Forty-year-old Thatha and her four sons escaped ISIS-controlled Hawija, Iraq, to Kirkuk in June.  Recent military operations to retake ISIS-controlled areas have already uprooted 240,000 people from their homes in cities like Fallujah and the areas south of Mosul. Some 3 million Iraqis remain trapped, living under ISIS’s brutal rule.

Watch highlights from the IRC in San Diego, featured at the Taste of the IRC event in October 2016.

Muhammed Ali was just five days old when he and his family fled their home in war-torn Aleppo, Syria. Like many families, they had to split up to find safety. The four-year-old is now living in a camp in northern Greece with his mother and two of his siblings. His father and sister Noora are in Germany.

When home is far away, rescue is close by. The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. Watch this video to see rescue in action and learn more about the IRC.

"If the rescue boats hadn't found us, we all would have drowned," recalls Mohammed Omadi. Mohammed and his family, from Afghanistan, came face-to-face with death when forced to cross the sea to Greece to seek refuge in a safe country. Their cash, passports and luggage disappeared in the waves. Cash relief provides emergency financial assistance for families like the Omadis that have lost everything.

2016 marks the IRC's 40th year in Seattle. Hear remarkable stories from those who have bravely rebuilt their lives in Washington, as well as community members who welcome newcomers to our state. 

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.

Thousands of people are fleeing their homes as the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces fight to retake Mosul — Iraq's second largest city — from the ISIS militant group. The IRC is providing emergency cash relief and other support to displaced families.

As we embark on the season of giving — and giving thanks — all of us at the International Rescue Committee would like to thank our supporters for helping refugees and families worldwide. Because of our supporters, courageous families like the Wins have a chance at a brighter future.

With help from the International Rescue Committee and an aviation school in Jordan, two sisters from Syria and their Jordanian friend -- a future pilot, a future flight attendant and a future astronaut -- made their dream of flight a reality. Read their full story.