Navigating your student loan repayment options can be difficult. That's why the IRC of Northern California offers free student loan counseling and educational resources for California borrowers.

Testing intervention packages to improve adolescents’ access to and use of sexual and reproductive health services in emergencies

Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have collided with long-standing sexual and reproductive health inequities. While COVID-19 has had a significant, and in some cases devastating, impact on health systems around the world, studies show that people whose human rights are least protected—such as refugees, displaced peoples, and conflict-affected populations—are the ones who suffer the most. The IRC’s work in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh—home to the world’s largest refugee settlement—inevitably became more challenging during COVID-19. This assessment explores the intersecting impacts of the pandemic on the demand, access, and delivery of SRH services and protective measures. It incorporates the perspectives of women, girls, and boys from Rohingya and host communities, as well as service providers (e.g., frontline health workers, doctors, midwives, etc.) and other key informants (e.g., local officials, NGO staff, etc.). It was also intended as a learning exercise, so that SRH services can be more accessible and prioritized during future public health emergencies.

Una Bilic has been at the helm of the IRC in Tallahassee since it first started to welcome families across Big Bend communities in 2016. We now thank Una for her many years of service and dedication as she takes on an exciting new role within IRC’s headquarters team, and we look forward with excitement as a new era begins for the IRC in Tallahassee and its clients.

Progress and challenges in ensuring life-saving services and reducing risks of violence for women and girls in emergencies

Routine immunizations protect individuals, communities, countries, and even the world from outbreaks of deadly diseases and pandemics. While global immunization coverage has increased dramatically in the past two decades, this is driven largely by gains in stable contexts. Children in humanitarian settings, including conflict-affected, remote regions, and cross-border communities continue to disproportionately lack access to this foundational health service. 

Over the past 6 months, the Safety and Wellness department has been taking immense strides to incorporate mental health and psychosocial support programming into the IRC in NY Resettlement Office. These efforts have been very successful with clients reporting an increased understanding around mental health and wellbeing and applying valuable coping strategies to manage stressful situations. 

Alphaeus reflects on how he supports refugees to get their first job in the U.S.

The International Rescue Committee is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide high-quality legal assistance at a low cost to all immigrants.