The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps communities impacted by conflict, like in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as disasters such as the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. Since 1933, the IRC has been focused on delivering help to people in crisis around the world. Today, they are supporting communities in more than 40 countries and across 30 U.S. cities. Unfortunately, starting in 2025, there have been massive cuts in aid from the United States government, leaving the IRC in desperate need for more direct support from people like us, and you.
What Is The Impact of Funding Cuts?
- Malnutrition services for children: The IRC estimates that hundreds of thousands of people will no longer receive help feeding babies and children. The IRC manages more than 40 centers in crisis areas to make sure these children get the nutrition they require.
- Healthcare for mothers and newborn children: The IRC operates more than 750 healthcare facilities that support more than 100,000 pregnant women. This care is at risk without additional support.
- Infectious Disease: Almost 80% of the care provided at the IRC’s 3,300 healthcare facilities treat diseases like malaria, dengue, and HIV/AIDS. The loss in funding not only harms those communities but can allow these infections to spread to even more people.
- Violence against women and children: Almost 70% of women and children in areas facing humanitarian crises are at risk of violence. The IRC provides support to nearly 300,000 women and children and estimate that 14,000 women and girls will lose access to safe housing.
Why is the International Rescue Committee Essential?
- Respond within 72 hours
- Help families rebuild long-term
- Support refugees in both the U.S. and Internationally
- Prioritize women and girls
- Help people regain control of their lives
Research:
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, as of the end of 2025, there are more than 41.6 million refugees worldwide. Approximately 39% of these refugees are children. These numbers don’t include the millions of internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes. At the same time, about 83% of USAID grants were terminated including dozens of grants to the IRC. These cuts came despite the fact that the IRC has an “A” rating from Charity Watch for spending 87% of every dollar raised on programs vs overhead.
What Do Refugees Contribute?
Refugee Story
Where Does The Money Go?
Healthcare: This includes both physical and emotional support for people suffering from things like malnutrition, malaria, or infectious disease as well as emotional trauma from their experiences. Your donation can help the IRC provide the resources local health care workers need like incubators, clean water, and medicine.
Resettlement: When people are displaced from their homes and communities, they not only need immediate lifesaving support, but they also need help settling into new homes and learning how to integrate into their new social environments. The IRC helps refugees with finding a safe place to live, job training, language classes, and teaches them about their rights and how to advocate for themselves.
Education: – Refugees often lack the ability to access educational resources for their children. The IRC supports parents and children by providing early childhood education resources in both schools and informal settings to help ensure that children develop the skills and resources to support themselves as adults.
How Can You Contribute?
Any amount that you contribute can make a difference. We are not asking for any specific amount, we just ask that you give what you can. Example donations:
$35: Can provide emergency food to feed a child in a crisis zone like Somalia or Yemen.
$50: Can provide baby kits for two mothers who are displaced or in crisis zones.
$80: Can treat a child suffering from acute malnutrition.
$100: Can provide ongoing temporary shelter for seven families.
$200: Can fund small-business training for women to help them rebuild their livelihoods.
$250: Can provide a full year of school for four children.
$500: Can fully equip a mobile medical clinic with scales and lifesaving supplies.
$1,000: Can purchase a baby incubator to help premature infants survive in crisis zones.
Why Does The IRC Matter To Us?
The IRC and the Bridge Builders value compassion, resilience, and community. We learned that refugees face unimaginable challenges while seeking safety. Standing with refugees is standing for hope and human rights. By supporting the IRC, we are able to take action, connecting global responsibility with local impact. We believe that every person deserves safety and a chance to thrive.
More Information:
If you would like to learn more about the IRC and the work they do or about the needs of refugees and people affected by conflict and natural disasters, you can visit these sites:
- International Rescue Committee website: https://www.rescue.org/
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees website: https://www.unhcr.org/us/
Who We Are
We are the Bridge Builders, a student team from the University of North Texas. We are educating the public and partnering with the International Rescue Committee in their mission to help refugees around the world and in the U.S. Our team members are Alexis Jones, Wayne Consolvo, Natalie Maxwell and Amin Hekmatara. Our team believes in the safety, freedom, and health of everyone, and our values align with the mission of the IRC. Kindness is our common language.
Sources:
International Rescue Committee. (2025, July 2). Helping millions of people[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGxIp7St-yY&t=19s
International Rescue Committee. (2023, June 20). Refugees Are Changemakers[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZl7HkRqWtc
International Rescue Committee. (2024, June 14). Every Number Has a Story[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twEq-S4H0Qs
International Rescue Committee. (2025, November 20). Meet The Moment[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_91DrStQBs
International Rescue Committee. (2024, October 17). The IRC's US Resettlement, Asylum & Integration: Who We Are[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3lB_877Z9s
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International Rescue Committee
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