It’s been over 10 years since the crisis in Darfur, but ongoing violence has made it difficult for Sudanese refugees in Chad to return home.

The IRC is working to incorporate the preferences, aspirations, and expectations of those we serve into humanitarian programming. This document examines an IRC health program in Syria.

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.

On the 8th of March - International Women's Day - here are 8 steps decision makers must take to support women and girls fighting for their rights in the most difficult places on Earth.

Ma J Nan was displaced from her home in Man Ga Laung village four years ago by armed conflict. She was a farmer. She lived in a bamboo house. Her family fled with her, and she was left with just her clothes.