Close the distance

"Being with my family always felt like a dream. I got my dream."

When her family fled Kabul, Shahla told her mother to go without her. She was a teenager, now in charge of caring for her two younger sisters. Every morning, one of them asked the same question: "When can we leave?" For months, the sisters waited.

Finally, the IRC helped the family navigate the complex steps to reunification. Shahla and her sisters joined their family in the United States.

"When we got home, I hugged my mom and cried for one hour. Now my mom says: come closer. We're not going to lose each other again."

“I worry for those children, and wish to help.”

Fatuma often felt overwhelmed by the sight of the many displaced and homeless children in her town of Numbi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She decided to do something about it. 

Fatuma currently fosters eight displaced and orphaned children in her community. The IRC and local partners have assisted her in getting an official qualification as a carer, as well as providing financial support and supplies. 

“When I see a homeless child, I take them in,” she said. 

"What motivated me was humanity."

Devastated by news of global aid funding cuts, Dr. Ummi wasn't sure how to tell the families of severely malnourished children at her clinics. For them, a delay in care could mean the difference between life and death. 

“What kept me going... what motivated me was humanity".

Luckily, before they had to turn away a single child, Dr Ummi was amazed to hear that a donor stepped in to keep the clinic running. 

“I would like the donors to know that their generosity means saving lives”.