Josephine Bonkongya, a refugee from the Democractic Republic of the Congo, supports the adjustment of other newly-arrived refugee women through the Community Health Promoter Program. Through the program, Josephine helped numerous women adjust to their new lives in the U.S., and emerged as a community leader.

On March 13th, the IRC hosted a briefing for Kansas legislators. The briefing received bipartisan support and more than 30 Kansas legislators attended.

This September, the New Roots Community Farm’s (NRCF) community members came together to rebuild the farm. This project consisted of transplanting new plants, weeding, and installing sturdier plant beds. The New York Restoration Project also joined the NRCF in these efforts to execute the rebuild. The IRC in NY sat with Sheryll Durrant, the Food and Agriculture Coordinator at IRC in NY, to learn about the impact of this rebuild and the vision of the NRCF as a whole.

The IRC finds conflict-affected and fragile countries face not only the direct health impacts of COVID-19 but also secondary havoc to already fragile humanitarian, economic, security and political environments.

Refugees bring stories of resilience and strength to their resettled country and so much more than they can carry: hopes and dreams, experiences and talents, traditions and heritage. Amira Kherrallah, originally from the Central African Republic, brought all of this with her to the U.S. after she was forced to flee her home. Read about how she overcame obstacles through her passion to serve her community.