Nearly two and half years after President Obama’s Executive Action offering the opportunity for minors from Central America to access the refugee resettlement program, Hilda Galvez, a Honduran native, cried joyfully as her five-year-old son, Ever, was escorted through the gate at Newark Airport near midnight on March 9, 2017.

At HOPE Couture, the IRC showcased the work of refugee fashion designers and celebrated 25 years in Phoenix.

IRC staff reflect on the past year and how it has changed the way we continue to serve our clients.

The IRC’s Direct Service Team works closely with clients when they arrive in Wichita and provide clients with case management, extended case management and employment services. We wanted to give you a chance to meet our team and learn a little more about them.

Our team at the IRC in Kansas has been working hard to respond quickly to client needs, as everyone in the community is feeling the social, economic, and health impacts of COVID-19. While programming is currently not business-as-usual, we continue to serve refugee families and survivors of human trafficking remotely, many of whom need support from the IRC and neighbors more than ever. 

A member of the persecuted Rohingya ethnic group, IRC case aide and resettled refugee, Safa Shamsuddin, waited five long years to swear allegiance to the country she now calls home.