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.

You can find our past newsletters to read about our services in both Des Moines and Iowa City!

'The impact of violence against health care on the health of children and mothers' report highlights the severe impacts of attacks on health care facilities documented globally in 2022, with a focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where significant violence has disrupted access to medical services. In particular, the provinces of North and South Kivu were highlighted as being amongst the most affected areas. The study aimed to measure how these attacks affected health care accessibility for pregnant women and children under five, employing a mixed-methods approach that included case studies from Kyondo, Fizi, and Walungu.

The impact of violence against health care on the health of children and mothers report highlights the severe impacts of attacks on health care facilities documented globally in 2022, with a focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where significant violence has disrupted access to medical services. In particular, the provinces of North and South Kivu were highlighted as being amongst the most affected areas. The study aimed to measure how these attacks affected health care accessibility for pregnant women and children under five, employing a mixed-methods approach that included case studies from Kyondo, Fizi, and Walungu.

The International Rescue Committee entered Burkina Faso in late March to begin an emergency needs assessment. The assessment began in Ouagadougou to conduct key informant interviews with other actors in country and to determine the priority location for this assessment, details of which are included below. Primary data collection was then conducted in Djibo to better understand priority needs of displaced Burkinabe and any gaps in the services currently available.

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, IRC clients John, Beata, Furaha and Dezir were recently hired by a local textile manufacturer that has switched gears to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for local emergency services departments and front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in their third week on the job, these resilient new Americans are grateful for the opportunity to work and give back to the community that welcomed them.

Ahead of a Senate hearing on appropriations for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, the IRC submitted testimony to urge Congress to increase funding for programs that provide overseas and emergency refugee assistance, basic education, malnutrition relief, services for vulnerable children, and programs to counter gender-based violence. The IRC also asked Congress to work to improve the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of humanitarian financing and to allocate 20,000 additional Special Immigrant Visas for U.S.-affiliated Afghans in FY22.

It’s hard enough to travel throughout the Central Valley without owning a car. But imagine not even being able to use Lyft or Uber taxi services because you don’t own a car seat to transport your children safely. That’s a challenge that many refugee families who live in the Turlock/Modesto area face on a daily basis.