Read this first-person account from one of the many Syrians who live under constant gunfire and barrel bombs.

Ask Esther and Simon their favorite time of day and they share the same answer: it's when they see each other.

The war in Ukraine has drastically disrupted millions of lives, displacing people and creating unprecedented humanitarian needs. As of today, 12.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Since February 2022, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been working in Ukraine alongside local partners to deliver life-saving support to people affected by the war, helping them survive, recover, and regain control of their future.

Protracted economic, political and security crises have rendered many countries ill-equipped to respond to COVID-19. Within these fragile contexts, refugees and people displaced by conflict and crisis will be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. An effective response to COVID-19 requires both global and local solutions. IRC’s advocacy aims to secure funding and operational flexibilities, promote best practices, and address specific threats to the needs of the communities we serve.

Education systems across parts of Ethiopia are actively strengthening children’s learning, even amid environmental stress, conflict, displacement, and resource constraints. As access to schooling expands, attention is increasingly shifting toward learning quality. UNICEF estimates that around 7.6 million children remain out of school, while many enrolled learners struggle to achieve foundational literacy by age 10, underscoring the opportunity to introduce teaching approaches that more effectively support learning and wellbeing in diverse classroom contexts.