Some highlights from IRC’s health research portfolio in 2018

Women are more likely to live in poorer households globally than men. Countries where this is evident are predominantly fragile or conflict-affected. In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure no one is left behind, women’s economic empowerment must be prioritized and resourced in crisis contexts.

Nearly 4 years of war in Yemen has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The war has had a unique impact on women and girls, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities and inequalities rooted in patriarchal structures and norms.

In December 2018, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) completed an assessment in Beni, DRC, with the aim of examining the effects of the EVD outbreak and response on women and girls, and specifically how the outbreak has impacted women and girls’ experience of violence, also considering the pre-existing context of insecurity in which they live.

This document summarizes research findings and ongoing research across all IRC outcomes throughout 2018 and 2019.

This document highlights the International Rescue Committee's top insights from 2018 and those to watch out for in 2019.

This IRC report reveals the manufactured tensions created by the Trump administration at the U.S.-Mexico border and the real crisis in Central America, and recommends solutions.

A new IRC survey from the Mexico-U.S. border finds needs are overwhelming available services. Women and children are at risk.

Community Driven Development (CDD) is a bottom-up model of development that aims to put the people in the driver’s seat. This report presents findings from a long-term impact evaluation of the Tuungane 1 program, a major CDD program in Eastern Congo, funded by the UK government and implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and CARE International between 2007 and 2011. The evaluation focuses on three sets of key outcomes of interest to the program: 1) the quality of service provision in the health and education sectors; 2) health, education and economic welfare outcomes; and 3) women’s empowerment.

Community Driven Development (CDD) is a bottom-up model of development that aims to put the people in the driver’s seat. This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Tuungane 2 program, a major CDD program in Eastern Congo, funded by the UK government and implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) between 2011 and 2014. The Tuungane 2 (T2) program was carried out in 1,025 Village Development Committee areas (VDCs) in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu, Maniema and Katanga, representing an estimated beneficiary population of around 1.7 million individuals. This study investigates to what extent Tuungane 2 activities are associated with improvements across five families of outcomes: 1) constructive engagement between service users and duty bearers; 2) improvements in service provisions in the health and education sector, 3) improvements in health and education; 4) improvements in governance related outcomes such as participation, accountability, efficiency, transparency and capture; and lastly 5) improvements in women’s empowerment.