Living​ ​in​ ​the​ ​USA,​ ​particularly​ ​in​ ​the​ ​nation’s​ ​capital,​ ​provides​ ​endless​ ​opportunities​ ​to dedicate​ ​time​ ​and​ ​effort​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​refugee​ ​and​ ​asylee​ ​community.​ ​Over​ ​the​ ​summer,​ ​I​ ​was lucky​ ​to​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​contribute​ ​to​ ​this​ ​work​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Asylee​ ​Casework​ ​Intern​ ​with​ ​the​ ​International Rescue​ ​Committee​ ​(IRC).​ ​Kind,​ ​genuine​ ​and​ ​dedicated​ ​doesn’t​ ​begin​ ​to​ ​the​ ​scratch​ ​the​ ​surface of​ ​the​ ​IRC​ ​staff​ ​in​ ​Silver​ ​Spring.​ ​I​ ​had​ ​the​ ​privilege​ ​of​ ​witnessing​ ​and​ ​taking​ ​part​ ​in​ ​clients’ transition​ ​to​ ​the​ ​USA,​ ​and​ ​because​ ​of​ ​this,​ ​I​ ​can​ ​provide​ ​testament​ ​to​ ​the​ ​time​ ​and​ ​effort​ ​that caseworkers​ ​commit​ ​to​ ​each​ ​and​ ​every​ ​client.

Each year the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works closely with state elected leaders to ensure that the communities in which we resettle are welcoming places for refugees and other new Americans. In addition to working directly on policy, we assess introduced legislation through our state tracker and identify new model policies and the trends in legislation—all informing the policies included in this guide. Year to year it has reflected emerging themes such as: resources for refugee-serving programs; reduced barriers for re-credentialing and licensure processes in states; and access to in-state tuition, to name a few. These measures not only help ensure refugees and other newcomers can access pathways to economic self-sufficiency and integrate more smoothly, but they positively impact the broader community as well. States and localities across the country can only benefit from the personal and professional success that a recently arrived individual achieves as they rebuild their lives. This year’s state policy and advocacy guide includes new policy themes and some familiar ones—but with nuanced examples as the policy efforts take shape in different states and political contexts. Recommendations provided are informed by stakeholder engagement and landscaping impacted communities to understand service provision needs, and strategic assessments of the political realities on the ground.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) implemented an anticipatory action cash-distribution pilot among six agro-pastoralist communities in Northeast Nigeria, focused on reducing the damaging effects of flooding. Prior to the flood season of 2022, the IRC set up an early warning system with local hydrometeorological agencies to trigger pre-flooding cash distribution to resource-constrained communities vulnerable to flooding. The program aimed to improve the adaptive capacities of these communities through improved systems for information sharing about climate risks and severity, and resource access to undertake mitigation measures. Researchers measured the cost-effectiveness of a pre-flooding cash distribution triggered by the early warning system, as compared to traditional post-shock resource disbursement. 1,450 households were randomly assigned to receive pre- or post-shock distributions. Low cost transfer ratios, in addition to positive impact evaluation results, suggest that the pre-shock modality may be more cost-effective than business-as-usual post-shock transfers. The Anticipatory Cash project cost $695 per household receiving pre-shock cash transfers, which drops to $610 per household without system set-up activities. 71% of total group costs went to the cash grant itself. Similar cost-transfer ratios between pre- and post-shock groups suggest that the anticipatory cash response is just as cost-efficient as the post-shock modality.

Community Driven Development (CDD) is a bottom-up model of development that aims to put the people in the driver’s seat. This report presents findings from a long-term impact evaluation of the Tuungane 1 program, a major CDD program in Eastern Congo, funded by the UK government and implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and CARE International between 2007 and 2011. The evaluation focuses on three sets of key outcomes of interest to the program: 1) the quality of service provision in the health and education sectors; 2) health, education and economic welfare outcomes; and 3) women’s empowerment.