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IRC monthly update
MAY 2021
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A family reunited. After Americans—including hundreds of International Rescue Committee supporters—spoke up, President Biden agreed to lift a Trump-era limit on refugee admissions. For Patrice and Wanyema, the change meant they could finally see their daughter after being separated for over five years.
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A family reunites after five years
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Just last week, the Boise Airport was home to a momentously happy and long-anticipated occasion: Patrice Maneno and Wanyema Mitambo, whose story we shared last month, were finally reunited with their daughter Mauwa and her children after five long years apart.
The family was forced to flee war and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997 and spent decades in a refugee camp in Tanzania before Patrice and Wanyema were able to resettle in the United States. It took 30-year-old Mauwa and her four children another half decade to negotiate the exhaustive resettlement application process.
Some barriers to the reunion came as recently as this year. In early 2021, Mauwa had finally been approved for resettlement and was at the airport when she received the news that, because President Biden was delaying raising a Trump Administration record-low cap on refugee resettlement, her flight was cancelled. She didn’t know when she would be allowed to travel.
Luckily, when it seemed as if President Biden would maintain the Trump-era refugee admissions numbers until October, public reaction was swift. Americans spoke out and the finally raised the resettlement cap to 62,500.
“We were missing each other and unhappy all the time because we were thinking about them, because they are our children,” Wanyema said about the years she and her husband were separated from their daughter and her family. “We didn’t feel settled without them here. We feel much safer now.”
“I am really very happy,” Patrice said. “This is a big celebration.”
See photos of their reunion and learn more about the family's story
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Rescue in action
The only way to stop COVID-19? Vaccines for all
With nearly 90% of all COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in high-income countries, much of the world cannot expect to have access to the vaccine for years, let alone in 2021. As IRC senior health director Mesfin Teklu Tessema says, “This is an unacceptable outcome.”
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Learn more and find out what wealthy countries must do.
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"One day we'll go home": How Syrian mothers care for their families in crisis
Ten years of conflict in Syria have forced millions of families to flee their homes and decimated the economy and health system. As with any crisis, it’s women and children who face the greatest challenges. Hear from Syrian mothers in their own words about how their families have been coping.
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What you need to know about the crisis in Myanmar
Myanmar’s decade-long efforts at a democratic transition of power had brought some progress and hope to a population affected by poverty and internal conflict. The sudden return to military rule has raised alarms about the future of the Southeast Asian nation. Here's what you need to know.
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Hunger crisis: How can G7 leaders help end famine?
A group of leaders from the world’s seven richest countries— the Group of 7, or G7 for short—will be gathering in Cornwall, England next month. With conflict, climate change and the impacts of COVID-19 setting back the clock on the fight against world hunger, their meeting comes at a critical moment. Read more about the G7 and find out what world leaders can do to confront the global hunger crisis.
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One thing you can do
Thank President Biden
President Joe Biden has raised the refugee admissions goal to 62,500 this fiscal year. Thank the president for upholding his promise to refugees and restoring the U.S.' bipartisan legacy on refugee resettlement.
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IRC in the news
After fleeing Afghanistan, I know the value of refugee resettlement
Sheeba Shafiq was studying to become an OB-GYN when she was forced to flee her home in Afghanistan due to threats to her life. Today, she supervises a mobile COVID-19 vaccine site in California that serves low-income communities. Sheeba recently took to the pages of Newsweek to write about the importance of refugee resettlement and her experience rebuilding her life and career.
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