Idaho Gives, a two-week online giving campaign, is an opportunity to unite our community around causes in which we truly believe and help nonprofit organizations connect to the larger community. The campaign has now begun and will run through May 7, and this year, the IRC in Boise will be fundraising to support refugees who have been impacted by COVID-19.

“This work has put it all in perspective for me. What I once only read about or heard about in the news, now has a face to it. The struggle refugees and immigrants go through, how much they want to contribute to their new country – they just want a normal life. A safe life.”

In addition to health concerns during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families faced dual concerns about dwindling food supplies. For those who came to the Bay Area as refugees and asylees, it was an unwarranted second wave of crisis to handle after the saga of arriving in the U.S.

New Roots is a multi-faceted agriculture and food initiative that works in partnership with refugees and other New Americans to support their health, community connections, and household economics through nutrition education, gardening, land-based micro-business development, and other wellness and educational activities.

A refugee from Syria, Saddam worked incredibly hard against the odds to re-enter his profession. Now that he has obtained his barber license, Saddam is ready to build his clientele base here in Boise.

The humanitarian visited devastated communities to speak with residents who have lost loved ones, homes, livelihoods.

Murtaza Mohammad Hossain, a refugee from Afghanistan, overcame numerous challenges with the help of the IRC's Matching Grant program, eventually securing a job and a donated car that transformed his family's life in the USA. His journey highlights the importance of support systems in achieving self-sufficiency and the profound impact of community assistance.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City continues to support community-wide pandemic response, recently organizing a vaccine clinic with community partners to ensure 87 refugees and new Americans received the first dose of the COVID vaccine.

Mariangela Taylor is a single mother of four who lives in Ellicott City, Maryland. While not a refugee herself, she empathized with the heart-wrenching stories of those escaping war and persecution and the immense challenges faced by those seeking the chance of a better life and decided to volunteer with the IRC.

On December 3, the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring brought together over 50 clients, volunteers, and staff for a Thanksgiving meal and afternoon of festivities. Sampling traditional American fare such as roasted turkey and cranberry sauce alongside delicacies like homemade dolmas and Syrian pastries, refugee families and IRC volunteers and staff had an opportunity to share their cultural traditions with each other and express the things that they are thankful for in their lives.