International Rescue Committee’s Post

Checking in with some mid-year reminders ✊

Meet Oleksandr — the granddad who risked everything to protect his grandkids. As the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022, Oleksandr’s life changed dramatically. With his daughter and son-in-law unable to leave the country, he stepped up to evacuate his grandchildren to safety. “I didn't plan to leave,” he explains. “But as they said, if something happens to the children, and you could have prevented it and didn't, what will be?” Driving across borders with a sign pleading "DON’T SHOOT, CHILDREN," displayed in the window of his old car, they eventually reached Italy. There, Oleksandr and his wife faced a grueling six month legal battle to be recognized as the kid’s official caregivers. "Every day, we feared they would take the children," he recalls. But they fought on and won custody. Today, Oleksandr takes great joy from taking the kids to school and keeping their Ukrainian heritage alive. The IRC is supporting the family with legal aid, as well as help finding after-school activities and medical care. Despite their longing for home and daily news checks on Ukraine, Oleksandr’s humor and positivity never falter. His story is a powerful testament to love and resilience 💛 Read his fully story: https://lnkd.in/dTm-xBRx

Meet Karla— a Case Management Officer for the IRC in Mexico City!👋 See what a typical day looks like for Karla and learn why being LGBTQ+ fuels her passion for helping refugees from all walks of life. Across the globe, our teams reflect the diverse world we serve. Our staff's unique identities and expertise enrich our approach and empower us to make a meaningful impact in crisis-affected communities worldwide. This #PrideMonth, like and share to show you believe in making ALL #RefugeesWelcome. 💛

People in Sudan are facing an ever-worsening humanitarian catastrophe. Violence has continued to spread across the country, famine looms, and more people have been forced to flee their homes than anywhere else on earth. The situation will only get worse in the coming months as the “lean season” hits and rains cut off roads used by aid organizations. Families like Ali’s have lost their homes, livelihoods and face impossible choices to put food on the table for their children. The international community must act urgently to avert a catastrophe of historic scale. The IRC is scaling up its programs to address the increased needs of displaced people, with a focus on protection services for women and children, multipurpose cash assistance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services. To learn more, visit Rescue.org/Sudan.

A displacement camp in northeast Syria is overcrowded, hosting 40,000 residents, 93% of whom are women and children. They face violent and unsafe conditions. They have limited access to water, sanitation facilities, and healthcare. As a result, many children like Ruba, struggle with mental issues. In collaboration with the EU in Emergencies (ECHO), the IRC provides psychosocial and protection activities at the camp to treat trauma and distress among these families.

In 2024, Salem was forced to flee his home and become one of the 1.7 million people internally displaced in Gaza and 120 million displaced globally—but his story doesn’t end there. Listen as he tells his story: how he’s lived through five wars, fled bombs with a 2-day old daughter, and now only dreams of four walls for him and his family. Since this was recorded, there are now 120 million refugees and forcibly displaced people in the world—but their lives are defined by so much more than this one number. On #WorldRefugeeDay, join us in taking action to support the lives, dreams and contributions of refugees and displaced people around the world at Rescue.org/WorldRefugeeDay.

Today, on World Refugee Day, 120 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide - a record high. The world needs new and groundbreaking solutions to the most complex challenges of our time. That's why for World Refugee Day, our President and CEO David Miliband has joined CEOs from IRC partners Damien Huang of Cotopaxi, Evan G Greenberg of Chubb, Anthony Capuano of Marriott International, Stéphane Bancel of Moderna, Vas Narasimhan of Novartis, Albert Bourla of Pfizer, Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, Tom Eggemeier of Zendesk - in calling to action other business leaders to invest in continued innovation and solutions in response to global humanitarian needs. Read the full letter to find out how business leaders can support refugees today.

The number of displaced people in the world has reached a record-high—but who are they? Swipe ➡️ to see our breakdown of who they are, where they come from, and what they face. It’s now as critical as ever that the world steps up to support people who have been displaced by conflict and crisis. Visit Rescue.org/WorldRefugeeDay to learn about how you can take action today.