Meet some of the community leaders and health heroes the IRC spotlighted on World Refugee Day.

IRC monthly update JUNE 2020

Behind this month's headlines Hear from refugees who are caring for the sick, making masks, distributing food, and helping their communities rebuild during the coronavirus pandemic. There is a new record number of nearly 80 million refugees and displaced people around the world. Read our response. Explore the legacy of Bayard Rustin, a beloved member of the IRC Board of Directors who spent his life confronting injustice and refusing to accept the status quo.

Hear from refugees on the frontlines of COVID-19 In the battle against COVID-19 and beyond, refugees are essential to keeping communities safe, making society stronger and rebuilding our world. For this year’s World Refugee Day on June 20, we were proud to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of refugees on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus. Hear in their own words why they decided to go above and beyond to support their communities: “It’s like a circle. I help somebody and somebody helps me.” Rania is a refugee from Syria living in Roselle, New Jersey. She is working as a food distributor for the IRC and World Central Kitchen, providing essential meals for people in need. Read her story. “Health care is the most urgent need in Azraq camp.” Doha was looking forward to continuing her education in philosophy when the war forced her to flee her home in Syria. Today, she lives in Azraq refugee camp in Jordan and volunteers in the IRC’s reproductive health clinic. Read her story. “I felt the unity of the world at war against this pandemic and I wanted to be a part of that.” Ammar is a refugee from Syria living in Athens, Greece. He volunteers both to feed people in need—he estimates he’s cooked over 2,000 meals—and provide masks for them. Read his story. “For refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Italy the situation is incredibly difficult...how do you stay indoors if you don’t have a house?” Henry fled Nigeria and today lives in Italy. He is a moderator for Refugee.Info, an online platform created by the IRC and our partners that tackles misinformation and answers questions from asylum seekers and refugees recently arrived in the country. Read his story. You can find out more about our campaign—and even write a letter to thank refugee essential workers—at Rescue.org/WorldRefugeeDay.

Rescue in action   There is a new record number of 79.5 million refugees and displaced people around the world The IRC’s president and CEO David Miliband responded to the news: “Today’s record-setting figures arrive at a desperate time for refugees and displaced people around the world, who now face an unimaginable double emergency: conflict and displacement itself, alongside COVID-19 and the global economic crisis it has generated.“ Read our full statement Bayard Rustin: Amplifier. Organizer. Humanist. Now is the time for listening and learning from Black voices. In this article, we amplify the words of Bayard Rustin who taught us that: “The proof that one truly believes is in action.” Rustin was the chief architect of the 1963 March on Washington and a beloved member of the Board of Directors of the IRC. Learn more about Rustin’s legacy at Rescue.org. You can also explore his work through his foundation, the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice. Our ad in the Star Tribune Last week, the IRC joined 40 U.S.-based humanitarian organizations and national security experts in a full page ad in the Star Tribune. Our message: Black Lives Matter. You can read the full ad here. “Leave and live or stay and die”: Lincy’s story As a transgender woman in Honduras, Lincy Sopall faced abuse, violence and persecution. After a dangerous journey through Mexico and several months in U.S. immigration detention, Lincy was granted asylum in 2018 and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, she is fulfilling her dream of owning her own fashion business as well as, in response to COVID-19, making masks for her friends and neighbors. Her story. The most serious locust outbreak in 70 years hits East Africa The invasion represents an unprecedented risk to food security and livelihoods for millions of people. Even a tiny, one-square-kilometer locust swarm is capable of consuming the same amount of food in one day as approximately 35,000 people. Find out what you need to know about the crisis—and the IRC’s response.

One thing you can do   This World Refugee Day, we’re proud to honor refugees of all color, nationality, religion, gender and sexual orientation, and celebrate their contributions. Join us in honoring refugees around the U.S. by calling on your members of Congress to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Refugee Act.

From our partners   IKEA Foundation works with the IRC in Nairobi For World Refugee Day, the IKEA Foundation spotlighted its work with the IRC on the BILLY Project. The project helps refugees and young Kenyans living in Nairobi’s informal settlements to earn a better income through a flexible training and employment program, tailored to each individual’s needs. Learn more about the program.

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