A snapshot into the Lukashov family's life—through Olexandra's own words and pictures—as they resettle in the United States.

As the Family Planning Summit in London approaches, we listen to the stories of four women supported by the IRC in four different countries, who explain why they chose to use family planning services, and what it has meant for them to have access to contraception.

Dilmia R. had built a home for herself and her two young daughters in her native El Salvador when the threat of violence forced her to flee in 2011.

Three years ago Ahnaw* collapsed on the floor of her house in a small rural village in eastern Myanmar. When she came to, she realised she was bleeding heavily from what turned out to be a miscarriage. “I didn’t even know I was pregnant,” the 36-year-old recalls, seated in front of a Buddhist shrine in her living room. “They told me when I got to the hospital. They said I was lucky to survive.” As a result of her experience, Ahnaw is now part of an International Rescue Committee programme that trains hundreds of women in Myanmar’s Kayin state to become advocates for birth-spacing and safe pregnancies. These “mother support groups” spread their messages in village gatherings or by going door-to-door, targeting families with many children or young families with children born in quick succession.

Over 3.7 million Syrian children have been born into violence, poverty and displacement since the brutal war in Syria began over six years ago. Conflict and displacement dismantle social services, economic systems and family units with profound effects on the wellbeing of caregivers. Under these conditions, too many children lack stable, nurturing and enriching environments – including frequent interactions with caregivers that promote learning, and development. This case study provides a look at the process of adapting and piloting Vroom for Syrian refugee parents and families. Vroom empowers parents and caregivers of young children to turn everyday moments into brain-building moments. While group-based parenting programs have been shown to be effective in a range of low-resource settings, such interventions are costly and logistically challenging in large-scale humanitarian crises where populations are dispersed across a range of contexts.

The tent in Newroz, a refugee camp in northern Syria, looks homey, its span of canvas divided into small “rooms” for living and sleeping. A soft-spoken Yazidi couple, Suleiman Khalf Kajo and his wife, Khabshe, have lived here with their family since fleeing ISIS in August 2014.

For refugees new to the United States, the journey doesn’t end upon arrival. Bonfils from the Democratic Republic of Congo shares how his family is utilizing Uber credits during their first few months in Louisville, Kentucky.

Wahida made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea with her two sons, to escape persecution. They are now living in Moria on the island of Lesvos. "I just want the best for my family”, she says.