"When I saw his situation, I felt compassion and decided to welcome him as my brother." Meet Jamal and Okello, who formed an inspiring friendship in Uganda.

In Libya, young men’s lives are only as valuable as the payments they can supply to their smugglers and to militia. If they don’t have money, their lives are, essentially, worthless. Here are the stories of five young men who survived the horrors of Libya and chose to take a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

"The country I was born in considered me a non-national. The country they said I belonged to considered me a refugee. The country I had no connection to accepted me as its citizen today." Geeta, an IRC caseworker from Bhutan who helps other refugees, recently became a U.S. citizen. Watch and share his story.

Here’s a remarkable story of three refugee girls who all share a love for rock climbing, are from Myanmar (also known as Burma), live in Seattle, have formed a special friendship … and are all named Cing.  UPDATE - Nov 18, 2018: Read the New York Times story about the three Cings and the IRC program helping them to adjust to their new lives in the U.S.

Paind Khan has big plans for his biryani—the savory mixed rice dish is going to be the first meal he'll cook for his wife when they're reunited. When that will be, he's not sure. He has not seen his family in 7 months, they're living in Germany and he's in Greece—he cannot join them unless his family reunification case has been accepted. Read Panid's story.

It has been over 22 years since Ana and Jamie had last seen their daughter, Maria—until now. They fled to the U.S. after being threatened by malicious gangs in El Salvador. With the help of the IRC, Maria received refugee status and was reunited with her family in the U.S. This is their moving reunion. Learn more about the IRC's work in El Salvador

Daily life as a refugee in Bangladesh is a struggle, but that doesn't stop Fatima from volunteering at an IRC-supported health center in a camp that's home to 700,000 Rohingya who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar a year ago. Fatima says, "I help people because it's as if when people are hurt or sick, then I am hurt or sick." Read more about the Rohingya crisis, one year on.

When he was just 15 years old, Tefere Gebre arrived in the United States alone as a refugee. Today he is the executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, the world's largest federation of labor unions. In this AFL-CIO video, he describes his harrowing flight from violence in Ethiopia and explains why it is important for America to welcome refugees. Learn more about his story.

After fleeing violence in Iraq with her young family, Taghreed had trouble coping with life as a refugee. "Do something you love," suggested her mother. So Taghreed started baking, finding comfort in the familiar scents of spices from home. The IRC helped her begin a baking career, and now she works at a popular pastry shop near where she lives in Seattle. Her son Yousif says he's proud of his courageous mom.

The United States has a long tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing persecution and war. With support, refugees go on to thrive and contribute to their new countries in many different ways. Meet some of the well-known artists, ambassadors, and other luminaries who were once refugees.