Afghanistan is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with millions of people needing help. The IRC is particularly concerned about women and girls, who are bearing the brunt of the crisis. In July, we spoke to a group of Afghan school girls who shared their fears with us. Donate now to help support Afgans in crisis.

On August 24, 2021, IRC staff provided updates on the Afghanistan crisis and how our teams are responding around the world to help Afghans in need.

In July 2021, the International Rescue Committee asked several teenage girls in Afghanistan about their thoughts and fears for the future. Listen to their passionate responses, depicted in animation to protect their identities and voiced by Sepideh Moafi, Toni Cornell, Lilli Kay, Qeiva Grant and local Afghan IRC staff.

Maryama is a 15-year old girl living in Dubai, a community in the Diffa region of Niger. She lives at home with her parents, grandmother and four siblings. Follow her as she takes you through her day. From helping her mother with chores to going to school.  Niger has been identified by the IRC as one of the most challenging places to be a girl. Find out more here.

Chef Noori fled Afghanistan with his family in 2015, resettling in the United States through a Special Immigrant Visa for Afghans who supported U.S. troops or programmes. Trained as a chef, he began working in a kitchen right away and eventually opened The Mantu, a modern Afghan fine dining restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. The latest unrest in Afghanistan has forced thousands more Afghans to flee the country.

Andrew Gabriel, an IRC disability rights champion in Tanzania, is working tirelessly to build a more accessible world around him. Motivated by his own experiences using a wheelchair, he uses his voice to advocate for Burundian refugees and local Tanzanians living with disabilities, and support their caregivers. Andrew was told as a child his disability would keep him from doing what he wanted.

New parents Hussaini and Ibrahim have welcomed their first son, Bello, to their family with help from IRC midwife Murna. Born in Gwoza, northeast Nigeria, the community has been deeply affected by the ongoing conflict.

  Ali was just 6 years old when Mehdi left him and their mother to start a better life in Europe. Watch the moment the brothers have finally reunited after over a decade apart.

Syrian refugees Maasom and Hiba came to the UK to save their daughter Nasrin who needed serious heart surgery as a baby. This year Nasrin started her first day at school. The IRC is helping Nasrin's family to navigate life in the UK.  The IRC's UK programme Refugee Integration in Southeast England (RISE) is part-funded by European Union’s Asylum Migration and Integration Fund and Khalsa Aid International. 

  Rami Malek, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Morena Baccarin, Sepideh Moafi, Ebony Obsidian and other IRC Ambassadors are working together to serve humanity. Learn why they are all proud to support the IRC’s work to help refugee families survive, recover and rebuild in the world’s toughest places. Join them by making a gift today.