Despite the fact that borders in Europe are closed, children traveling alone continue to attempt a dangerous and impossible journey to find safety. They are at risk of being exploitated by smugglers and beaten by border guards with limited, coordinated services and support in place across the Balkans to ensure their safety and protection. This is the story of one 17-year-old from Afghanistan currently stranded in Serbia.

IRC president David Miliband goes inside El Salvador, a country in the grip of extreme gang violence. The danger these gangs pose to lives and livelihoods is forcing people to flee their homes in record numbers, some with no choice but to seek asylum in the United States. Miliband meets with local IRC partners in El Salvador who are providing crisis support.

A Syrian refugee father and son explain what the IRC's services have meant to them.

Watch the heartwarming moment sisters Kimbembi and Seva from the DRC are reunited in the U.S.For refugees like the Welo family, the journey doesn't end when they arrive. With support from Uber, the IRC is helping resettled families navigate their new lives. The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

The 2024 States Lay the Foundation Summit explored the stories that bring us together to introduce, advocate for, enact, and implement legislation to support refugees and new Americans as they rebuild their lives in the United States.