"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.

Yousef Al-Masri turns heads every day as he commutes to his volunteer job at an IRC-run health clinic in Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan.   A long walk to work prompted the 50-year-old anesthesiologist from Syria to devise a better way to get around the sprawling camp.

From Idomeni, Greece: a heart-warming story of a Syrian family who couldn’t leave behind their beloved cat when they fled to Europe for safety and a new life.

Fifteen-year-old Shaimah, from Syria, wants nothing more than a chance to live in peace and finish school. In the refugee camp where she's staying in Greece, she's found a special place where she can take classes again and heal from the pain of war with help from her teachers and friends. Read more about Shaimah.

Justus Rosenberg was the youngest member of the team led by Varian Fry that rescued some of Europe's most famous artists, writers, and intellectuals who had taken refuge in France prior to the Nazi invasion of 1940. Fry was sent on his mission by the New York-based Emergency Rescue Committee, which would combine in 1942 with the International Relief Association to form the International Rescue Committee.