I want to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for all of you’ve done for refugee families this year.

You have gone above and beyond to help families who needed warmth, kindness and a safe place to call home. It takes a special person to stand with refugees like you do, and my team and I are truly grateful.

The families we support are also thankful for your role in changing their lives. If you haven’t had a chance, please read Nargis’s note below. With our help, Nargis and her son recently became U.S. citizens.

So many families we serve have shared how much the work we do together means to them. Cibel, a refugee mother from Venezuela, told us, “I am alive because of the IRC.” You helped us provide her with the care she needed to deliver a healthy baby. She even named her little one Diana after her compassionate IRC nurse.

Our teams couldn’t do this work without you. Thank you again, [Name]. And I hope as you come together with your loved ones today that you will join me in keeping refugee families who are far from home in your thoughts.

Sending you my warmest wishes for a happy holiday,

David Miliband
President and CEO
International Rescue Committee

P.S. Giving Tuesday is next week and I hope you will choose to support the IRC. Thank you in advance for helping us reach more refugees like Nargis and Cibel.




My son Rehan and I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We’re grateful for our home and our family. We’re grateful for the IRC and we’re grateful for you.

You and the IRC have given us hope, freedom and a new life.

Rehan and I were refugees from Afghanistan. In Kabul, I worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army, which was one of the most dangerous jobs, especially for a woman. Taliban fighters threatened everyone who was helping the Americans. But I was a single mom, caring for my elderly mother, and I had few options to support my family.

My job also gave me an opportunity to apply for a refugee visa and leave behind a life of uncertainty and violence for America. We anxiously waited for two years after applying for a visa and in 2013, Rehan and I finally were able to resettle in New York.

We were met by our IRC caseworker when we arrived and taken to our new apartment—which was filled with all the comforts of home. After all we’d been through, you can’t imagine the relief and gratitude we felt in that moment.

The IRC, with your support, also helped us with everyday things, like getting a subway card, opening a bank account and enrolling Rehan in kindergarten.

In 2016, my mother was able to join us in America and I began a full-time job with the IRC that I love. We were able to find stability and create the life we never thought possible back home in Afghanistan.

And so many more wonderful things have happened since then, including becoming a U.S. citizen this year! This has been one of the greatest achievements of my life. I’m looking forward to a lot as a new citizen and I’m especially excited about the opportunity to vote.

Also, this is my first Thanksgiving as an official citizen of this country. I’ve celebrated the holiday before, but never as an American. Reflecting back on my journey ahead of Thanksgiving, I can’t find the words to express how happy I am to be able to celebrate in a peaceful country with my family and friends.

This really wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you again, [Name], for helping me to be safe, healthy and happy and provide Rehan with a good future.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Nargis Bigzad


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