Our goals

The IRC provides direct assistance for people as they try to feed their families and find a safe place to live, and we work to improve livelihoods opportunities for long-term economic wellbeing.
Ensure that people can become self-sufficient by engaging in safe and decent work and by managing and saving their resources

Ensure that people in crisis areas have what they need to survive—including food, water, shelter and basic household items—without falling into debt or resorting to desperate measures


How we get there:

 

  • Providing cash assistance—through debit card accounts with no strings attached, where appropriate—so that people can buy what they need themselves, which benefits the local economy

See all economic wellbeing goals.

Ensure that people resettled in the United States have what they need to rebuild their lives and grow their assets

Ensure that people resettled in the United States have what they need to rebuild their lives and grow their assets


How we get there:

 

  • Assisting people to identify realistic, achievable career paths that have the potential to offer a living wage;
  • Ensuring people have information about the job market and requirements for their specific fields.

See all economic wellbeing goals.

Ensure that people can become self-sufficient by engaging in safe and decent work and by managing and saving their resources

Ensure that people can become self-sufficient by engaging in safe and decent work and by managing and saving their resources


How we get there:

 

  • Providing business-skills training for in-demand jobs and strengthening connections in local labor markets so that prospective employers can more easily find employees with the skills they need;
  • Encouraging new entrepreneurs and helping local businesses to grow through mentorship, financial management training, technical support and access to grants and loans.

See all economic wellbeing goals.

Our impact

In 2015, the International Rescue Committee and our partners helped:

$11.8M

We provide cash assistance—through debit card accounts so that people can buy what they need themselves, which benefits the local economy.

in cash and asset transfers to 75,625 refugees and displaced households.

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8,760

We provide business-skills training for in-demand jobs and connect newly resettled refugees in the United States with prospective employers.

businesses with start­up support or other assistance.

How we help resettle refugees

1,716

The IRC runs savings and loan programmes to help people living in crisis manage their money properly.

village savings and loan associations that benefited more than 38,000 members who saved a total of nearly $1.8 million.

Explore our goals.