019) while strengthening communities.

As the child of former refugees, who left the Soviet Union along with hundreds of thousands of others in the 1980s, Dax (‘Dan-Knee’) whose pronouns are they/them, has always felt connected to immigrant communities growing up in Philadelphia. Years later, they are now working at the IRC -- one of the largest resettlement agencies in the country -- as a Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) Coordinator.

The International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) global humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement programs are actively responding to record-high numbers of displaced people by increasing their presence and implementing more efficient ways of working.

From coffee and catering to clothing and jewelry, here are nine small businesses owned by refugees.

As a former refugee from Eritrea, Yassin has a unique understanding of how the resettlement process works. Though his work as a caseworker for the IRC in Baltimore, he is able to share his experiences and assist newly arrived refugees and Asylees as they rebuild their lives.

Students from Inman High School hosted an In-Kind Donation Drive in their community to collect items to give to refugees resettling in Wichita.

The IRC opened its locally-funded office in Miami in 1960 in response to the Cuban Revolution and, over the decades, has served over 25,000 refugees, asylees, survivors of human trafficking and other vulnerable populations in South Florida. Due to nationally reduced refugee admissions, the IRC ended its refugee resettlement program in Miami in 2018. Although its resettlement program concluded in 2018, the IRC in Miami continues to serve the community by providing holistic, trauma-informed services to survivors of human trafficking and unaccompanied children and their families.

The IRC Dallas is seeking exceptional students ready to gain hands-on experience in refugee resettlement.

Hosted by Alison Millan, the IRC in Elizabeth's Resettlement Director, community partners gather quarterly to update each other on available resources, shared knowledge, and current issues facing refugees in New Jersey.