The International Rescue Committee

by Zoriah

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a non sectarian, nongovernmental relief and humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to those who have been displaced by war and violence as well as those fleeing racial, religious and ethnic persecution. The IRC works in 25 countries around the world and the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya is a prime example of the incredible challenges that this organization takes on.

The region is in a desperate situation as an ongoing famine brought on by drought and conflict puts pressure on the food supplies of the local Turkana population. Nearby, in Dadaab Camp, the IRC is reacting to a constant influx of refugees crowding into an area that is already struggling with limited resources.

Like many aid organizations, the IRC struggles to get funding to meet the needs of the ever-growing number of refugees who rely on them for food, medical care and transitional shelter. They deal with bureaucracy, red tape, politics, disease and violence. They work with limited resources, in the most difficult of circumstances and, at the end of the day, there are many of us who are thankful for their noble efforts and can easily say that they are making the world a better place for some of the hundreds of thousands of refugees in dire need of help.

It takes a special kind of person to dedicate their life to working in the worlds most difficult situations and it takes a special kind of organization to assemble a group of such dedicated workers. I am inspired by the work of the IRC.

Zoriah Miller on behalf of The International Rescue Committee