“They are now my family.” A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Robert Sebatware was surprised when a stranger on his doorstep quickly became one of his closest friends.

In 1991, Muyambo Marcel Chishimba was forced to flee his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, he is rebuilding his life—and his art career—in New Jersey. 

Among the many challenges that 2020 brought to many around the world, the closing of international borders and travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic further limited the already dwindling number of refugees accepted by the Trump Administration. Prior to the pandemic, the Trump Administration had reduced the number of refugees the United States was committed to welcoming. At the onset of the pandemic, the arrivals of refugees to Tallahassee halted altogether, and it wasn’t until the end of 2020 that new families began to arrive across Big Bend communities. This time, the newly arrived families were coming from Latin America. This was a first for the IRC in Tallahassee’s short four-year history, which has historically welcomed families from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria.

Only days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed a swath of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, the International Rescue Committee dispatched an emergency team of relief experts to Louisiana. For the first time in its 73-year history, the organization responded to a humanitarian crisis in the United States. 

Want to spread the word about making #RefugeesWelcome and also contribute more? There are various, creative ways to accomplish these goals simultaneously.

Want to spread the word about making #RefugeesWelcome and also contribute more? There are various, creative ways to accomplish these goals simultaneously.

Staff, interns, and volunteers came together to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th. At the IRC in Silver Spring, programs like the Youth and Women's Employability Program seek to narrow gender gaps and ensure opportunities for success are available to all.

Want to spread the word about making #RefugeesWelcome and also contribute more? There are various, creative ways to accomplish these goals simultaneously.

We are delighted to introduce Sharon Kennedy as the new Executive Director of the San Diego office, starting on November 13th, 2023. Sharon is no stranger to the IRC in San Diego, bringing deep institutional knowledge of the office, the community, and the IRC in general.