Mariela Shaker is a refugee from Aleppo, one of more than 4.8 million Syrians who have fled the brutal war that has engulfed the country for six years. Her home is largely in ruins, and she describes the city as a slaughterhouse, but her entire family is still there, struggling to survive. The 26 year old’s incredible musical talent earned her a full scholarship to study in the United States—and a reprieve from the violence.

Tamara, an IRC pharmacist, is providing Syrian women at the Azraq refugee camp with access to medicine for reproductive health. Amid a national lockdown in Jordan due to the coronavirus, IRC health programs continue to operate.

In the weeks after the December 2004 tsunami, survivors in devastated Aceh province, Indonesia, who were made homeless by the waves, found themselves in often crowded living conditions that put them at an increased risk for many kinds of infectious disease. The IRC responded immediately with emergency medical care and water and sanitation programs that dramatically reduced the potential for mass outbreaks. 

 Over 70 million refugees and displaced people are at risk of a crisis level the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet seen. We can stay home and still come together to make a difference. Please donate.