Learn how Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee are changing the lives of young refugees and displaced children across the Middle East.

The International Rescue Committee spoke to Syrian men and women who have found temporary safety in Idlib—but worry they will be uprooted once more—about the places they escaped, and what they hope the future holds.

There are 62 million children out of school across the world—children without access to the education and training they need to improve their lives. That number is only increasing as millions of refugees are being forced to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan. These displaced families now must rebuild in a country they haven’t seen in decades—for many children, a country they’ve never known at all.

Addressing the unique needs of children is an important part of the IRC’s work with local partners inside Ukraine and in Poland, where over 2.9 million refugees from Ukraine have found shelter. Go inside our response. 

If you’re struggling to remember positive news about 2024, you’re not alone. Here are 8 stories that inspired us this year and gave us hope for 2025.

Madeleine and her young daughter, Odette, had made a home in the Democratic Republic of Congo when their lives were changed forever.