After nearly five years fleeing the violence that overtook their hometown of Hama, Syria, Noor and his wife have finally reached a place where they can provide their children with a future full of opportunity.

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.

On February 13, the IRC in Atlanta’s staff, clients and volunteers joined more than 350 fellow advocates at the Georgia State Capitol for the seventh annual New Americans Celebration. Hosted by the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies (CRSA), the New Americans Celebration is the annual day of education and outreach for refugees, immigrants and Georgia community members who support them.

Determined to keep their students engaged in gardening throughout the pandemic, our Youth Futures AmeriCorps Associate, Michel Osta, and FoodCorps Service Member, Meggie Stewart, created the Home Garden Challenge!

Forced to switch to remote working in March 2020, the IRC in Atlanta has continued to provide core programming and in addition, has expanded services to include large-scale, mobile COVID-19 testing, ongoing delivery of food boxes, and the disbursement of emergency cash assistance to community members impacted by the pandemic.