International Rescue Committee 2006 Annual Report

International Rescue Committee 2006 Annual Report 

A mother and her child wait for the IRC 

to distribute goods at the Kalma displaced 

persons camp in South Dafur, Sudan.

The IRC’s Impact In 2006, the IRC restored hope and opportunity 

for more than 15 million conflict-affected people around the world. 

Here’s a look at some of our recent achievements: We gave over 

3 million people access to clean water and sanitation. We trained 

Front cover photo by Gerald Martone 

more than 10,800 educators, and supported schools attended 

by 316,000 children, more than half of them girls. Our doctors, 

nurses and community health workers served more than 6 million 

people with primary and reproductive health care. We reached 

some 5 million people through our health education and HIV/AIDS 

prevention programs. We counseled and cared for nearly 140,000 

survivors of sexual violence. We educated some 1,560,000 men, 

women and adolescents on the prevention of sexual violence. aWe 

reunited over 2,400 separated children and former child soldiers 

with their families and cared for another 9,300 young people. aIn 

the United States, we helped resettle 5,000 newly arrived refugees 

and asylees and provided services to 18,000 other refugees. 

The IRC’s Ratings We were again awarded high 

marks by charity watchdog groups and respected 

publications for our effectiveness and efficiency. 

n A from the American Institute of Philanthropy. 

n Met all 20 standards of The Better Business 

Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance n Selected by the 

2004 Forbes Investment Guide as one of 10 “gold 

star charities that shine.” 

The IRC’s efficiency 

Of every dollar the IRC spends: 

90¢ on programs and direct 

services to vulnerable people 

10¢ on administration 

and fundraising 

The IRC’s headquarters Brussels Geneva London New York

Gerald Martone 

A newly arrived family in a 

camp for displaced people 

near the town of El Fasher 

in NOrth darfur, Sudan. 

What Is the IRC For nearly 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has 

been a leader in humanitarian relief. We mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support 

to regions torn apart by violence and deprivation. We rebuild shattered communities, care 

for children traumatized by war, rehabilitate health care, water and sanitation systems, 

train teachers, establish schools, strengthen local organizations and promote human 

rights. We provide a fresh start for refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. IRC offices 

across the country provide a range of assistance aimed at helping new arrivals get 

settled, integrate and acquire the skills to become self-sufficient. We advocate tirelessly 

on behalf of the displaced, addressing the root causes of violence and standing up for the 

world’s most vulnerable populations.

2 

Photos by Jonathan Wiesner (top), Alan Batkin (Bottom) 

From the 

co-chaiRmen 

Alan Batkin (top) and Jonathan Wiesner 

(bottom) during a trip to Northern Uganda. 

Dear Friends: 

Last July, we led a delegation of IRC board members and supporters on a visit to see the IRC’s work 

in southern Sudan and northern Uganda, where the IRC is assisting large groups of people whose 

lives have been devastated as a consequence of protracted civil conflicts. 

Our delegation was extremely impressed by the dedication of our staff who work tirelessly on 

behalf of refugees and the displaced. While the programs we saw are representative of services that 

IRC provides in countries affected by war throughout the world, we noted several distinctive aspects of 

the IRC’s work that deserve mention. 

The IRC helps people help themselves. In Juba, in southern Sudan, we visited a vocational training 

program that teaches carpentry and provides tools to refugees who are finally able to return home. 

In Uganda’s Kitgum district, we sat in on a meeting of a community-run and community-supported 

savings and loan association. The IRC has trained 49 facilitators who teach residents in seven camps 

for the internally displaced how to start and manage these associations, which in turn fund small 

business ventures inside the camps with short term loans. 

The IRC innovates. Thanks to an IRC initiative in one camp for the displaced Acholi in northern 

Uganda, acreage has been set aside for 116 farmers to grow cotton and vegetables. Through contacts 

made by the IRC, an international cotton merchandiser has agreed to buy the cotton at the prevailing 

market prices, while the vegetables are sold in the camp markets. For the participants, the initiative 

provides a boost not only to their income but to their morale and self-esteem. 

The IRC tackles difficult issues. In both southern Sudan and Uganda, the IRC administers programs 

that combat violence against women. We assist survivors of violence and work to prevent the problem, 

which is especially prevalent in camps and refugee populations, through community education 

and awareness training for both men and women. In southern Sudan, we assist a small, local aid 

organization operated by a group of disabled men. At the time of our visit, the organization, whose 

slogan is “disability does not equal inability,” had registered 649 people with disabilities—(225 of 

them women)—and 135 children, out of an estimated 2,000 people with disabilities in the region. 

The IRC trains and develop its local staff. Our staff in southern Sudan and Uganda consists of 628 

local citizens and only 33 expatriates. We provide these local staff members with valuable training, 

experience, and the opportunity to advance within the IRC. Indeed, in the 25 countries where the IRC 

operates, expatriates account for only about 2 percent of our staff. 

None of our work in Sudan, Uganda and elsewhere would be possible without the generous support 

of our donors. In 2006, donor contributions totaled $56 million, compared with $41 million in 2005 and 

$22 million in 2004. This private funding enables us to attract additional support from the United States 

and other governments, the U.N. and intergovernmental agencies—a record $164 million last year. 

Additionally, invaluable assistance to the IRC’s work comes from our colleagues on the board of 

directors. These men and women—all of them unpaid volunteers who cover their own expenses when 

they travel to see programs—play a vital role in the governance of the organization. They serve on, or 

chair, a number of hardworking committees that support and monitor the efforts of the staff to ensure 

that IRC resources are used wisely and effectively. For their part, the IRC overseers offer advice and 

assistance on advocacy, public relations, and fundraising, and contribute substantially to the work of 

our board committees. 

We are grateful to you, the IRC’s supporters, and to our board and overseers. Your support makes 

the IRC’s work possible. 

Alan R. Batkin 

Co-Chairmen of the Board 

Jonathan L. Wiesner

Sarah O’Hagan 

From the president 

George Rupp visiting an IRC program for 

displaced people in Lira, Uganda, with IRC 

education coordinator Joyce Wanican. 

Dear Friends: 

I am pleased to introduce this report of our work in 2006, a year in which IRC staff and volunteers 

aided more than 15 million refugees and war-affected people around the world, including programs 

and services for 23,000 refugees and asylum seekers who were resettled in the United States. 

Darfur, Sudan, continues to be the scene of the world’s most acute humanitarian crisis. Since the 

outbreak of fighting in 2003, at least 200,000 Darfuris have lost their lives, and more than two million 

people have been driven from their homes. Today many of them are living in camps inside Darfur or 

have crossed the border and become refugees in Chad. Throughout the region, IRC teams are working 

tirelessly under difficult and dangerous circumstances to meet the needs of these uprooted Darfuris and 

to help improve their quality of life. 

While the situation in Darfur remains grim, the outlook brightened in other places where we work. In 

neighboring South Sudan, for example, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005 

continues to hold. The pact ended a war between the government in the north and a well-established 

rebel movement in the south that had dragged on for over two decades. The restoration of peace is 

permitting families to return home after years of exile, and will enable us to move ahead with programs 

to help them rebuild their communities and their society. 

In Liberia, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf assumed office in early 2006 as the first woman to be 

elected president of an African nation. Her dignity, integrity, and competence have given new hope 

to her country’s beleaguered people. The IRC staff, almost all of whom are Liberians, are carrying out 

a range of programs to strengthen education and health care systems and to support the process of 

reestablishing a country devastated by decades of war. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo also took a major stride forward in 2006 by holding its first 

nationwide democratic election in four decades. Citizens chose Joseph Kabila as their president. After 

years of turmoil, Congo faces overwhelming challenges, to be sure. But its people are eager to rebuild 

their local communities and their country, and the IRC is on the ground with substantial programs 

assisting them in these efforts. 

Restrained optimism also took hold in northern Uganda, as I saw last fall when I visited IRC programs 

there. Since 1986, a reign of terror imposed by the marauding Lord’s Resistance Army has displaced 

1.5 million people, and its merciless troops kidnapped upward of 30,000 children. Compounding the 

tragedy, Ugandan government troops charged with protecting the civilian population have had the 

effect of confining displaced communities to very crowded camps, with inadequate provision for water 

and sanitation and health care. In August 2006, the government and rebels signed a “cessation of 

hostilities” agreement, setting the stage for peace talks. While there is no guarantee the negotiations 

will succeed, the uprooted Ugandans with whom we work are finding some solace as they experience 

a respite from conflict and prepare to return to their former homes. 

As the year ended, it became apparent that the war in Iraq was producing the world’s newest 

refugee population. In addition to some two million Iraqis displaced inside the country, an estimated 

two million more have fled to neighboring countries. We are preparing to assist these uprooted people, 

both in the Middle East and in the United States, where at least some of those in most need of protection 

should qualify for resettlement. 

In the pages that follow, you will learn more about our lifesaving activities. We are able to carry them out 

only because of your generous support. For that I express my deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude. 

Sincerely, 

George Rupp 

President 

3 

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE 2006 ANNUAL REPORT www.theIRC.org

IRCSpecialReport 

Inside 

the Camps 

of Darfur 

4 

Peter Biro 

Amid Death and Disease, Life Goes On The conflict in Darfur has 

killed over 200,000 people and driven more than 2 million people into 

overcrowded camps in Sudan and neighboring Chad. A peace agreement 

signed in 2006 has failed to end the crisis. Attacks on civilians and aid 

workers are spirling upward. Death from malnutrition and preventable 

disease is growing. Amid the violence, the International Rescue Committee 

is delivering lifesaving aid to hundreds of thousands of people. Here is a 

look at daily life inside the refugee camps of Darfur.

“My village was attacked and burned to the ground. 

I had to walk many miles and my child was sick. 

We came to this clinic and they helped us.” 

—Fathima Idriss, displaced person, Kalma camp 

photos by Peter Biro 

“There used to be no 

justice; now there is 

some. We are doing 

valuable things.” 

—IRC-trained paralegal 

THE IRC HEALTH CLINIC (TOP) in Kalma 

camp is one of the largest medical 

facilities for displaced people in the 

world. Doctors treat 400 patients a day, 

many suffering from acute diseases. This 

woman and her malnourished child 

walked many miles to reach the clinic 

after their village was attacked and 

burned to the ground. 

The IRC’s Simon Ridley (middle) runs 

a human rights program in El Fasher, a 

town in North Darfur, for refugees, local 

leaders and Sudanese police. The IRC also 

trains volunteers who distribute human 

rights information. “In the past, if I came 

across victims, I didn’t know what to do,” 

says one volunteer. “Now I can help them. 

There used to be no justice. Now there 

is some.” 

At special women’s centers (left), 

women learn to read and write and come 

together to sing or relax over a cup of 

coffee. “At coffee sessions, the women 

talk about their past and start to heal 

from the trauma of war,” says the IRC’s 

Sabinty Conteh, who oversees centers in 

camps near El Fasher. 

5 



Elzina Adam Ismael (right) teaches 

children to read in a camp outside Nyala 

in South Darfur. “The children are our 

future. they will build Darfur and they 

must learn things,” she says. 

For the displaced, one of the most 

important things is to learn to read and 

write. The IRC offers literacy classes in 

Arabic and English. They are well attended 

by people of all ages. 


Collecting firewood is a necessity 

for cooking and heating. It is a task carried 

out by women, who are at great risk of 

sexual assault as they search for wood 

outside the camp. protecting women as 

they gather wood is a priority. 

“The children are our future; they will 

build Darfur and they must learn things” 

—Elzina Adam Ismael, teacher, Sekeli camp 

6


“People live so close to one another that the minute they are 

unable to get clean water, there will be an outbreak of disease.” 

—Rania Hassaballa Ali, IRC health manager, Nyala 

A girl collects water at a tap the IRC 

has installed to provide fresh water to the 

camps. “Fresh water is essential,” says IRC 

worker Rania Hassaballa Ali. “People live so 

close to one another that the minute they 

are unable to get clean water there will be 

an outbreak of disease.” 

IRC doctor Hafiz Abbas (right) on 

morning rounds in a camp outside El Fasher. 

“The role of health promoters, who walk 

door-to-door providing hygiene information, 

is crucial to stopping disease,” he says. 

“The role of our 

health promoters 

is crucial to 

stopping disease.” 

—Hafiz Abbas, IRC doctor 

7 



Afghanistan 

“I hope this skill 

can continue in our 

family. It’s a beautiful 

way to make a living.” 

— Farmala Khan, master weaver 

8 


Farmala Khan is the 

master weaver of Landi Miran, 

a village surrounded by majestic 

mountains in eastern Afghanistan. 

He has just started a 

12-hour shift, and the clatter 

of his loom fills the yard of the 

small factory protected by high 

clay walls. 

“I normally make seven 

cloths per day,” he says as 

he adjusts the brown wool 

thread that he’ll turn into a 

beautiful shawl. 

Khan has returned to 

Afghanistan after living in 

Pakistan for 25 years. Like 

thousands of other returnees, 

he is receiving assistance from 

the IRC in order to start a new 

life in his homeland. He recently 

completed a weaving course 

and, after earning his diploma, 

found a job and built a new 

house, all with the aid of the IRC. 

“My life has turned round 

completely,” Khan says. 

“I heard from other refugees 

in Pakistan that we had a new 

president and that there was 

peace. But when I came home, 

I didn’t recognize my village. 

My old house was destroyed. 

I owned nothing and I slept 

under a tree with my family.” 

Like millions of Afghans, 

Khan and his family fled their 

country when the Soviet Union 

invaded in 1979. During the 

next 22 years of occupation 

and war, 2 million people were 

killed, another 2 million were 

driven from their homes and 

villages and some 7 million 

escaped to refugee camps in 

Pakistan and Iran. After the fall 

of the Taliban government in 

2001, many refugees decided 

to return despite the continuing 

hardships in their homeland. 

Over 4.5 million Afghans have 

done so during the last six years. 

For many returnees, life 

is even harsher than it was 

in exile. Most Afghans still 

lack safe drinking water and 

adequate health care and 

few have access to electricity. 

Unemployment is well over 

30 percent. The past year has 

seen an upsurge of violence in 

the countryside as the Taliban 

attempt a comeback.


Home From Exile 

9 

As one of the largest and 

oldest aid organizations in 

Afghanistan, the IRC is playing 

a crucial role in helping these 

returning refugees. The IRC 

began working with Afghan 

refugees shortly after the 

Soviet invasion. Since then, 

we have provided health care, 

water, sanitation and education 

to hundreds of thousands of 

people—the same service 

we provide to returning 

refugees today. 

“The most important thing 

is to help people find work so 

that they can provide for their 

families,” says Abdul Ahad, the 

IRC field coordinator in the 

city of Jalalabad. “Before we 

train people, we always conduct 

market surveys so that we 

know what type of work is 

in demand.” 

Despite the continuing 

instability in Afghanistan, 

Farmala Khan is optimistic 

about the future. He recently 

moved into a new IRC-built 

clay house with steel beams, 

windows and a cooking area. 

“I keep my chickens here,” 

Khan says, pointing to a coop in 

the yard. “Our life is good now, 

the house is very comfortable 

and it protects us from the 

cold and the sun. I even have 

glass windows, and I can get 

water nearby.” 

Khan’s eight children are all 

in an IRC-run school, except 

for his eldest son, Shoib, who 

wants to become a weaver 

like his father. 

“I hope this skill can 

continue in our family,” 

Khan says. “It’s a beautiful 

way to earn a living.” 

opposite page Master weaver Farmala Khan 

at his loom in his new IRC-built house. 

opposite page top and Above left and 

center The IRC is playing a crucial role in 

helping returning Afghan refugees gain 

access to health care, water, sanitation and 

job training. 

Above right Hundreds of thousands of 

Afghan refugee children have been educated 

in IRC-run schools. Farmala Khan’s children 

all attend an IRC school in Landi Miran. 



George Angolli 

“Everything is 

different now. 

I walk in the 

marketplace and 

people respect me.” 

—Molly Adongo, age 17 

Melissa Winkler 


10 

Northern 

Uganda 

By the time Molly Adongo 

reached the age of seven, she 

was an orphan, struggling with 

her three brothers and sisters 

to find enough food to stay 

alive. Then the Lord’s Resistance 

Army raided her village 

in northern Uganda. 

For nearly 20 years, the rebel 

group known as the LRA has 

conducted a campaign of murder 

and mutilation across northern 

Uganda. The conflict between the 

LRA and the Ugandan government 

has killed tens of thousands 

and displaced two million others. 

Perhaps even worse, the cultlike 

LRA has abducted some 

30,000 children and forced 

them to serve as soldiers, porters 

and sex slaves. Many have been 

made to kill their own relatives 

and torch their own villages. 

When the LRA swept through 

Molly’s village in 2003, she 

knew she had to flee. She and 

her siblings, joining a terrified 

stream of people, escaped as 

their village was set afire and 

their families kidnapped or killed. 

After running into Ugandan 

soldiers, Molly and her fellow 

villagers were herded into a 

congested camp set up by the 

government. Though she was 

told she would be there only a 

short time, she spent years in the 

squalid, disease-ridden camp. 

“It was especially difficult 

for us to cope with no parents 

and not enough to eat,” Molly 

recalls. “My brother was 

always sick. I had to beg for 

food and sell peanuts in bars. 

I saw terrible things. Girls my 

age had sex in exchange for 

food to feed their families.” 

It was at Aloi Camp that 

Molly met Joyce Wanican. 

Wanican helps manage an IRC 

program that aids children who, 

like Molly, have been driven 

from their homes, terrorized 

or exploited as child laborers. 

“The suffering they have 

experienced is beyond comprehension,” 

says Wanican. 

“So many are living with such 

memories, and they have no 

one to turn to and no hope.” 

Wanican tries to restore 

hope by helping children go 

back to school or learn a trade.

From Horror to Hope 

George Angolli 


11 

Her IRC team provides books, 

supplies and school fees as 

well as materials for teachers. 

They also support local 

institutions that teach trades 

like bricklaying, welding and 

tailoring. So far, nearly 6,000 

displaced children have benefited 

from the IRC’s program. 

“We’re adding value and 

meaning to the lives of these 

young people,” says Wanican. 

“They are now students, builders 

and designers as opposed to 

beggars, child soldiers and child 

mothers. They have come out of 

hiding and stand up strong.” 

Last summer, Molly, now 17, 

graduated from a tailoring 

course and started a small 

clothing business. “Everything 

is different now,” Molly says. 

“I walk in the marketplace 

and people respect me. And 

with my profits, I can afford to 

send my brother to school.” 

Recently, Molly and her 

brothers and sisters have seen 

another dream come true: they 

have gone home to their village. 

In August 2006, the LRA and the 

government agreed to a truce 

that has made it safe for some 

displaced people to return to 

their war-devastated communities. 

In Molly’s village there is 

no clean water, no doctor, no 

services of any kind. But she’s 

happy to be back, planting 

corn and cassava, constructing 

a new hut and starting her life 

over again. 

opposite page left Molly Adongo, an orphan, 

was forced to beg to feed her younger siblings. 

With the IRC’s help, she became a tailor 

and now provides for her family. 

opposite page top An IRC program to fight 

child labor helps children go to school or 

learn new trades. 

opposite page bottom The IRC’s George 

Angolli (right) encourages Alfred (left), a carpentry 

apprentice, who escaped from the LRA. 

above top Molly and Joyce Wanican (right), 

who helps manage the IRC education programs 

in the Aloi Camp. “All children deserve to be 

protected, supported and cared for,” she 

says. “That’s what the IRC is trying to do.” 

above bottom Amid relative stability, the 

Otim family has been able to leave the camps 

and return home. 



The Balkans 

“Our years in the 

Balkans were 

without a doubt 

some of the finest 

in IRC history.” 

—Greg Beck, 

IRC regional director 

12 

photos by Victor Mello 

Sarajevo. Winter 1993. The 

Bosnian capital is under siege 

by Serbian nationalist forces. 

Artillery entrenched in the 

surrounding hills lobs shells 

and mortars at hospitals, markets 

and schools. From rooftops, 

snipers mow down civilians as 

they fill water buckets or line 

up for bread. All roads leading 

into the city are blocked, as are 

shipments of food and medicine. 

Water, electricity and heat 

are cut off. 

In their offices in the heart of 

the beleaguered city, a small 

group of IRC workers hit upon 

an innovative plan: a seed 

distribution program to help the 

increasingly desperate Sarajevans 

grow fruits and 

vegetables in their backyards 

or apartment terraces. It is the 

first step in what will become 

one of the IRC’s most heroic 

relief efforts—an effort that 

will continue for 14 years 

and involve lifesaving work 

throughout the Balkans. 

“We were seeing an 

industrialized country 

descend into chaos,” recalls 

John Fawcett, the IRC’s Bosnia 

program director in 1993. “It 

was an environment for 

which we had no previous 

experience.” In response, the 

IRC improvised and adopted 

unorthodox methods. 

Rather than coping with 

the logistics of moving tons of 

aid into battered Sarajevo, for 

example, the IRC contracted 

with local factories to produce 

the supplies there. The IRC also 

provided seed grain to farmers 

to reduce the number of food 

convoys. “The economic activity 

helped people to withstand 

some of the miseries and also 

helped them to resist fleeing 

their homes,” Fawcett says. 

One project was deemed so 

risky few thought it possible. 

Braving withering sniper fire, 

IRC engineers drew water 

from the Miljacka River, which 

winds through the center of 

Sarajevo, and piped it to safer 

areas of the city as drinking 

water. They hid the pumps and 

filter systems in tunnels to 

protect them from shelling.

photos by Victor Mello 

A Lasting Legacy 

13 

The engineers painstakingly 

repaired Sarajevo’s bombed out 

electrical and heating systems, 

projects that took two years 

to complete. Over 600 tons of 

supplies were transported over 

treacherous Mount Igman on 

a narrow, winding dirt track 

controlled by Serbian gunmen. 

By the time the 1995 peace 

accords ended the siege of 

Sarajevo, the IRC had saved 

thousands of lives and brought 

food, water and light to the 

city’s populace. We then shifted 

our focus to the victims of war 

and destroyed communities 

in Bosnia and elsewhere in 

the Balkans. 

forces and rebels in Kosovo 

ignited the last of the Balkan 

wars, the IRC launched one 

of its largest aid programs, 

providing extensive humanitarian 

aid and repairing 

thousands of homes, electrical 

facilities, roads, hospitals and 

schools. The IRC distributed 

food and medicine to tens of 

thousands of people in Croatia, 

lent assistance to Serbian 

refugees fleeing Croatia and 

Bosnia, and established emergency 

aid and reconstruction 

programs in Macedonia and 

Serbia and Montenegro. 

As peace gradually returned 

to the Balkans, the IRC began 

conflict. The IRC’s program 

in Serbia and Montenegro 

and Kosovo closed in 2004, 

followed by Croatia in 2005. 

The Bosnia program closed 

in April 2006. 

”Our years in the Balkans 

were without a doubt some of 

the finest in our history,” says 

Greg Beck, the IRC’s regional 

director for Asia, Balkans and 

Caucasus. “We saved the lives 

of many, many people and 

left a lasting legacy of change 

in the region.” 

opposite PAGE top The IRC assisted 

millions of people displaced by the 

conflicts in the Balkans. 

opposite PAGE BOTTOM In Kosovo, the 

IRC repaired thousands of homes, roads, 

electrical facilities, hospitals and schools. 

above The IRC’s work in the Balkans 

lasted 14 years. We distributed food and 

medicine in Croatia, aided Serbian, Bosnian 

and Croatian refugees and established 

aid and reconstruction programs in 

Macedonia and Montenegro. 

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE 2006 ANNUAL REPORT www.theIRC.org 

In 1998, when clashes 

closing its programs, having 

between advancing Serbian 

assisted millions displaced by



14 

Congo 

Laurent, 17, points at the X 

he has drawn on a map of his 

village, situated on the banks 

of the Congo River. 

“This is the house of my 

father and mother.” 

The boy hasn’t seen the 

village or his parents in four 

years—ever since the morning 

he was abducted by rebel 

soldiers. “They gave me a 

uniform and told me that now 

I was in the army,” Laurent 

says. “They said that they 

would kill my parents if I 

didn’t do as they said.” 

In 2003, a shaky truce 

brought the war in Congo to an 

end. Laurent (not his real name) 

was taken to a demobilization 

camp near the town of Kisangani, 

where the IRC found him. Like 

other former child soldiers, he 

was placed with a foster family 

while the IRC searched for his 

parents. They were found still 

living in their home village. 

“We’ll need to travel in a 

pirogue [dug-out canoe] along 

the river here,” says Didi Dimbi, 

an IRC youth counselor, tracing 

Laurent’s map with his finger. 

“It will take us at least ten days 

to get to the village.” 

It is estimated that some 

30,000 children were forced 

to take up arms since civil 

war enveloped Congo in 

1998. While most became 

soldiers, others served as cooks, 

porters and sex slaves for the 

many armed factions roaming 

the country. 

Three years ago, the IRC 

launched a program to assist 

demobilized child soldiers. 

So far, we have reunited over 

1,500 children with their 

families and helped hundreds 

more go to school or apprentice 

with a local business. 

“The first thing child soldiers 

ask when they leave the bush 

is, can they go back to school,” 

says Marie de la Soudière, The 

IRC’s special adviser for child 

and youth protection. “I never 

expected that these tough kids 

would be so willing to start 

all over again.” 

While arrangements are 

made for his trip home, Laurent 

spends his days at an IRC youth


“I am free and back 

with my parents. 

I am going to school. 

I even earn money 

selling sweets, soap 

and biscuits.” 

—Laurent, former 

child soldier 

center and evenings with his 

foster parents, Casimir and 

Annie Ubengi. Casimir runs a 

small medical clinic next to his 

house. Over the past few years, 

nine former child soldiers have 

found shelter in his home. 

“I pity these children,” Casimir 

says. “I saw them leaving for the 

frontline in their oversized uniforms. 

Now that they are back, 

we have to explain to both the 

children and their communities 

that they have to live together 

… and forget.” 

Many communities fear the 

children or hold them responsible 

for war atrocities. A cleansing 

ritual, to rid the children of 

“bad spirits,” is often required 

before they are accepted back 

A Childhood Restored 

into the community. “They have 

to be purified,” says Casimir. 

“Sometimes they need to be 

washed in beer and palm wine.” 

When Laurent’s big day 

arrives, he and IRC social 

worker Marthe Kita climb 

into a canoe to start the long 

journey downriver. After five 

days of traveling, the young 

man begins to recognize the 

terrain. He is close to home, he 

says. Approaching the village, 

Laurent spots one of his aunts 

working in a field. 

“We thought you were dead,” 

the woman sobs, hugging 

Laurent. She runs to fetch his 

parents. A moment later, the 

joyous couple appears on the 

river bank. “We never thought 

we would see you again,” they 

cry, wrapping their arms around 

their son. 

Today, Laurent is slowly 

resuming the life he led before 

it was abruptly interrupted 

four years ago. 

“I am free and back with 

my parents,” he says. “I am 

back in my old school. And I 

am even earning some money 

selling sweets, soap and 

biscuits in a small stall along 

the road. I am very happy to 

be home.” 

opposite page left Laurent shows 

IRC staff members the route to his home 

village on a hand drawn map. 

opposite page top While waiting 

for his journey home to begin, Laurent 

spends his days at an IRC youth center. The 

center helps young people recover from 

the trauma of Congo’s conflicts. 

Above Left Laurent with his young 

foster sister. 

above right Laurent (far left) with 

his Kisangani foster parents, Casimir and 

Annie Ubengi, their daughter, and Jean, 

also a foster child. 

15 


Peter Biro 


16 

Thailand 

Kaw Keh carefully folds 

clothing and slides the pile into 

a plastic bag. Htoo Htoo, his 

wife, gathers up worn books 

and papers. Their lives are 

about to change forever. With 

the help of the IRC, the couple 

will soon leave their home, 

a small bamboo house in an 

overcrowded refugee camp in 

Thailand, for an apartment in 

Seattle, Washington. 

“We will need this,” Kaw 

Keh says, holding up a woolen 

sweater. “I have heard that it is 

very cold where we are going.” 

The couple’s belongings and 

those of their three children fit 

into two bags. 

“The last time I saw my 

village in Burma was in 1997,” 

Kaw Keh says with a sigh. 

“We were rice farmers and 

led a quiet life until the 

fighting started.” 

Htoo Htoo begins to prepare 

dinner. On the balcony of the 

simple bamboo structure, coals 

smolder in a hearth. Soon the 

air is hazy with the smoke from 

hundreds of cooking fires across 

the camp, which is surrounded 

by jungle-clad mountains in an 

isolated area only a few miles 

from the Thailand-Burma border. 

Like the vast majority of 

people in the Tham Hin refugee 

camp, the Kaw Keh family are 

Karen, a minority ethnic group 

that has suffered severe persecution 

in Burma. Ten years ago, 

their village was overrun by the 

Burmese army trying to crush 

Karen rebels seeking independence 

from Burma. 

“We ran for our lives,” Kaw 

Keh recalls. “We only had time 

to grab some clothes. We 

crossed the border the same 

evening. Many villagers were 

shot dead. Cholera killed 

many more.” 

Today, there are some 

148,000 Karen refugees living 

in nine crowded camps along 

the border. In addition, an 

estimated 2 million Burmese 

migrant workers, forced to 

take menial jobs, and living in 

constant fear of deportation, 

are living in Thailand. 

“The Karen are particularly 

vulnerable,” says Robert Carey,


Looking Forward 

IRC vice president for resettlement, 

as he walks around the 

narrow pathways of Tham 

Hin. “They have been forced 

from their homes. Their villages 

have been burned, and many 

of them have been killed. And 

there is no sign that these practices 

will change anytime soon.” 

The IRC provides health care, 

water, sanitation, schools and 

teachers to the refugee camps. 

IRC field workers also interview 

every refugee and help many 

to apply for resettlement in 

the United States. Kaw Keh 

is among the lucky ones: his 

family’s application for resettlement 

has been accepted. 

“We miss our village but I 

don’t think we will be able to 

“I am happy to leave 

this camp and start a 

new life. I am looking 

forward to working 

in freedom.” 

—Kaw Keh, Burmese refugee 

return for a very long time,” 

Kaw Keh says. “I am happy 

to leave this camp and start 

a new life. And I am looking 

forward to being able to 

work and earn my own money 

in freedom.” 

A few days later, the plane 

carrying Kaw Keh, Htoo Htoo 

and their family touches down 

in Seattle. Also on board are 

Kaw Keh’s friends from the 

refugee camp, Pee Dee Hswe, 

and his family. They are met 

at the gate by IRC staff. They 

soon settle into an apartment 

complex in the small community 

of Tukwila, south of the city. 

Their new neighbors are also 

refugees, from Eastern Europe 

and Africa. 

“It is very different here,” 

Kaw Keh says, as the family 

gathers at a table before a window 

that overlooks a swimming pool, 

groomed flower beds and trimmed 

hedges. The children will 

soon begin classes at an elementary 

school just blocks away. 

A thin layer of snow sparkles 

in the sunlight. Kaw Keh and his 

wife wear wool sweaters. “I am 

hopeful and happy because 

I feel surrounded by love,” 

Kaw Keh says, adding that they 

are in touch daily with IRC caseworkers. 

“But it is cold.” 

opposite page Kaw Keh (left), Htoo Htoo 

(right), and their son, Lah May, in their small 

bamboo house at the Tham Hin refugee camp. 

above left Filling cans with fresh water 

is a daily ritual in the refugee camps on the 

Thailand-burma border. 

above center An IRC volunteer counsels 

refugees. 

above right Kaw Keh and Htoo Htoo 

carefully pack their belongings for the 

trip to Seattle and a new life. 

17 


stephanie Cristalli 


18 

Building a New 

Life 

IRC Resettlement Programs Throughout our history, the IRC has 

helped refugees build new lives in the United States. Our staff and volunteers 

ensure that newcomers have what they need to get started in their adopted 

country—a place to live, food and clothing, encouragement and emotional 

support. We introduce them to new communities, help them find jobs, 

arrange English classes and provide special programs that help families 

adjust. In 2006, the IRC helped over 5,000 newly arrived refugees resettle 

and provided services to 18,000 other refugees in the United States.

opposite page The Hswe family in their new 

apartment in Tukwila, a small town near Seattle. 

right After a few months in the 

U.S., the Hswe children are adjusting to new 

schools and a new life. 

bottom Pee Dee Hswe. 

photos by stephanie Cristalli 

Seattle 

For 10 years, Pee Dee Hswe 

languished in cramped quarters 

in a refugee camp, longing for the 

day when he could return to his 

small plot of land in his native 

country. But since the military 

seized power in Burma in 1962, 

he and other ethnic minorities 

have experienced intense repression. 

Over 100,000 people have 

fled into exile in Thailand. 

Then workers from the IRC 

visited the camp to help refugees 

apply for possible resettlement in 

the United States. Hswe jumped 

at the chance. Now, he and his 

family of seven are among the first 

wave of Karen refugees to arrive 

in America. They landed in Seattle 

on a blustery day in November, 

one week after Thanksgiving, full 

of hope … and anxiety. 

Bob Johnson, regional 

resettlement director for the IRC 

in Seattle, has long experience 

helping strangers adjust to their 

surroundings. His work with 

refugees dates back to the first 

wave of Vietnamese in 1974. 

Still, with only two weeks 

notice, IRC staffers had to 

scramble to gather warm clothing 

and locate apartments in the 

Tukwila neighborhood, near 

the IRC offices. As is customary, 

IRC staffers also arranged for 

the refugees’ long-term needs, 

such as English classes and 

job placement. 

“One of our biggest challenges 

is that there are few 

Karen speakers in the Seattle 

area,” Johnson says. “Without 

translators, communicating 

can be extremely difficult, 

especially when it comes to 

addressing complicated needs 

such as transportation and 

health issues.” 

For Hswe, 51, learning 

English has been the most 

challenging part of his journey. 

Though he speaks some 

Burmese, he is illiterate in his 

own language and never went 

“Learning English 

is very difficult. 

It’s hard to understand, 

it’s hard 

to speak. But I am 

making progress.” 

to school. Now he attends 

IRC-run English classes three 

nights a week. 

“Learning English is very 

difficult,” Hswe says, speaking 

with the aid of a translator, a 

72-year-old volunteer from the 

local Burmese community. “It’s 

hard to understand, it’s hard 

to speak. Everything about it 

is difficult.” Nevertheless, he 

has made progress and started 

work at truck repair shop, a job 

arranged by the IRC. 

The family has encountered 

plenty of other challenges as 

they cope with life in a new 

country, some of them unexpected. 

Hswe’s wife, Paw, 42, 

was used to wearing flip flops 

in Burma and Thailand, but she 

has adjusted to wearing socks 

—Pee Dee Hswe 

19 

because they keep her feet 

warm. Shoes, however, are 

still “too heavy” and “hard to 

move in.” 

With all the dramatic 

changes in their life, the Hswes 

agree that the IRC has been an 

invaluable help. But even as 

they settle into their new home, 

they are eager to welcome to 

Seattle a new group of 11 ethnic 

Karen refugees, adding to the 

1,612 admitted to the U.S. 

in 2006. 

With a few months of living 

in America under their belt, the 

Hswes are ready to help others 

make a new life, too. 



“By making healthy 

eating choices 

and taking that 

information home, 

refugee teens are 

influencing the entire 

community.”—Ellee Igoe, 

IRC community food program 

photos by Ellee Igoe 

20 

San Diego 

When 16-year old Reem 

Jammaa arrived in San Diego 

from Sudan in 2006, she was 

forced to make many adjustments: 

to a new language, a 

new home, a new school, new 

friends —and perhaps most 

overlooked—new food. 

“I really didn’t like the food in 

the United States” Reem says. 

“It tasted different and I wasn’t 

used to it. I ate African food for 

16 years and I liked it better.” 

Reem is not alone. Many 

refugees come from countries 

where food is freshly grown 

or purchased at local markets, 

explains Kate Hughes, an IRC 

community development specialist. 

“Many refugee families 

made food from scratch before 

they came to San Diego and 

cooked with fresh produce and 

prepared healthy meals. Adjusting 

to American-style shopping 

and eating can be difficult.” 

Change is especially stressful 

for young people. Struggling 

with a limited budget and 

lacking information about 

alternatives, new refugees 

often turn to fast food. “They’re 

influenced by advertising and 

their peers to go to places like 

McDonald’s,” says Hughes. 

“Before you know it, they 

are requesting these kinds 

of food at home.” 

Young refugees often fare no 

better at school, even those who 

resettle in diverse neighborhoods 

like City Heights, where 

over 50 languages and dialects 

are spoken by residents with 

ties to Somalia, Sudan, Burma, 

Columbia and many other 

countries. Scores of immigrant 

and refugee children attend the 

neighborhood’s Crawford High 

School, yet the cafeteria serves 

generic, institutional food. 

“I have a hard time with 

the food they serve,” admits 

Urahimu Abadalla, a 16-yearold 

Somali Bantu refugee and a 

junior at Crawford.” Sometimes 

they serve hot dogs and I don’t 

eat hot dogs because it is against 

my religion.” 

Concerned that poor diet was 

contributing to epidemic levels 

of obesity and nutrition-related 

diseases among young people,

IRC staff worked with students 

including Reem and Urahimu 

to start a Gardening and Food 

Justice Team. The after-school 

program explores nutrition, 

gardening, environmental 

issues, community health and 

food politics. 

Working after-school, 

20 refugee students dug up 

the ice-plant ridden soil on 

Crawford’s campus to start 

creating an 800-square-food 

garden and orchard that includes 

15 fruit trees. Many of the 

students had worked as farmers 

in their homelands and are able 

to teach their classmates about 

food production. The garden’s 

first crop will be squash, herbs, 

beans and tomatoes. 

Back to the Garden 

Students also spend one day 

a week in cooking class where 

they use fresh produce to create 

dishes for their schoolmates 

and families. Once the garden 

is thriving, students will be 

able to use their homegrown 

produce in the cooking classes. 

The IRC is talking with 

Crawford officials and local 

farmers about launching a 

“farm-to-school” program at 

the school. San Diego County 

has one of the highest concentrations 

of family farms in the 

U.S., many located just a few 

miles from Crawford. Once 

the program gets going, it 

will be able to regularly 

feature locally grown San 

Diego produce in the school’s 

salad bar—another way of 

connecting students to food 

production and healthy eating. 

“This garden is making 

our school a better place,” 

Reem Jammaa says. But the 

Gardening and Food Justice 

program is having a larger 

impact on refugee life notes 

Ellee Igoe, Community Food 

Security Coordinator. 

“Refugee teens are the primary 

educators about American life 

for their families,” says Igoe. “By 

making healthy eating choices 

and then taking that information 

home, they are influencing the 

entire community.” 

opposite page top In cooking class, 

refugee students create dishes with 

fresh produce. 

opposite page bottom and above 

Working after school and on weekends, the 

teens who make up the IRC gardening and 

Food Justice Team decided to grow their own 

food in a garden behind the high school. 

photos by Ellee Igoe INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE 2006 ANNUAL REPORT www.theIRC.org 

21

A Message from 

Tom Brokaw 

Winston 

and 

Lord 

Emily Holland 

22 

In their role as co-chairs of the IRC Overseers, NBC News correspondent 

Tom Brokaw and former U.S. ambassador to China Winston Lord have 

visited IRC staff and programs around the world. They are tireless advocates 

for refugees and the displaced. In this special message, they describe 

the IRC’s global mission and look ahead to future challenges.

Richard Falco 

The International Rescue 

Committee serves the world’s 

uprooted people on a variety 

of fronts. 

We deliver lifesaving aid in 

humanitarian crises, as we 

currently are doing in Darfur and 

Chad. After the conflict ends, as 

it has in Liberia or Bosnia, we 

help people rebuild their lives 

and their communities. Indeed, 

when it comes to serving 

populations in conflict-affected 

regions, the IRC is usually 

among the first in and the last 

out; we stay as long as we are 

needed. Thus we have been 

working with Afghan refugees 

in Pakistan since 1980, with 

internally displaced people in 

Sudan since 1981, and with 

various refugee groups in 

Thailand since 1976. 

Sadly, many refugees will 

never be able to go home. For 

those among them who qualify 

for resettlement in the United 

States, we offer a helping hand 

in their new communities as 

they restart their lives. Even 

though they arrive with little 

more than the clothes on their 

back, over the years these newcomers 

have built a marvelous 

record of success in their adopted 

country. And in so doing, they 

have enriched America. 

We also aid refugees by 

giving voice to their cause in 

Washington and other world 

capitals, at the United Nations 

and in the world’s news media. 

We rally international support 

for displaced populations such 

as the 2 million refugees from 

Iraq who have fled to neighboring 

countries or the 1.8 million 

people forced from their homes 

inside northern Uganda. The 

IRC has been speaking out on 

such causes since its founding 

in 1933. 

We hope you will take time 

as you read the program 

summaries that follow to get a 

sense of the breadth and scope 

of our programs around the world 

and in the United States, and to 

note the priority issues on which 

we are focusing our advocacy. 

Please take the chance as 

well to learn about some of the 

most outstanding members of 

our field staff–men and women 

who were presented with the 

Sarlo Distinguished Humanitarian 

Award in recognition of 

their achievements on behalf 

of refugees. 

And note, too, in the pages 

that follow, the institutions and 

individuals whose generosity 

makes possible the work 

described in this report. 

In our travels to IRC program 

locations in the United States 

and around the world, we 

are continually struck by 

the courage, resilience, and 

determination displayed by 

the refugees we meet. Their 

aspiring is truly inspiring. In 

the face of tough odds, they 

are determined not merely to 

survive, but to thrive —to regain 

their independence, their 

self-reliance and their freedom 

and to make life better for their 

children. 

We are honored to join our 

donors and staff in helping to 

broaden their horizons. 

Tom Brokaw 

Winston Lord 

Co-Chairmen, IRC Overseers 

Tom Brokaw (left, during a visit to Rwanda) 

and Winston Lord (right) help lead and call 

attention to the IRC’s mission in the U.S. and 

around the world as co-chairmen of the 

IRC Overseers. 

23 


24 

IRC Programs 

Oct. 1, 2005–Sept. 30, 2006 

Africa 

Burundi —In 2006, the IRC 

came to the aid of communities 

recovering from 10 years of 

civil war, assisting a large 

number of refugees returning 

home from Tanzania. IRC 

water and sanitation programs 

served 148,000 people and 

our infrastructure rehabilitation, 

microbusiness and 

emergency response programs 

helped many others. The IRC 

addressed the issue of violence 

against women and girls, 

especially in areas of the country 

with returning refugees. We 

also opened youth centers and 

offered programs to vulnerable 

and homeless children. 

Chad —The violent crisis in 

Sudan’s Darfur region has 

caused 250,000 people to flee 

into Chad since 2003. The IRC 

is providing essential services 

to almost 30,000 of these refugees. 

Working under extremely 

dangerous conditions, the IRC 

has provided emergency water, 

sanitation and health services 

to refugees living in the Oure 

Cassoni refugee camp. In 2006, 

IRC educational programs 

benefited 13,500 primary- and 

preschool-age children living 

in the camp, and these will 

soon expand to cover secondary 

students. The IRC also 

provided health services to the 

local population at the IRCsupported 

Bahai hospital, and 

improved hygiene, sanitation 

and access to potable water. 

Cote d’Ivoire —Civil war 

uprooted many families in a 

country that hosts tens of thousands 

of Liberian refugees. 

In the Man and Yamoussoukro 

regions, the IRC provided 

health care, health education 

and social and economic support 

to over 700,000 people. We 

counseled survivors of sexual 

violence and offered specialized 

assistance to children. The IRC 

worked to protect the rights 

of returning refugees and 

to prevent violence against 

returnees. In cooperation with 

the United Nations, we helped 

30,000 Liberian refugees 

peacefully settle in 27 villages. 

Democratic Republic of 

Congo —As Congo struggled 

to emerge from a devastating 

civil war, the IRC focused on 

urgent humanitarian needs, 

restoring basic services and 

working with communities 

to find long-term solutions to 

economic and social problems. 

IRC programs reached more 

than 1.7 million people in 

2006, providing primary and 

reproductive health care, job 

training and access to education. 

We supported local groups that 

provide counseling, health 

care, legal aid and job training 

to the survivors of sexual 

violence. The IRC continued to 

help demobilized child soldiers 

reunite with their families and 

communities. Our emergency 

response team aided 50,000 

people in South Kivu province. 

Eritrea —The IRC responded 

to five years of drought by 

constructing small dams and 

wells that protect the groundwater 

table while ensuring 

potable water for people, 

livestock and crops. The IRC 

assisted more than 25,000 

people in drought-affected 

regions by constructing dams, 

wells, piped water systems 

and roof-water harvesting 

systems. The IRC and the 

government trained farmers 

in crop management and 

irrigation systems and helped 

create local water management 

committees. We trained 

volunteers to improve sanitary 

conditions and hygiene in 

their communities. 

Ethiopia —This was a year of 

natural disasters in Ethiopia. 

The IRC responded to a severe 

drought in the Somali region 

by rehabilitating water systems 

and improving access to sanitation 

and hygiene facilities. 

We responded to flooding in 

three regions by providing 

emergency health care, improving 

sanitation and distributing 

essential nonfood items such 

as jerry cans and blankets. Our 

rapid response teams reacted 

to a severe diarrhea outbreak 

by distributing water purification 

tablets, tents and protective 

gear to health clinics. We also 

continued work on a four-year 

project aimed at eradicating the 

worst forms of child labor in 

Ethiopia’s gold mines and provided 

services to over 40,000 

Eritrean, Sudanese and Somali 

refugees in four refugee camps. 

Guinea —The IRC continued 

to help refugees who fled wars 

in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and 

Sierra Leone. We facilitated 

the repatriation of Liberian 

refugees while continuing to 

provide services in the refugee 

camps and surrounding 

communities. Our education 

program served over 7,000 

primary-age school children. 

The IRC also helped refugee 

students and teachers to 

return home and rejoin the 

Liberian school system. The 

IRC reunited 494 separated 

children with their families in 

Guinea and Sierra Leone while 

providing care and education 

to 197 separated children living 

in Guinea. We supported 

community initiatives to reduce 

tensions between refugee 

and host communities. 

Kenya —At the Kakuma 

refugee camp, the IRC provided 

primary health care, hygiene 

promotion, sanitation, nutrition 

and education programs to 

95,000 refugees from nine 

countries. An IRC-run hospital 

and four medical clinics served 

photos by Peter biro (2 left) & Stephanie cristalli (far right)

preventive and emergency 

Rwanda —The IRC worked 

700,000 displaced people 

distributed shelter materials. 

health needs. We offered a full 

to strengthen local decision 

and local communities. The 

We helped youth groups pro- 

range of HIV/AIDS prevention 

making and social cohesion in 

IRC served as the lead agency 

mote peace and reconciliation 

and treatment programs and 

communities still recovering 

in managing three major 

projects in their communities. 

recently extended them to other 

from civil war. The IRC and a 

displaced persons camps. 

The IRC carefully monitored 

areas of northern Kenya. The IRC 

local community organization 

We provided 15,000 children 

the return of refugees and 

also launched a program in 

launched a project which 

with spaces to play and learn, 

helped reintegrate them into 

Nairobi that is helping to train 

seeks to promote reconciliation 

helped over 2,000 women 

their home communities. 

local organizations to better 

serve refugees living in the city. 

Liberia —In 2006, the people 

of Liberia began to recover 

from civil war and Ellen 

Johnson-Sirleaf, the first 

among different social groups. 

Our child survival project 

provided nutritional and health 

support to thousands of 

pregnant women and enabled 

many others to give birth safely. 

through our women’s community 

centers, aided hundreds 

of survivors of sexual violence, 

and offered 6,000 people 

human rights training. 

South Sudan —The IRC 

Tanzania — The IRC provided 

health care to nearly 149,000 

Burundian and Congolese 

refugees in four camps in western 

Tanzania, including nutritional 

support, immunizations, 

woman president of an African 

Sierra Leone —The IRC 

supported 41 primary health 

medical treatment and repro- 

state, took office. The IRC 

focused efforts on rehabilita- 

care facilities, providing 

ductive health services. We 

began focusing its work on 

tion, refugee assistance and 

preventive and curative health 

maintained maternal and child 

long-term rebuilding projects. 

post-conflict development in 

care to 384,000 people. We 

health clinics. We organized 

We provided curriculum 

the wake of the civil war that 

operated three HIV/AIDS 

job training and educational 

materials to 30,000 teachers 

engulfed the country for 11 

counseling and testing centers. 

and recreational activities in 

and students. With the support 

years. Our programs included 

The civil society program 

our youth centers and raised 

of the U.S. Department of Labor 

health, education, community 

supported 20 local partners 

awareness about the problem 

and the Liberian government, 

development, child protection 

and helped local communities 

of violence against women. 

we began to enroll in school 

and prevention of violence 

to reintegrate returning refu- 

We ran a program to screen 

thousands of children who 

against women. We assisted 

gees and displaced people. 

asylum seekers from Congo 

would otherwise be working 

in mines or performing other 

child labor. The IRC continued 

to aid ex-child soldiers and 

help them reintegrate into 

society through care centers 

and family-tracing services. 

We launched a program to 

help local people rebuild their 

communities, with technical 

assistance from the IRC. 

Republic of Congo — 

Starting in 2005, the IRC 

helped repatriate 17,500 

refugees to their home in the 

Democratic Republic of Congo. 

With most of these refugees 

safely returned, the IRC closed 

its program in 2006. Since 

1997, the IRC provided health 

care, vocational training and 

educational programs to 

thousands of refugees and 

local communities. 

thousands of children, including 

7,000 Liberian and 15,000 

Sierra Leonean children 

with educational support. We 

improved access to health care 

for 650,000 people and provided 

health and psychosocial 

aid to nearly 40,000 women 

survivors of sexual violence. 

Sudan —The IRC implemented 

emergency relief, recovery 

and post-conflict development 

programs in all regions of the 

country. We played a lead role 

in responding to the crisis in 

Darfur. At the same time, we 

helped communities recover 

from war in southern Sudan. 

Darfur —The IRC maintains one 

of the largest humanitarian 

aid programs in Darfur. Amid 

dangerous conditions and a 

volatile political climate, we 

provided water, sanitation 

and health services to over 


and help other Congolese 

North and East Sudan —The 

refugees return home. 

IRC provided assistance to 

556,000 displaced people and Uganda —Peace talks 

returning refugees. We built between the government and 

health centers, constructed the rebel Lord’s Resistance 

latrines and water sources and Army raised hopes for an 

The IRC helps thousands of displaced children learn to read and write in North Darfur. 

25 


end to the 20-year war. As 

labor practices while offering 

began its third year of post- 

ductive services for women 

a result, the IRC focused on 

education opportunities. The 

war development work. We 

and for survivors of sexual 

Gerald Martone Oct. 1, 2005–Sept. 30, 2006 IRCPrograms 

26 

strengthening the ability of IRC also provided services to 

local communities to absorb 25,000 Sudanese refugees 

the return of displaced people living in Uganda. 

in the event of peace. We 

headed a large program to 

help local groups provide 

psychosocial, HIV/AIDS and 

conflict resolution services. 

We supported over 325,000 

displaced people in northern 

Uganda with health, water, 

sanitation, education and 

economic developmental Asia & middle east 

services. With support from Afghanistan —Refugees, 

the U.S. Department of Labor, some of whom left the country 

the IRC, with other NGO’s, 30 years ago, continue to 

helped administer two projects return from Pakistan and Iran. 

in the north that work to The IRC provided them with 

withdraw children from and shelter, water and sanitation. 

prevent exploitative child At the same time, the IRC 

Afghans receive aid from the IRC at a refugee camp in Pakistan. 

helped establish 948 community 

development councils 

throughout the country and 

bolstered the education system, 

enrolling 5,000 students 

(4,000 girls and 1,000 boys) 

in community schools. In 

addition, over 900 women and 

1,200 men obtained job skills 

through apprenticeship training. 

Our child protection program 

integrated 49 children with 

hearing and visual impairments 

into the school system. We 

also trained 8,000 women in 

literacy and health education. 

Indonesia — Following the 

May 2006 earthquake in Java, 

the Consortium for Assistance 

and Recovery toward Development 

in Indonesia (CARDI), 

including IRC, sent an emergency 

response team that aided 

more than 100,000 people. 

In Aceh, Central Sulawesi, 

Maluku and North Maluku, 

CARDI provided grants to fishing, 

agricultural, small industry and 

community groups. It facilitated 

education and vocational programs 

for youth. CARDI helped 

leaders of local governments 

and community groups acquire 

skills to run their own development 

programs. 

Aceh, Indonesia —This was a 

year of recovery in Aceh after 

the devastating tsunami of 

2004. Although need remains 

great, there has been progress 

toward rebuilding. The IRC 

helped some 40,000 people 

return home and restart their 

lives. As they did so, we helped 

them repair damaged homes, 

get safe drinking water and 

revitalize their social lives by 

supporting women’s groups 

and community centers. The 

IRC worked to improve repro- 

violence. We supported 

children by creating safe 

learning and play spaces and 

by training teachers. The IRC 

also supported the peace 

process in Aceh by including 

former rebels in community 

development programs. 

Lebanon —The IRC conducted 

a three-month relief effort in 

Lebanon to assist thousands 

of people affected by fighting 

between Israel and Hezbollah. 

We teamed with local partners 

to provide water and hygiene 

supplies to families returning 

to their bombed villages and 

we helped establish children’s 

centers that served over 900 

war-traumatized children. 

We also worked with a local 

woman’s group to combat 

sexual violence. 

Nepal —After opening its 

Nepal program in 2005 in 

response to the worsening 

crisis between the government 

and Maoist insurgents, the 

IRC began to implement 

health, education and child 

protection programs in the 

Surkhet and Bardiya districts 

in the midwest region of the 

country. The programs targeted 

over 200,000 conflict-affected 

people who are living in 

resource-poor areas. We also 

provided returning refugees 

and internally displaced 

people with access to health 

and education services by 

assisting community leaders 

and local organizations. 

Pakistan —The IRC was one 

of the first organizations to 

respond to the devastating 

2005 earthquake, providing 

more than 230,000 people 

with food, shelter and other 

help. This year, we supported

the long-term rehabilitation 

of communities, infrastructure 

and social services. Our health 

programs served more than 

32,000 people. We rebuilt health 

facilities and trained health 

staff. Two IRC-run women’s 

centers offered psychological 

counseling and literacy classes. 

The IRC helped children return 

to school through a special 

“healing school methodology.” 

Over 9,000 children are 

attending our healing schools 

and 800 teachers have been 

trained to serve them. The IRC 

also launched two major initiatives 

in health and education 

in consortium with two major 

Pakistani nonprofit organizations. 

The IRC continued to help 

Afghan refugees return home 

while providing support to 

the refugees who remained 

in Pakistan. We supported 

40 refugee schools serving 

more than 17,000 students in 

Peshawar and outlying refugee 

villages and offered skills 

training to 1,500 people. 

Thailand —The IRC expanded 

a program to improve health 

care and education for over 

150,000 Burmese migrant 

workers and their families. We 

continued to provide health 

care, water and sanitation 

services to over 33,000 refugees 

living in camps along the 

Thailand-Burma border. For 

the first time, the IRC launched 

an income generation program 

in the camps. We also launched 

a project to promote the rule 

of law and increase access to 

the justice system for refugees. 

We provided financial and 

other aid to community organizations 

that serve migrants 

and refugees, including the 

Mae Tao Clinic, a hospital that 

serves over 100,000 migrants 

a year. In addition, the IRC 

worked to raise awareness of 

migrant and refugee health 

and educational needs. 

In early 2006, the IRC 

opened an office in Bangkok 

to assist people seeking 

admission to the United States 

as refugees. The office, called 

an overseas processing entity 

(OPE), will coordinate all 

refugee processing activities 

in the region including the 

preparation of refugee applications, 

facilitation of Department 

of Homeland Security interviews, 

medical screening, 

cultural orientation and 

departure to the U.S. 

CauCasus 

Azerbaijan —The IRC 

consolidated its developmentbased 

programs while 

addressing the basic needs of 

people affected by the former 

conflict with neighboring 

Armenia. Our projects stimulated 

rural business development 

and introduced modern 

technologies to agricultural 

production. We provided 

financial and technical 

assistance to over 60 elected 

community-based organizations 

and municipal councils representing 

more than 325,000 

people, enabling them to 

strengthen community institutions, 

build leadership and 

improve social and physical 

infrastructure. In addition, 

the IRC helped over 19,000 

displaced people improve their 

living and economic conditions 

by providing shelter, sanitation 

and training in agriculture. 

Northern Caucasus — 

The IRC improved living 

conditions for people affected 

by the war in the Russian 

republics of Chechnya and 

neighboring Ingushetia by 

providing water, sanitation 

and shelter for 32,000 

people. We provided critical 

support to 20 schools for 

children and enabled over 

1,200 children to receive 

psychosocial assistance. We 

helped 200 displaced Chechen 

families rebuild their homes. 

In addition, we launched 

programs to support the 

recovery and development of 

communities in the republics 

of Dagestan and North Ossetia 

through community-driven 

reconstruction projects 

(including rehabilitation of 

village water systems, schools 

and playgrounds) in 20 villages. 

Europe 

Bosnia and Herzegovina — 

After 14 years of assisting 

victims of the Bosnian war and 

helping in postwar rehabilitation 

and reconstruction, 

the IRC program in Bosnia 

ended in 2006. Throughout 

the postwar period, the 

IRC has been committed 

to assisting the return and 

reintegration of refugees 

by rebuilding destroyed 

communities. Even as we 

prepared for the program’s 

closure, we helped over 

1,500 returning people from 

ethnic minority groups rebuild 

their damaged houses and 

launched economic assistance 

programs that benefited 

more than 4,000 returnees, 6 

farmers cooperatives, a local 

development agency, 5 civic 

organizations, 15 government 

service providers and 7 schools. 

United States 

United States —The IRC 

resettled over 5,000 refugees, 

primarily from Africa, Eastern 

Europe, the Near East and 

Southeast Asia. Our 25 offices 

across the country ensured 

new arrivals received a 

warm welcome and had 

housing, food, clothing and 

other essentials. We provided 

counseling, orientation 

and translation assistance, 

English-language instruction, 

job training, school enrollment, 

employment services and 

financial aid, working closely 

with each family to overcome 

barriers to self-reliance. For the 

new arrivals and some 18,000 

other refugees and asylees, 

the IRC provided basic legal 

and immigration services, 

financial literacy courses, 

business startup assistance 

and specialized programs for 

women, youth and children. 

We continued to provide aid 

and information to victims of 

human trafficking. We also 

embarked on a new program 

to provide technical assistance 

and support to self-help 

organizations emerging within 

refugee communities through 

a network of IRC-trained and 

supported volunteers. 

27 



28 

Advocacy 

Public 

and 

Education 

Appealing to the World’s Conscience


Every year, the challenges our staff confronts in the field set our 

advocacy and public education agenda. In 2006, we mounted a 

campaign against laws that make it more difficult for refugees and 

asylum seekers to enter or stay in the United States. We also continued 

to focus attention on the crises in Sudan (especially in Darfur), in 

Congo and in northern Uganda. 

Refugee Admissions—Anti- 

were admitted. The IRC advo- 

response to an upsurge of 

terrorist laws introduced after 

cates increasing the number of 

violence against women in 

Sept. 11, 2001 have kept thou- 

refugees admitted and removing 

Darfur’s refugee camps, the 

sands of legitimate refugees 

obstacles to their entry. 

IRC issued a press alert that 

around the world out of the U.S. 

Democratic Republic of 

focused world attention on 

on the grounds that their past 

Congo—Congo is struggling 

the attacks and led to calls 

“material support” for insurgent 

to recover from a devastating 

for action to stop them. 

groups make them a security 

civil war that has claimed four 

Northern Uganda —2006 

threat. Even people who have 

million lives. The country’s first 

offered hopeful signs of an 

melissa winkler 

opposite page The IRC provides emergency 

water, sanitation and health services to refugees 

living in the Oure Cassoni camp in Chad. 

Above George Rupp (center) visiting an IRC 

health center in Kitgum, Northern Uganda, 

in 2006. 

bottom A woman and her child at a camp 

for displaced people near Kitgum in 

Northern Uganda. 

been forced under duress to 

feed rebels or to pay ransom 

to hostage takers are labeled 

“terrorists.” Former allies and 

friends of the U.S., such as the 

Hmong in Laos, also are denied 

protection under these laws. 

The IRC raised this issue in the 

media and with policy makers 

in Washington. While the Bush 

administration did issue waivers 

allowing some Burmese refugees 

to enter the U.S., the IRC 

continues to seek a comprehensive 

solution. The IRC spoke out 

against provisions in proposed 

congressional immigration 

legislation that would harm 

refugees. Overall, because of 

budget cuts and legal restrictions, 

the U.S admitted fewer 

refugees than it had authorized. 

In 2006, 70,000 refugees were 

authorized but only 43,000 

democratic elections in 40 years 

raised some hope of a permanent 

peace. The IRC helped organize 

a grassroots movement in 

support of the Congolese 

people that grew to include 

30 international organizations. 

The IRC successfully advocated 

passage of legislation that 

requires the U.S. to do more 

to aid Congo. 

Sudan—Throughout the year, 

IRC advocates briefed officials 

from the U.N., the U.S. and the 

United Kingdom, as well as the 

public, about the crisis in Sudan 

and Darfur. In April, under 

the aegis of the IRC, actor and 

director George Clooney and his 

father, journalist Nick Clooney, 

visited the region and later 

talked about the dire conditions 

in Darfur in numerous media 

interviews. In August, in 

end to the long-running war 

between the rebel Lord’s 

Resistance Army and the 

government. During the 

conflict, 1.8 million people 

have been displaced and 

30,000 children kidnapped 

and forced to serve as soldiers 

and sex slaves. Two IRC 

delegations traveled to northern 

Uganda, meeting with 

U.S. and Ugandan officials. 

John Edwards, former 

Democratic vice presidential 

candidate and U.S. senator, 

joined the delegation that 

met with President Museveni 

in October. The IRC helped 

organize a lobbying effort in 

Washington, D.C., that attracted 

citizens from 38 states for 

meetings with their representatives 

about the importance of 

peace in Uganda. 

29 


Honoring 

Courage 

and 

Commitment 

Freedom 

to 

Victor Mello 

30 

Every year, the IRC recognizes people who embody the organization’s commitment to freedom, 

human dignity and self-reliance. Some of these individuals have gained international prominence 

for their courageous efforts, while others quietly go about their work improving the lives 

of those in need. 

IRC Freedom Award 

Jean D’Avignon 

When Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (left) returned to Liberia in 2003 after six years in 

exile, her country was in ruins after a decade of civil war. In 2005, the former finance 

minister decided to run for the presidency, promising economic development and an 

end to corruption and conflict. Johnson-Sirleaf was victorious in a run-off election, 

becoming Africa’s first female head of state. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to 

put Liberia on the path to peace and economic and social recovery. In November 

2006, the IRC honored Johnson-Sirleaf with its prestigious Freedom Award. “Because of her courage and 

accomplishments, she has inspired people around the world,” said IRC board member Maureen White 

in presenting the award. In her acceptance remarks, Johnson-Sirleaf noted that Liberia has a unique 

relationship with the United States because of its history as a republic founded by freed slaves: “As Liberia 

goes through the process of renewal and reconstruction to become ever more self-reliant, I am hopeful 

that this special relationship will grow even stronger.”

Sarlo Awards 

Although they rarely make headlines, 

aid workers perform miracles every day. 

The IRC recognizes a few of these dedicated 

staff members through the annual Sarlo 

Foundation Award for Distinguished 

Humanitarian Service. 

opposite page After a decade of 

dictatorship and war in Liberia, this 

woman and her child can look forward 

to a better future. 

Raphael Oguta Omundi has worked in many difficult countries, including 

Uganda and Congo. But for sheer challenge, nothing topped Raphael’s position as 

IRC health care manager in eastern Sudan, the site of a civil war between rebels 

and the government. The area is hot, dry and rocky, with no electricity or running 

water. Raphael arrived there four years ago to help the Beja, people who have been 

trapped in the region. Raphael quickly gained their trust and support. In an area 

that had no health care facilities four years ago, Raphael has built 18, risking his own life to care for 

others. As he puts it, “This is where the needs are, and this is where I should be.” 

In 2001, Shewaye Tike arrived at a remote refugee camp in northern Ethiopia for 

her first IRC assignment: start an education program for Eritrean refugee children. 

Shewaye was asked to work in harsh physical conditions with minimal guidance. 

She was the only woman in a male-dominated culture. Moreover, her students had 

known nothing but war for years. Within weeks of her arrival, Shewaye had built a 

school, trained teachers and devised a curriculum. Today, she is IRC education and 

community services manager for all of Ethiopia. Shewaye has overcome cultural resistance to strong 

female leaders to become one of the most respected and sought-after experts in her field. 

Yasmin Akhter has been with the IRC’s Pakistan program for 22 years, tirelessly 

working to provide health care to refugee women. She was part of the team 

that established the first emergency obstetric care facility for Afghan refugees in 

Pakistan. In addition to her work in the delivery room, she helped build the facility’s 

staff and maintained a high level of quality. Thanks to Yasmin, her obstetric facility 

has the highest successful birth rate of any facility serving refugees in Pakistan. 

Perhaps no one has done more to help Indochinese refugees than Nuanlaor 

Montrivat, or Khun Eed. Beginning with her work at the Lao Hill Tribe refugee 

camps in Thailand in 1979, Khun Eed has spent 26 years serving as a policy adviser, 

diplomat and troubleshooter. In the 1980s, she established resettlement operations 

in seven refugee camps in Thailand. In the early 1990s, she was named deputy 

director of the IRC refugee resettlement operation in Thailand. Later she directed 

the U.S. State Department’s refugee resettlement unit in Thailand. Today, Khun Eed is the IRC deputy 

coordinator for its refugee processing unit in Thailand. She is a living testament to the ideals embodied 

by the IRC. 

Igor Radulovic, an employment specialist in San Francisco, has devoted 

the past eight years of his life to helping refugees build their lives in the United 

States. An immigrant from Montenegro, Igor came to the U.S. in 1991. His personal 

understanding of the needs of new arrivals has helped him place more than 500 

refugees in good jobs. He has helped hundreds of others take their first steps toward 

employment and self-sufficiency through his personal attention to their needs. Igor 

constantly goes beyond his job requirements to help coworkers and find solutions to problems. He 

cares deeply for the people he serves. 

31 


Peter Biro 

32 

Supporters 

Our 

The International Rescue Committee expresses gratitude to our supporters who help us 

restore dignity and hope to those whose lives are profoundly changed by violent conflict, 

oppression and natural disaster. The remarkable commitment of individuals, foundations, 

corporations, volunteers, government and nongovernmental organizations, and multilateral 

agencies enables the IRC’s swift response in emergencies, and aids communities to recover. On 

the following pages, we salute some of the individuals and organizations that have allowed us to 

recognize their generosity to the IRC during the past fiscal year which began Oct. 1, 2005, and 

ended Sept. 30, 2006.

International Rescue Committee 

opposite page The IRC provided widowed 

Afghan Saeema Setas with a cow that helps 

her make a living selling dairy products. 

left IRC President George Rupp with 

Jennifer and Peter Buffett, founders of 

the NoVo Foundation and supporters of IRC 

education programs in west Africa. 

Diplomat Council 

Gifts and pledge payments given 

Oct. 1, 2005–Sept . 30, 2006 

Donors listed in italics have 

contributed consecutively for three 

or more years. 

IRC’s visionary partners save lives and rebuild communities. Members 

of the Diplomat Council are individuals and family foundations that 

give boldly and generously to champion the IRC’s annual work and 

long-term mission. Diplomat Council members travel with IRC staff 

to experience first hand our international and resettlement programs. 

They advocate for lasting solutions and share in the IRC’s successes, 

challenges and future plans. 

Ambassador $1,000,000+ 

Marie and Joseph Field 

Ambassador $500,000+ 

The Leon and Toby Cooperman 

Foundation 

Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro 

Paul Newman 

Ted and Vada Stanley 


Anonymous (2) 

William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation 

The Carson Family Charitable Trust 

Laurence S. Farer Trust 

Estates of Thomas and Caroline Griffith 

Otto Family Foundation 

The Peierls Foundation, Inc. 

Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld 

The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation/ 

Cynthia and Dan Lufkin 

Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Stern 

Nancy Taylor 


Anonymous (4) 

Cliff S. and Laurel E. Asness 

George Clooney 

Frank Duniewski 

Estate of Emily Evans 

Katherine Farley and Jerry I. Speyer 

Eva K. and Andrew S. Grove 

Walter and Elise Haas Fund 

The Hauser Foundation 

Ruth and David Levine 

John and Rebecca Moores 

Gail K. Nutku Trust 

Donald H. Putnam and 

Susann W. Kellison 

Signa Read 

Estate of Bernice Baruch Shawl 

Jean Kennedy Smith 

Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation 

Estate of Edwin Weyer 

Maureen White and Steven Rattner 

John C. Whitehead 

Envoy $50,000+ 

Anonymous (3) 

The Abramovitz 1997 Charitable 

Remainder Unitrust 

Herb and Simin Allison 

Frederick L. Anker 

Lars E. Bader 

Steven N. and Beth Bangert 

Jane and Alan Batkin 

Sheri E. Berman and Gideon Rose 

Leslie and George Biddle 

Tom and Meredith Brokaw 

Jesse B. Cox Charitable Lead Trust 

Suzanne W. and Alan J. Dworsky 

Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin 

Estate of Mary S. Kogan 

Estate of Patricia Franke Kouns 

Theodore Loiterman 

Anne and Vincent Mai 

Sheila and James Mossman 

Susan and Alan Patricof 

Lionel I. Pincus and 

H.R.H. Princess Firyal of Jordan 

Lucy Pugh and Michael Kellogg 

Eric Reeves/Sudan Aid Fund 

Howard S. and Anita B. Richmond 

W. P. Roche, Jr. 

Sejong and George Sarlo 

Ruth and Julian Schroeder 

Estate of Emerson Shaw 

Stanley S. Shuman 

H. Peter Stern 

The Robert and Margaret Thomas 

Foundation 

Christine E. and David P. Trapp 

Envoy $25,000+ 

Anonymous (9) 

Nancy and Andrew Adelson 

Johanna and Laurent Alpert 

Jonathan & Kathleen Altman 

Foundation 

Stephen and Madeline Anbinder 

Alice and Bill Barnett 

Vera Blinken 

Andrew H. Brimmer 

Richard Bronks 

Judith and Frederick Buechner 

John and Glenda Burkhart 

Jane and Charles Cahn 

Babbie and Stuart Cameron 

Nestor Carbonell 

Tina Chen and Marvin Josephson 

Estate of Jean M. Cluett 

Karen and Everett Cook 

Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman 

Elizabeth B. Dater and 

William Jennings 

The Dibner Fund 

Jodie and John Eastman 

Jennifer Eplett and Sean E. Reilly 

Concepcion and Irwin Federman 

The Helen Hotze Haas Foundation 

The Marc Haas Foundation 

Ralph H. Haberfeld 

Estate of Elizabeth G. Hall 

Hogan Family Fund 

Frederick Iseman 

William Kennedy and 

Holly Neal Kennedy 

Jennifer Lake and 

Donald Francis Donovan 

Harold F. and Marguerite Lenfest 

Laurie Lindenbaum and Bob Horne 

Thomas and Mary Longfellow 

Leonard and Lenora Madsen 

Nicole and Will McClatchy 

Alan and Frank Melville 

Estate of Mason Moore 

Eleanor and Rhoads Murphey 

Jane F. and William J. Napier 

Charitable Trust 

Sarah and Peter O’Hagan 

Sylvia and Don Parker 

Alexandra and Frederick Peters 

Estate of Ruth G. Pike 

Gerry and David Pincus 

Virginia Reed 

Elizabeth Rispoli Revocable Trust 

Arthur Rock 

Ambassador Felix Rohatyn 

Nancy and George Rupp 

Richard and Ruthanne Ruzika 

Mrs. Lily Safra 

The Richard Salomon Family 

Foundation 

Annis Sandvos 

Estate of Frances A. Saxton 

The Mary C. Schmitt Charitable Trust 

Murray G. and Beatrice H. Sherman 


Hiroko and James T. Sherwin 

Francis H. and Jean Trainer 

Sigo and Leah Weber Resettlement Fund 

Judy and Josh Weston 

Madge M. White & Maude C. Allen 

Memorial Gift Fund 

Anne Whitehead 

Anda and William Winters 

Jin and Linda Zidell Fund 

Emissary $10,000+ 

Anonymous (21) 

Yvette J. Alberdingkthijm 

George Alvarez-Correa 

T. J. and Ruth E. Arneson 

Arnhold Foundation 

33 


our supporters 

34 

Peggy Otto and Maggie Otto, Diplomat Council Members, visiting the Kakuma refugee 

camp in Kenya. 

Myrtle L. Atkinson Foundation 

Benjamin Auspitz 

Eve Brandis Sundelson and 

Francis P. Barron 

The Howard Bayne Fund 

Sir David and Lady Bell 

BelleGemma Fund of the Jewish 

Communal Fund 

Dr. Georgette F. Bennett and 

Dr. Leonard S. Polonsky 

The Russell Berrie Foundation 

Clara Bingham and David Michaelis 

Betsy Blumenthal and Jonathan D. Root 

Billy J. and Marit B. Bobo 

Ann Brayfield and Joseph Emerson 

Markell Brooks 

Dorothy A. Budd and Russell W. Budd 

Elizabeth Burns 

James J. Callan 

Sarah Wayne Callies and 

Joshua Winterhalt 

John Y. Campbell and Susanna Peyton 

Jeremy Carver CBE 

Raymond G. and Patricia A. Chambers 

Virginia F. Coleman 

James George and Penny Saer Coulter 

John G. Coumantaros 

Adah R. Davis 

William J. and Irene de Groot 

Roberta and Steve Denning 

Harriet Ford Dickenson Foundation 

The Dickler Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley F. Druckenmiller 

Thomas L. Eisenberg 

The Elman Family Foundation 

Richter Farms 

Andrew D. Fredman 

Robert Friede 

Friedland Family Foundation 

Treacy B. Gaffney 

Marian Galewitz 

Ina and Jeffrey Garten 

Deirdre M. Giblin and David B. DuBard 

Susan D. Ginkel 

Sarah and Seth Glickenhaus 

Peter R. and Helen Haje 

Janet M. Harris 

Cheryl Henson and Ed Finn 

Lucile and Jay Herbert 

Herson-Stirman Family Foundation 

Willis S. and Cindy Hesselroth 

Donald B. Hirsch 

Estate of Helen S. Hohenhaus 

David C. and Brenda Humm 

Estate of Ruth Adrian Hunken 

John Brockway Huntington Foundation 

Mahnaz Ispahani and Adam Bartos 

Carl Jacobs Foundation 

Reuben Jeffery 

Craig S. Jenkins 

Kelen Family Foundation 

Margaret H. and James E. Kelley 

Foundation, Inc. 

Gregory T. Kimball and 

Wendy N. Hauenstein 

Charles (§) and Jean Kiskaddon 

Angelique D. Knapp 

Bettie McCarthy Kraut and 

Gary A. Kraut 

William A. Kreiger 

Alex and Leander Krueger 

Yong and Raymond Kwok 

Arthur A. LaRose Trust 

Laurel and Lew Leibowitz 

Richard H. Lent 

The Leon Levy Foundation 

David W. Locascio 

Bette Bao and Winston Lord 

Graham H. Love 

Kristina and Frank Loverro 

The Luke Family Charitable Fund 

Ms. Dorothy M. Macaulay 

John Makinson CBE 

Shelly and Tony Malkin 

Helena and Roman Martinez IV 

Janet McClintock and John F. Imle 

Deedee and Burton J. McMurtry 

Arthur T. McNeill 


Robert B. Moffett 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Montrone 

Betty and Gordon Moore 

Mitchell and Rebecca Morgan 

John E. and Shirley V. Nash 

Albert P. Neilson 

Ralph S. O’Connor 

Rowan T. O’Riley 

Amy Orton 

Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies 

Foundation 

Ashish and Anjali T. Pant 

Daisy Paradis 

Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney 

Mary Ann Petrilena and 

Jonathan Wiesner 

David L. Phillips 

The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust 

Michael L. Pitt and Peggy G. Pitt 

Sarah D. Plimpton 

Polonsky Foundation 

William A. and M. J. Porter 

Lorna Power 

Peggy and Peter Pressman 

Agnes M. Price Charitable Lead Trust 

Gail and Andrew Quartner 

David and Ida Rapoport Philanthropic 

Fund 

Jeffrey A. and Debra J. Resnick 

Patricia Goss Rhodes 

Peter E. and Carol M. Rich 

Faye and Jere M. Richardson 

Inge Roberts 

David Rockefeller 

Ardath H. Rodale 

Marian F. and Horace Y. Rogers 

Foundation 

Diana and Jonathan F. P. Rose 

Sheldon Rose 

Lief D. Rosenblatt 

Harriet Rosenbloom 

Nathaniel Rothschild 

Catherine W. Rush 

Emilie Hall Sandin and 

Thomas R. Sandin 

Fannette H. Sawyer 

George Shultz 

Seymour Fund 

Mary Shaw and Robert Marks 

Diane F. Sherman 

François D. Sicart 

David D. Siegel 

Benjamin N. Simon 

Patricia J. S. Simpson 

Robert L. Spang 

Charles Spear Charitable Trust 

Jean L. & Robert A. Stern Foundation 

Charles J. Tanenbaum and Szilvia 

Szmuk-Tanenbaum 

Jeffrey and Connie Tarrant 

Taylor Family Foundation 

John West Thatcher 

Georgia G. Travers 

Elsie P. van Buren 

Lisa Vantrease and Rizwan Pasha 

Edgar Villchur 

Dolores Viverette 

Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller 

Betsy and Paul Von Kuster 

Susy and Jack Wadsworth 

Dilip Wagle and Darshana Shanbhag 

The Wahoo’s Family Foundation 

Estate of Violet Wald 

Charles R. Wall 

Sidney J. Weinberg, Jr. 

Jed Weissberg and Shelley Roth 

H. Arthur and Barbara A. Weldon 

Westcliff Foundation 

Doris E. White 

Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation 

Dena Willmore 

Allen Wisniewski 

Arnold R. and Ann M. Wolff 

Gregg S. Wolpert 

Guy P. Wyser-Pratte 

Verena K. Zimmerman 

Delegate $5,000+ 


The Honorable and Mrs. 

Morton I. Abramowitz 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Acosta 

G. Agron 

Leonard and Donna Albert 

Alan and Arlene Alda 

Angela Z. and Samuel E. Allen 

Katherine S. Almy 

John M. and Elizabeth H. Anderson 

Robert F. Anderson 

Sharon Lee and Brian K. Annis 

Evenor Armington Fund 

Judith A. Aronstein and Joseph H. Rice 

Emanuel Ax 

The Susan A. and Donald P. Babson 


Darius A. Baghai 

Rachael J. Balyeat 

Edwin Barber 

Adam Marshall Barcroft 

Cori Bargmann 

Kenneth S. and Susan A. Battye 

Richard and Susan Bauer 

Gunvir Baveja 

Judith and Steven Benardete 

Lucy Wilson Benson 

Bergren Family Foundation 

Susan Berlow 

Wendy Bierwirth 

Eliot and Susan Black 

Olga Blessing 

Marvin Bookin 

Allan and Sydne K. Bortel 

Caroline F. Brady 

Hugh Brady 

Mr. and Mrs. Anders Brag 

Philip D. and Seraphin P. Brennan 

“Our parents were 

longtime supporters 

of the IRC, and 

we are honored to 

continue their 

legacy of giving.” 

—Jeffrey and Brian Peierls, 

Diplomat Council members

Brillo-Sonnino Fund of RSF 

Mrs. Walter F. Brissenden 

The Eli and Edythe L. Broad 

Foundation 

William S. and Alla Broeksmit 

Dr. Jennifer Brokaw and Dr. Allen Fry 

Barbera Brooks and Henrik Jones 

Martha L. Campbell 

Mr. and Mrs. Alan W. Carter 

Stacey Case 

Timothy S. and Carolyn H. Cassidy 

Kamlesh and Luci Chainani 

Alice Cheng and Robert W. Littleton 

Jean R. Chickering 

Nicholas R. Chickering 

Estate of Adele Clement 

Ruth M. Collins 

Barbara J. Conley 

Jeffrey and Alyson Coons 

Kathy and Joseph Cottrell 

Irwin D. and Florence C. Cromwell 

Nelson and Margery Cunningham 

Charles B. and Rochelle Curtis 

Dock Curtis 

John Dalenberg 

Kent D. Daniel and Shail Busbey 

Nina and Casper de Clercq 

John S. deBeers 

Mr. and Mrs. Andre Denis 

Susan Dentzer 

Mr. and Mrs. David Dettinger 

Betsy and Bob DeVecchi 

Russell C. Deyo 

Catherine Knickerbocker Diao and 

James C. Diao 

Monica P. and Mitchell F. Dolin 

Andrew Dominus 

Dunn Family Charitable Fund 

Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke 

Trust 

Karlo J. Duvnjak 

David F. and Frances A. Eberhart 

Israel Eiss 

Daniel Eule 

Linda and David Evans 

Falcon Family Fund 

Evelyn R. Ferguson 

John J. and Laura Fisher 

Flagship Foundation 

Jason Flom Fund 

Joseph H. and Claire Flom 

Adam Forbes 

Cynthia H. Ford 

Mrs. Helen H. Ford 

John L. Ford, Jr. 

Jeff and Gisela Lesin Friedman 

Dr. Else Pappenheim Frishauf and 

Stephen Frishauf 

Robert Froelich 

Robert J. Frueh 

Marion Galison 

Jane Gelb 

Robert S. and Alene H. Gelbard 

Cory and Kristin Gilchrist 

Christian Gilles 

Milly and Arne Glimcher 

Neva Goodwin and Bruce Mazlish 

Samuel and Grace Gorlitz Foundation 

Terry E. Grant 

Maurice R. Greenberg 

Peter and Carol Greenfield 

Louise Grunwald 

Regina A. Hablutzel 

Cynthia M. Hackel and Larry Feinberg 

Jennifer Hall and John D. McKay 

Joan and Morton I. Hamburg 

Jim and Betsy Hansen 

Jodi Harris and Steven J. Schwartz 

Michael J. Harrison 

Francis and Serena Hatch 

Paul and Martha Hertelendy 

Paul and Ann Hill 

Sunil Hirani 

Bente Hirsch 

Howe Family Fund at The San Diego 

Foundation 

James E. Hunt, Jr. and Edwina Hunt 

Christopher Hunter 

Charlie R. and Virginia N. Hutcheson 

Alice W. Hutchins 

JAM Foundation 

Peggy Jernigan 

Thomas L. and Karen W. Kalaris 

Robert and Ellen Kapito 

Henry Kaufman 

Avinash Kaza 

Keating Family Foundation 

Eric Keatley 

John H. and Jennifer Kelly 

Frank K. Kendall III 

Christopher and Catherine Kennan 

Sibyl Kirby 

Kittler Family Trust 

Marj and Roger Krueger 

Rhiannon Kubicka 

Roger W. Langsdorf 

The Leonard & Evelyn Lauder 

Foundation 

Cathy and Christopher Lawrence 

Carola B. Lea 

Matthew J. Lebrato 

Sandra and Michael Levine 

Foundation Andre Levy 

Linder Legacy Fund of The Foundation for 

Enhancing Communities 

Timothy E. and Loretta L. Little 

Ruth Norden Lowe and Warner L. Lowe 

Memorial Fund 

Verna MacCornack and Keith Roberts 

Mrs. Ray W. Macdonald 

Kristine A. Madsen and Jeffrey Olgin 

Jeffrey M. Mandell and Abigail Jones 

Gerard M. Manning 

Gregory Mantooth 

Marianthi Foundation 

Inga Markovits 

Roberto Martinez 

Joanne and Michael Masin 

Clare McCamy and Harrison Miller 

The Mckeown and Le Family Fund 

Barbara J. Meislin 

The Jean and Bernard Meltzer Fund of 

The Chicago Community Trust 

Victor J. and Tara A. Menezes 

Jane and Robert Meyerhoff 

Faisal Mian 

Chris Miller 

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Miller III 

Linda Miller 

Walter Miller 

Noah Gideon Millman 

Stanley and Renee Paulette Milonas 

Georgianna Mitchell 

Leo Model Foundation 

Kathryn Monger 

Morgridge Family Foundation 

Harold E. Morris 

Philip Mulqueen 

David P. Munns 

Jerold B. and Carol E. Muskin 

Holly Myers and E. Kirk Neely 

Nicholas Myrianthis 

Khaled A. Nasr 

Michael and Selena G. Neill 

Diana Nelson and John Atwater 

Estate of Claire Nemser 

Mary M. Newman 

Billy Norris 

Marie and Charles O’Brien 

Kassy and Matt Ockner 

Quentin and Paula Ogren 

Karina O’Malley 

Diane E. Parish 

Elizabeth R. and William J. Patterson 

Jennifer K. Patterson and 

Sir Howard Stringer 

David and Laurie Pauker 

Perry Foundation 

Regina Peruggi 

Laura H. Petito Foundation 

Estate of Susan T. Pettiss 

The Pevaroff Cohn Family Foundation 

Mary Jane Potter 

Rana Quraishi 

Dee and Mel Raff 

Patricia B. Raines 

Kenneth and Marjorie Rasmussen 

Robert Rauschenberg 

Henry & Anne Reich Family Fund 

Larry S. and Maria E. Roberts 

Ruth E. Robertson 

Estate of James R. Rose 

Saralee Rosen and Gary Blumsohn 

Claire Rosenstein 

Janine and Mark Rosenzweig 

The Arthur Ross Foundation 

Jack and Susan M. Rudin 

Myra T. Russel 

Francie Rutherford and 

Fred Wardenburg 

N. Alexander Saint-Amand 

Mary P. Sandels 

Giovanna Castelfranco Schamberg 

Thomas Schick 

Robert M. Schiffman Foundation 

Walter J. Schloss 

Thomas W. Schroeder 

William B. Schultheis 

Charles Schulze 

Mark B. Schupack 

Mary Anne and Douglas Schwalbe 

Donna Sekhon 

Carol G. Siegel 

Gene and Judy Siegel 

Stephen and Elizabeth Silverman 

Estate of Jacquelyn E. Slocum 

Dr. and Mrs. Bernard E. Small 

Charlie Smith 

Edith Jayne Smith 

In Memory of Dolores Smithies 

“The IRC ensures that 

the displaced have 

the opportunity to 

establish lives for 

themselves.” 

—Michael Kellogg and 

Lucy Pugh, diplomat 

council members 

Mr. and Mrs. George B. Snell 

David M. and Mary C. Solomon 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Stainman 

Nancy Starr 

John G. and Diane R. Stathis 

Alan and Debbie Steckler 

David John Steege 

Elizabeth Steele 

Wendy A. Stein and Bart Friedman 

Fritz R. Stern 

William Thomas Stevens 

Pegge and Jim Strickler 

T. Dennis and Susan Sullivan 

Carolyn Surgent 

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore H. Swindells 

Sy Syms Foundation 

Christin Cooper Tache and Mark Tache 

Landon Thomas 

Tierney Family Foundation 

TK Foundation 

Jackson Toby 

Martin Tomasz 

John Travers 

Gene R. Ulrich 

Albert M. Van Rhee and Michelle L. 

Hernandez 

The Hon. William J. vanden Heuvel 

Maria L. Vecchiotti and Paul P. Tanico 

John and Julie Ver Ploeg 

The Virtue Foundation 

Barbara and John L. Vogelstein 

Richard S. Wagner II 

Lulu Wang 

Peter W. Weiss 

Christopher W. Wentz 

Marissa C. Wesely 

Paige West 

F. Helmut Weymar and 

Caroline Weymar 

John C. White 

Alison Winslow 

Carl H. Wolf 

The Estate of Gretchen Wolf 

Estate of J. D. Wright 

Ruth B. Yeazell 

Tae Yoo 

(§) Recently deceased. 

35 



36 

Foundations and 

Corporations 

Gifts and pledge payments given 

Oct. 1, 2005–Sept. 30, 2006 

Donors listed in italics have 

contributed consecutively for three 

or more years. 

$1,000,000+ 

Anonymous (1) 

Committee Encouraging Corporate 

Philanthropy 

The Starr Foundation 

Tides Foundation 

Vanguard Charitable Endowment 

Program 

$500,000+ 

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

Johnson & Johnson 

Newman’s Own Foundation 

$250,000+ 

American International Group, Inc. 

American Jewish Joint Distribution 

Committee 

Band Aid Trust 

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift 

Fund 

The New York Community Trust 

Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation 

$100,000+ 

ACE Group 

American Jewish World Service 

The Capital Group Companies 

Charitable Foundation 

CapitalSource 

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation 

“Our partnership with 

the IRC is a sound 

investment in public 

health around the 

globe.”—Robert Mallett, 

senior vice president, Pfizer 

Foundation 

Peter Biro 

Institutions provide essential support for 

the IRC’s lifesaving programs and projects 

around the globe. Foundations and corporations 

demonstrate their commitment to 

humanitarian relief while helping rebuild the 

lives of refugees and displaced people. 

Comic Relief 

Goldman Sachs Philanthropic Fund 

Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation 

The Grove Foundation 

HSBC 

International Service Agencies 

Jenkins, Goodman & Neuman 

Lehman Brothers 

The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur 

Foundation 

Meling & Associates 

Merck & Co., Inc. 

Northern Trust Bank of Florida 

Pfizer Inc. 

Robert T. Rolfs Foundation 

Wal-Mart 

The Norman and Rosita Winston 

Foundation 

Young Green Foundation 

$50,000+ 

Anonymous (1) 

American Express Foundation 

Broetje Orchards / Vista Hermosa 

Foundation 

Colgate-Palmolive Company 

Community Foundation of New Jersey 

General Electric Company 

Goldman Sachs & Co. 

Jewish Communal Fund 

Jewish World Watch 

Leaves of Grass Fund 

Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, Inc. 

PepsiCo, Inc. 

Refugees International Japan 

The San Diego Foundation 

San Felipe Humanitarian Alliance 

The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving 

Select Equity Group 

US Bank 

$25,000+ 

AEA Investors, Inc. 

American Express Center for 

Community Development 

American Express Company 

Atlanta Women’s Foundation 

The AYCO Charitable Foundation 

Baton Rouge Area Foundation 

Bloomberg 

Cashmere for Kashmir Fund 

The Clowes Fund, Inc. 

Community Technology Fund of 

California 

Consortium for Worker Education 

The Dow Chemical Foundation 

FedEx Corporation 

Friars National Association 


John Paul Getty Trust 

Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund 

Hands On Atlanta 

HEB Grocery Company 

Help Darfur Now, Inc. 

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation 

IXIS North America, Inc. 

Marin Community Foundation 

Network for Good 

RBS Greenwich Capital Foundation, Inc. 

United Federation of Teachers 

World Jewish Aid 

$10,000+ 

Anonymous (4) 

American Express Gift Matching 

Program 

American Federation of Teachers 

Arizona Community Foundation 

Augusta Properties 

The Bank of New York 

The Boston Consulting Group 

Catholic Charities 

Cisco Systems Inc. 

Citigroup, Inc. 

Clifford Chance 

Connecticut General Life Insurance 

Company 

Dr. Scholl Foundation 

The Estelle Trust 

FJC A Foundation of Donor Advised Funds 

The IRC helps provide sanitation and clean 

water to newly returned Afghan refugees, 

like this boy in Jalalabad. 

Guardian Media Group 

Guilford Publications, Inc. 

HealthEase 

Jewish Community Endowment Fund 

The Jewish Community Federation of 

Cleveland 

Joele Frank, Wilkinson, Brimmer, Katcher 

Journey Foundation 

Just Giving 

JustGive 

KPMG Disaster Relief Fund 

Kroll Associates, Inc. 

Madison Charities 

Mars & Co. 

McKinsey & Company, Inc. 

Microsoft Corporation 

Nationwide Relocation Services 

NBA/WNBA 

Nouveau Eyewear 

Oren’s Daily Roast, Inc. 

The David & Lucile Packard 

Foundation 

Pannonia Foundation 

The Park Foundation 

Petersmeyer Family Foundation 

The Rivendell Foundation 

Rockefeller Corporation 

Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation 

San Diego County Bar Foundation 

San Francisco Foundation 

SanDisk Corporation Fund 

The Shifting Foundation 

The Starbucks Foundation for 

Learning 

T. Edward Wines Ltd. 

Tishman Speyer Properties 

Toys “R” Us, Inc. 

van Löben Sels/RembeRock 

Foundation 

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC 

Warner Music Group Services 

Washington Mutual Foundation 

Wholesale Grocers, Inc. 

Y & H Soda Foundation 

$5,000+ 

Amaranth Foundation 

America’s Charities 

Berkshire Taconic Community 

Foundation 

Bodhi Monastery 

California Bank & Trust 

California Community Foundation 

The Chicago Community Foundation 

The Community Foundation for 

Greater Atlanta, Inc. 

Community Foundation of Silicon Valley 

Computer Associates International, Inc. 

Congregation Rodeph Sholom 

Credit Suisse First Boston

Delta Blood Bank 

DiMaio Capital 

Dollar General Literacy Foundation 

East Bay Community Foundation 

El Adobe Corporation 

Essilor International 

Focus Features 

The Foundation for Enhancing 

Communities 

Fund for the City of New York 

FutureBrand NY 

Gilead Sciences, Inc. 

The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc. 

Hiday & Ricke, P.A. 

Holly Real Estate 

Humana 

Jack Travis Enterprises, LLC 

Jeskell, Inc. 

Jewish Community Foundation 

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 

Keystone, Inc. / Hines Motor Supply, Inc. 

The McGraw-Hill Companies 

Merchants National Properties, Inc. 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. 

MGR Foundation 

Monterey Fund, Inc. 

The Morrison & Foerster Foundation 

National Bank of Arizona 

Qualcomm 

A.C. Ratshesky Foundation 

Reed Smith LLP 

The Seattle Foundation 

The Shoreland Foundation 

The T. Rowe Price Fund for Charitable 

Giving 

Temple Emanu-El 

The Toyon Fund 

United Way of New York City 

Utah Bar Foundation 

The Verizon Foundation 

W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 

Westminster Presbyterian Church 

Wild Child Charities, Inc. 

Women’s Empowerment International 

“The IRC is one of 

the most credible 

international organizations 

responding to 

global emergencies. 

We are proud 

supporters of the IRC.” 

—The Bill and Melinda Gates 

Foundation 

Partners for 

Freedom 


Daphne Achilles 

Dorothy D. Aeschliman 

Sandy Agrafiotis 

Elizabeth Franz Albert 

Katherine S. Almy 


Alfred C. Ames 

Dorothy B. Angell 


Partners for Freedom honors individuals who 

in addition to their annual support have given 

the IRC a legacy commitment. Partners for 

Freedom embody the conviction that the IRC 

can make a difference for millions of refugees 

and displaced people. 

Judy and John Angelo 

Mary R. Angulo 

Richard H. Annis 

Walter and Miriam Arndt 

William J. Arzbaecher 

Ardyce Asire 

Edwina M. Baehr 

Mr. and Mrs. Leo Baer 

Blythe and Frank Baldwin 

Harriet and George Baldwin 

Margaret and Rick Baldwin 

David and Karen Ballon 

Judith Bardacke 

Thomas J. Bardos 

Richard D. Barrows 

Jean and Ralph Baruch 

Carl Bassler 

Richard and Marilyn Batchelder 

H.R.H. Princess Firyal of Jordan and Tom 

Brokaw, co-chairs of the Freedom Fund, with 

John C. Whitehead, IRC chairman emeritus. 


David R. and Suzanne G. Baty 

John Baum 

Barbara Beasley 

Vivian H. Bell 

Lawrence A. Benenson 

Cindy Benner 



37 




38 

Nan B. Bentley 

Bella Berlly 

Annabelle Bernard 

Dene K. Bernstein 

William Besselievre 

Madelyn Biggs 

David Birnbaum 

David L. Black 

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne T. Black 

Peter and Patricia Blasco 

Vera Blinken 

Nan Borton 

Erika Bourguignon 

Mr. Hugh Bowman 

Elizabeth Braham 

Henry Brecher 

Hilda M. Brennand 

Betty and Charles (§) Breunig 

Arthur Brooks 

Emily L. Brown 

Harley P. Brown 

Margret Buchmann 

Mary Buck 

L. Buddenhagen 

William C. Bullock 

Clement Burnap 

Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Burns 

Wallace F. and Therese T. Burton 

Charles M. Butler 

Margery Byers 

Odette Cadart-Ricard 

Elinor H. Caines 

Babbie Cameron 

Helen R. Cannon 

Robert J. Carlson 

Eleanor Carlucci 

Eva-Maria E. Carne 

Carol A. Carr 

Dr. and Mrs. Cejpek 

Constance J. Chandler 

Gloria and Elliot (§) Charney 

Jane P. Church 

Judy Cirillo 

Sarah B. Clark 

Berenice Cohen 

Joseph P. Cohen 

Howard F. Cohn 

Ursula Liebrecht Colby 

Peter A. Cook 

Brigitte M. Cooke 

Hazel and Alan Cope 

Kathryn Corbett 

Virginia Hulbert Cori 

Constance C. Cornog, M.D. 

Gretchen and Fred Corum 

In Memory of Barbara Cotton 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Cozzi 

Mary C. Crichton 

Janet M. Cross 

Ralph H. Cryesky 

Nita Daluiso 

Vincent Daly 

John and Louise Daniels 

Herbert A. and Ruth David 

Phyllis B. and Peter J. Davies 

Aila G. Dawe 

Gabrielle R. Dawson 

Frances de Usabel 

Patricia A. Dean and William D. Dean 

Betsy and Bob DeVecchi 

Dr. and Mrs. Stanley C. Diamond 

Frances A. Dimond 

John and Ruth Donnell 

Doris Virginia S. Dort 

Doctors attend to infants at an IRC-managed pediatric ward in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. 

Jane C. Drorbaugh 

Doris and Peter (§) F. Drucker 

William D. Drucker, M.D. 

Barbara Du Bois, Ph.D. 

Nancy Hagle Duffy 

The Hon. Robin Chandler Duke 

John P. Eberhard 

Marilyn E. Eck 

Merle J. Edelman 

Dr. M. William Edwards 

Alfred D. Egendorf 

Dean V. and Patricia F. Ekstam 

Bettina Elliott 

Larry Enders 

Bjorn Engberg 

Esther Ernst 

Julie Evans 

Robert J. Fassbender 

Matthew A. Feigin 

Helen Fein 

Edith Feld 

Emily Filling 

Carole A. Finkel 

Elizabeth E. Finkler 

Marvin Fisher 

Dudley Flamm 

Glenn R. Fleischman 

Nell Fliehmann 

Marie E. Forster 

Ella M. Forsyth 

Jeannette Foss 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Foster 

Loren W. Fowlow 

Vera Freeman 

Marta and Jack (§) Freidin 

H. Karl Frensdorff 

Johanna Friedenstein 

Arthur Fry 

Peggy J. Crooke Fry 

Marie Lee Gaillard 

Mary E. Gaines 

Carl T. Gaiser 

Roger Garms 

James P. Garon 

J. Edward and Marion M. Gates 

Marjorie Gebhart 

Helen Geffen-Roht 

Robert K. Gerloff 

Henry Gibson 

Creighton E. Gilbert 

Steven L. Ginzbarg 

Dr. Jackie Gnepp and Mr. Joshua 

Klayman 

Harold and Rachel Goers 

Louise Goines 

Eleanore S. Goldberg 

Hilda H. Golden 

Mr. and Mrs. David Goldknopf 

Caroline Goldsmith 

Susan Goldsmith 

Dietlind Goldstein 

Pearl and Jerry Golubow 

Robert W. Goodman 

Bruce and Eva (§) Gordon 

Mary Jane Gorton 

Richard and Judithanne Gosnell 

P. Grad and M. Boris 

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Granett 

Ann Green 

Sylvia B. Greenberg 

“I have seen first-hand 

the dedication of the 

IRC staff and the help 

they give to refugees.”—Karen 

Cook, 

IRC diplomat council member 

James Grindlinger 

Alan Gross and Sarah Davies 

Louise Grunwald 

Donna A. Gushen 

Ruth B. Haas 

Regina A. Hablutzel 

Helen M. Hacker 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Hajek 

Robert and Joan Handschumacher 

Harvey A. Hansen 

Pahle Hausmann 

Ruth and Rolf Hayn 

Mr. and Mrs. John F. Hayward 

Helmut R. Heilner 

Donald P. Heim 

Eugene R. Heise 

Joanna Herlihy 

Laurette Herman 

Dr. Annette Herskovits 

Ordelle G. Hill 

Bente Hirsch 

Cynthia K. Hobart 

Virginia Hofmann 

Mrs. Gerald (Nisha) Holton 

V. Holzapfel 

Helen M. Hough 

Marjorie Howard-Jones 

Wentworth Hubbard 

Patricia Hudson 

Mrs. Walter Hulen 

Marsha Hunt 

Yorick G. Hurd 

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Eugene Hurtz 

Jeffrey A. Hylton 

Mary J. Insalata 


Milda E. Isenberg 

Joan Isserlis 

Glenn Ista 

Mary H. Jacker 

Bruce E. Jackson 

Walter J. Jacobs 

Bernice H. Jacobsen 

Miriam E. Jencks 

Dorothy Jenney 

Ada Jeppesen 

Patricia K. Johnson 

Stephen R. Judge 

Mark I. Kalish 

Ms. Mary B. Kasbohm 

Alton Kastner 

Robert and Nancy Katzman 

Margaret G. Keeton 

Frances V. Kehr 

Anne Kelemen 

William Kennedy and Holly Neal 

Kennedy 

Miriam Kerpen 

Stanley S. Kertel

Maurine King 

Nathalie King 

Lois Kirschenbaum 

Doris M. Kling 

Eva B. Kollisch 

Georgia E. Koyl 

Roger Krouse 

Mr. and Mrs. Carlos E. Kruytbosch 

Robert Kurlander and Susan Reisbord 

Anita M. La Placa 

Ernest A. Landy 

Carl E. Langenhop 

David Hank Lee 

Marion Leech 

Mark and Suzanne Levinson 

Dr. and Mrs. H. Richard Levy 

Sidney Lipshires 

Marion Lonsberry 


Mary Ruth Lyle 

Kathleen M. Lynn 

Suzanne H. MacRae 

Marilyn I. Madden 

Mr. and Mrs. George R. Mahn 

Patricia Makely 

Elizabeth Marco 

Ned N. and Francoise Marcus 

Robert F. Marino 

Carol L. Markewitz 

Dr. Grace E. Márquez 

Mrs. Winifred Marsh 

Margaret Martin 

Elizabeth T. Mathew 

Janet Matson 

Richard and Joan May 

Arlene I. Mayers 

Walter J. McCarthy 


Elizabeth N. and James M. McCutcheon 

Mary Etta McDonald 

Ann McHugh 

Joanne and George McKray 

Ms. Jerrie M. Meadows 

Mr. and Mrs. Warren C. Meeker 

John V. Meeks 

Charles W. Merrels 

Edgar G. Merson and Dr. Beverley Bayes 

Merson 

Margery Meyer 

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Miller, III 

Larry D. Miller 

Marilyn and Aaron Miller 

Pauline and Norman Miller 

Susan Perry Mills 

Anita and Morton Mintz 

Saul and Ezra Mizrahi 

John R. Moot 

Harold E. Morris 

Georgiana K. Morrison 

Roy and Rea Moss 

Elisabeth Moulton 

Hannah F. Moyer 

Betty J. Mullendore 

Philip Mulqueen 

Anna J. Munster, M.D. 

Thomas A. and Emily L. Murawski 

Eleanor and Rhoads Murphey 

Elise Wendel Murray 

Francis T. Murray 

James R. Murray 

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Neff 

Nancy L. Neiman-Hoffman 

Marion J. Nelkens Lederer 

Thomas Wm. Nelson 

Martha P. Newell Charitable Trust 

Mrs. Mariette Newhagen 

William E. Nunn 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Nyhuis 

Eileen L. Oehler 

Quentin and Paula Ogren 

Mimi O’Hagan 

Frank V. Olivero 

Margaret Olsen 

Irvin J. Olson 

Margaret Ann Olson 

Lawrence Osgood 

Mary K. Oswald 

India K. Ourisman 

Elaine R. Owens 

Irene M. Pace 

Susan C. Page 

Kathryn E. Parke 

Evelyn D. Parker 

Sandip Patel 

Dr. and Mrs. James L. Patterson, Jr. 

Dr. Nadine Michèle Payn 

Edgar and Phyllis Peara 

Judith Peck 

Dr. Gwen K. Perkins 

Mr. and Mrs. James Peterson 

Mary Ann Petrilena and Jonathan 

Wiesner 

John C. Phan 


Naomi Phillips 

Beth Phinney 

Harvey J. Pommer 

Alvin W. Post 

Mary Jane Potter 

Thomas J. Powell 

Lorna Power 

George O. Pranspill 

The Robert O. Preyer Charitable Lead 

Unitrust 

William Prusoff Charitable Lead Unitrust 

Susan Quillman 

Hollie B. Ramage 

Maurice M. Rapport 

Barbara Rayson 

Mary V. Reed 

Jo Beth Rees 

Nancy E. Reid 

Sandra A. Remis 

Mr. and Mrs. Christian F. Rendeiro 

Heidi Rentería 

Naomi Replansky 

Marianne Rich 

Jean-Paul Richard 

John and Thelma Richardson 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert A. Riddering 

Bernard and Barbara Ries 

Gwen Cheryl Rigby 

Margaret R. and Carl J. Rigney 

F. David Roberts 

Nancy Rodrique 

Estate of Edward Rogers 

Michael D. Root 

Hedy and Peter Rose 

Claire Rosenstein 

Janine and Mark Rosenzweig 

Keith Ross 

Ruth M.C. Ruby 

Lisbeth and George P. Ruderman 


Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Rupp 

Carol Anne Ruppel 

Patricia Rush 


Aldo Scafati 

Naomi Schecter 

Renee and Carl Schlesinger 

Betty J. Schlosser 

Norman Schmitt 

Paul Lambert Schmitz 

M.G. Schoene 

Mary Anne and Douglas Schwalbe 

Isadore M. Scott 

Mr. and Mrs. William R. Sengel 

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Shanker 

Gerry Shapiro 

In Memory of Richard Barry Shapiro 

Mary Shay 

Martha P. Sherman 

Hiroko and James T. Sherwin 

Stuart D. Shipe 

Irwin and Renee Shishko 

Jerry A. Shroder 

Mark Sibley, Jr. 

Selma R. Siege 

Kay Silberfeld 

John Simel 

Elizabeth Léonie Simpson 

Patricia J.S. Simpson 

Edith Jayne Smith 

Louisa Smucker 

Mr. and Mrs. George W. Smyth, Jr. 

Harriet Spagnoli 

Margaret R. Spanel 

Mr. and Mrs. Moncrieff J. Spear 

Anne Spillar 

Woodrow Stamper 

Nancy Starr 

Lew Steinbach 

Beverly B. Sterry 

Peggy Stevens 

Herbert O. Stiefel 

Ann Stillwater 

Eleanor H. Stoddard 

Erika Stone 

Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Stone 

Raymond W. Storck 

Stover Foundation 

Helen A. Strand 

Walter Straus 

Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Stycos 

Jennifer C. Su 

Maria Sugulas 

Marcia A. Summers 

Theodore J. Susac, II 

George C. Szego, P.E. 

Eve M. Tai 

Vivian Talbot 

Joseph Tanen and Nancy Phillips 

Charles J. Tanenbaum and Szilvia 

Szmuk-Tanenbaum 

Edward C. Tarte 

Jean G. Taylor 

Michael W. Taylor and Carol A. Taylor 

June L. Temple 

Marjorie A. Thatcher 

Lee Copley Thaw 

Dr. and Mrs. Theo G. Thevaos 

Mr. and Mrs. Burton R. Thorman 

George R. Thornton 

Gladys Duff Thornton 

James H. Tipton 

Mary Delmer Tooker 

John Train 

Ruth Turner 

Roy and Hope Turney 

Lt. Col. Ernest P. Uiberall, USA (Ret) 

The Reverend Arthur H. Underwood 

Elsie E. Van De Maele 

Ursula A. Van Raden 

Dr. and Mrs. Ron Vander Kooi 

Dr. and Mrs. John A. Vandrick 

Constance Vanvig 

Mr. Jeffrey Waingrow 

Jane W. Waterhouse 

Ingeborg B. Weinberger 

Kathe C. Weiner 

Eric W. Weinmann 

Jed Weissberg and Shelley Roth 

Lynne Wells 


Ginia Davis Wexler 


Beth J. Wickler 

Elizabeth P. Wiesner 

Don and Sally Wild 

John H. Will 

Joseph Williford 

David P. Willis 

Janet B. Wilson 

Jean M. Wilson 

Helen Winter 

Mary Porter Wise 

Robert and Gay Worthing 

Arthur F. Wortman 

Janet A. Wright 

Betty and Roger Wrigley 

Michael Yanowitch 

The Reverend Lois F. Yatzeck 

Jessie E. York 

Stephen A. Zach 

Dewey K. Ziegler 

Kathleen G. Zingaro 

Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan R. Zucker 

Joseph T. Zylla 

(§) Recently deceased. 

“The IRC helps the 

refugee in need and 

does this better than 

any organization 

I know.”—William 

Arzbaecher, IRC Partner 

for Freedom 

39 



Freedom Fund 

Gifts and pledge payments received 

through January 31, 2007 

Since 1933, the IRC has worked tirelessly to aid the innocent victims 


Freedom Fund supporter Agnes Gund talks 

with Alan Manski and Charles Muganda of 

the IRC emergency response team about 

the IRC’s work. 

of war and oppression and bring them from harm to home. Each year, 

we provide services to millions of displaced families around the world, 

helping them to rebuild their lives and communities. As we prepare to 

commemorate our 75th anniversary in 2008, the need for our work 

has never been greater. 

To ensure that the IRC has the resources and flexibility to respond 

to humanitarian crises and provide quality services abroad and in the 

United States, we have undertaken an ambitious campaign to build a 

$100 million Freedom Fund. This fund safeguards the IRC’s ongoing 

endeavors and endows our core programs. 

We are deeply grateful for and proud to recognize all those who have 

given so generously to the Freedom Fund. Their gifts make the IRC an 

ongoing source of vitality and stability in an uncertain world, and serve 

as a testament to the best attributes of our collective humanity. 

40 

$10,000,000+ 

The Starr Foundation ≤ 

$4,000,000+ 


John C. Whitehead ´ 

$2,000,000+ 

William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation ≤ 

The Leon and Toby Cooperman 

Foundation, in honor of John C. 

Whitehead 

Estate of Richard Corvin 


Michael D. Root and Cathy Root 

“The need for our 

work has never 

been greater.” 

—John C. whitehead, 

IRC chairman emeritus 

The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation ´ 

$1,000,000+ 

Estate of Dorothy Abbe 


Vera Blinken 

Katherine Farley and Jerry I. Speyer 

Marie and Joseph Field ´ 

Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation 

The Hauser Foundation 


Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ´ 

The David and Lucile Packard 

Foundation ≤ 

Lionel I. Pincus 


Michael W. Taylor and Carol A. Taylor 

Maureen White and Steven Rattner 

Kathleen G. Zingaro 

$500,000+ 

Estate of Nathan Galston 

Estate of Jerome Gross 

Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro ´ 

Sheila and Tom (§) Labrecque 

Newman’s Own Foundation ´ 

In Memory of Andrew Norman ´ 

Ruth and Julian Schroeder 

Jay Schulberg (§) 

Sue Ann and John L. (§) Weinberg 

$250,000+ 

Anonymous (2) 


Estate of Carol L. Bates 

The Brokaw Family 

The Carson Family Charitable Trust ´ 

Estate of Ruth Meyer Cherniss 

Susann Kellison and Donald Putnam 


Sheila and James Mossman 

Mary Ann Petrilena and Jonathan 

Wiesner 


Ted and Vada Stanley 

$100,000+ 

American Jewish Philanthropic Fund v 

AT&T Foundation 

Alice and Bill Barnett 



Leslie and George Biddle 

Estate of Elizabeth Fenn 

Eleanor and Benjamin Gerson 

Memorial Fund of the Jewish 

Community Federation of Cleveland 

Andrew Grove 

Estate of Miriam Hummel 

Estate of Helen Long 

Anne and Vincent Mai 

Margaret T. Morris Foundation 

Susan and Alan Patricof ✢ 


Gerry and David Pincus 

Thelma and John Richardson 

David Rockefeller 

Estate of Margaret Schmeh 

Estate of Rachel Telford 

Georgia G. Travers 

Liv Ullmann - Ein Herz für Kinder ✢ 

Estate of Edgar R. Weschler 

Josh Weston, in honor of Reynold Levy 

Trust under the Will of Edith Wurts 

Under $100,000 


Sheppie and Morton Abramowitz 

The Russell Berrie Foundation 

Andrew H. Brimmer 

James Burke 

Estate of Genevieve E. Butler 


Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chartener, 

in honor of John C. Whitehead 

Tina Chen and Marvin Josephson 

Estate of Akosh Chernush 

Robert M. Cotten 

Estate of Heinz Dawid

Estate of Edith Dempsey 

Estate of Liselotte Drucker 

Jodie and John Eastman 

Estate of Julia Spaulding Edwards 

Estate of Barbara Eisendrath 

The Freedom Forum 

Estate of Leo Dana Gatlin 

Adelia and Tom Gerety 

Henry Grunwald (§) 

Polly and John Guth 

Estate of Edward Hart 

Sylvia Hassenfeld, in honor of Alan 

Batkin 

Estate of Sally Ward Hills 

Steven D. Holzman 

Mary Elizabeth and George F. Hritz 

Alton Kastner 

Lucretia Martin 

Helena and Roman Martinez IV 

The Munchmeyer Family Charitable 

Fund 

Ralph S. O’Connor 

Sarah and Peter O’Hagan 

James Perkins 

Estate of Sari Podhorsky 

Estate of Ruth Ramey 

Joanna S. and Daniel Rose 

Janet and Arthur Ross 

Lisa B. Ross and Lionel Olmer 

Estate of Robert Ross 

Mary Shaw and Rob Marks 

Estate of Lieselotte and Friedrich 

Solmsen 

Nancy Starr 

H. Peter Stern 

Irma (§) and Carel (§) Sternberg 

Pegge and Jim Strickler 

The Sulica Fund 

John Train 

Edwin Wesely 

Estate of Sara A. Whaley 

Estate of Mona Wollheim 

Guy P. Wyser-Pratte 

≤ Donor to Health Unit Endowment 

´ Donor to Emergency Response Fund 

✢ Donor to Children’s Endowment 

v Donor to Resettlement Endowment 

(§) Deceased. 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Growth of IRC Freedom Fund (in millions) 

2000 2005 2008 (Projected) 

Donors 

Government Partners 

American Red Cross 

Canadian International Development 

Agency (CIDA) 

Dutch Interchurch Aid 

Government of Afghanistan, 

Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs 

Government of Afghanistan, 

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and 

Development (MRRD) 

Government of the Netherlands, 

Ministry of Development Cooperation 

Government of the United Kingdom, 

Department for International 

Development (DFID) 

Irish Aid 

Japanese Embassy, Afghanistan 

Royal Netherlands Embassy, Bosnia 

Royal Netherlands Embassy, Eritrea 

Swedish International Development 

Cooperation Agency (SIDA) 

Swiss Agency for Development 

and Cooperation 

U.S. Agency for International 

Development 

• Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

U.S. Department of Defense 

• U.S. Naval Medical Research 

U.S. Department of Education 

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services 

• Centers for Disease Control & 

Prevention 

• Office of Refugee Resettlement 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

U.S. Department of Housing 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of 

Justice Programs 

U.S. Department of Labor 

U.S. Department of State 

• Bureau of Population, Refugees and 

Migration 

U.S. Embassy, Ethiopia 

U.S. Embassy, Kinshasa 

U.S. Embassy, Sierra Leone 

Intergovernmental Partners 

Europe Aid 

European Commission Humanitarian 

Office (ECHO) 

International Organization of Migration 

(IOM) 


International Council of Voluntary 

Agencies (ICVA) 

World Bank 

United Nations Agencies 

Food and Agriculture Organization of 

the United Nations (FAO) 

U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 

U.N. Development Program (UNDP) 

U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

Organization (UNESCO) 

U.N. Emergency Fund 

U.N. Fund for Population Activities 

(UNFPA) 

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees 

(UNHCR) 

U.N. Office for the Coordination of 

Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 

World Food Programme 

World Health Organization (WHO) 

Tom Buckley, IRC Pfizer global health fellow, at a school on the Thailand-Burmese border. 

41 



42 

A technician working in the diagnostic lab at the IRC medical center at the Kakuma refugee camp 

in Kenya. 

International Partners 

American Jewish World Service 

American Refugee Committee 

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Southern Caucasus 

U.S. Pipeline Companies 

Catholic Charities 

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 

Chemonics 

Christian Children’s Fund (CCF) 

Columbia University 

Comic Relief 

Cooperative for Assistance & Relief 

Everywhere (CARE) 

Education Development Center (EDC) 

Elkin Charitable 

Exxon Mobil 

Fellowship for African Relief 

Jersey Overseas Aid 

John Snow, Inc. 

Johns Hopkins University 

JPHIEGO 

Mercy Corps 

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) 

Management Systems International (MSI) 

Norwegian Refugee Council 

Oxfam International 

Refugee Education Trust 

Relief International 

Stichting Vluchteling 

The New School 

World Jewish Aid 

World Relief 

World Vision 

U.S. State and Local 

Government Partners 

Alameda County, Social Services Agency 

California Council for the Humanities 

California Department of Education 

California Department of Community 

Services and Development 

City of Boston 

City of New York 

City of San Diego 

City of Seattle Human Services 

Department 

City of Seattle Department of 

Neighborhoods 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office 

for Refugees and Immigrants 

Commonwealth of Virginia, Department 

of Social Services 

Corporation for National Community 

Services 

County of San Diego Health and Human 

Services Agency 

El Cajon Community Development 

Corporation 

Idaho Office of Refugees 

Private Industry Council of San Francisco 

Santa Clara County 

Santa Clara County Social Services 

Agency 

State of Arizona, Department of 

Economic Security 

State of Georgia 

State of Georgia Department of Human 

Services 

State of Maryland Department of 

Human Services 

State of New York OTDA/BRIA 

State of Texas, Health and Human 

Services Commission 

State of Utah, Department of Health 

State of Utah, Department of Education 

State of Utah, Department of Workforce 

Services 

Washington State Department of 

Health and Human Services 


U.S. Programs & Private 

Support 

Arizona Community Foundation 

Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego 

Catholic Charities of Dallas, Inc. 

Catholic Social Services 

Chet Schmitt 

Community Technology Foundation of 

California 

Community Training and Assistance 

Center 

David L. Klein Foundation 

Dilberger Living Trust A 

Diocese of Olympia 

East Dallas Counseling Center 

ECPAT U.S.A. 

Exxon Mobil 

First Unitarian Church 

Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center 

Hong Kong Shanghai Banking 

Corporation 

International Institute of New Jersey 

ISED Solutions 

Janet and Arthur Ross Foundation 

Janet Travers Fund 

Japan Association of Refugees 

Jewish Family and Career Services 

Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation 

Los Angeles County Bar Association 

Mark Weber 

Mosaic Family Services 

Open Society Institute 

San Felipe Humanitarian Assistance 

State Street Foundation Philanthropy 

Program 

The Atlanta Women’s Foundation 

The Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel 

Foundation 

The Clowes Fund, Inc. 

The Haven’s Relief Fund Society 

The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation 

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus 


The San Diego Women’s Foundation 

United Way Metropolitan of Atlanta 

Vadasz Family Fund 

Virginia Law Foundation 

Welfare Photo Studio, Inc. 

In-Kind Donors 

Ambassador Swanee Hunt 

AmeriCares 

Baby Buggy 

Bed, Bath & Beyond 

Buck Wear, Inc. 

Buffalo Exchange 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day 

Saints 

Conventures, Inc. 

Draft FCB 

El Dorado Furniture 

First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake 

Milton Glaser 

Marymount Manhattan College 

Pottery Barn 

Rowland Hall / St. Mark’s School 

The Timberland Company 

Town Center Apartments 

Vickery Meadow Ministry 

Waterford School 

Welcome to America Project 

Wildflower Apartments 

Wolff Corporation 

Women Making A Difference (WoMAD) 

Pro Bono Donors 

Abelman, Frayne & Schwab 

Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP 

Clifford Chance 

Hogan & Hartson LLP 

Holland & Knight 

Latham & Watkins LLP 

Miller & Chevalier Chartered 

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 

Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP 

Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP 

White & Case LLP 

Planning for the Future 

Legacy gifts ensure that the IRC will remain 

strong and prepared to respond to the world’s 

unforeseen emergencies for years to come. 

To join this loyal group of supporters and plan 

your gift to the IRC, please contact the Office of 

Major and Planned Gifts, at 212.551.0963, or 

by e-mailing plannedgiving@theIRC.org

IRC Board of 

Directors 

and staff 

IRC Board of Directors 

and Overseers 

The International Rescue Committee is 

governed by a volunteer, unpaid board 

of directors. The Overseers provide 

advice on policy, advocacy, fundraising 

and public relations. 

Alan R. Batkin, Treasurer 

Jonathan L. Wiesner 

Co-Chairmen, Board of Directors 

Vera Blinken 

Secretary 

George Rupp 

President and Chief Executive Officer 

Tom Brokaw 

Winston Lord 

Co-Chairmen, Overseers 

Liv Ullmann 

Vice Chairman, International 


James C. Strickler, M.D. 

Chairmen, Emeriti 

Board of Directors 

Morton Abramowitz 

Laurent Alpert 

Vera Blinken 

Betsy Blumenthal 

Andrew Brimmer 

Mark Malloch Brown 

Beverlee Bruce 

Jeremy Carver 

Florence Davis 

Susan Dentzer 

Jodie Eastman 

Katherine Farley 

H.R.H Princess Firyal of Jordan 

Jeffrey Garten 

George Hritz 


Winston Lord 

Rob Marks 

Roman Martinez 

Jay Mazur 

Kathleen Newland 

Indra Nooyi 

Sarah O’Hagan 

Susan Patricof 

David Phillips 

Samantha Power 

George Rupp 

George Sarlo 

Tom Schick 

Jean Kennedy Smith 

James Strickler 

Josh Weston 

Maureen White 

John Whitehead 

Overseers 

Madeleine K. Albright 

F. William Barnett 

Alan Batkin 

Georgette Bennett 

Michael Blumenthal 

Jennifer Brokaw 

Tom Brokaw 

Glenda Burkhart 

Frederick “Skip” Burkle 


Robert Cotten 

Robert DeVecchi 

Robin Duke 

Harold Ford 

Theodore Forstmann 

Kenneth French 

Maurice Greenberg 

Andrew Grove 

Morton Hamburg 

Karen Hein 

Lucile Herbert 

Howard Jonas 

Marvin Josephson 

Alton Kastner 

Henry Kissinger 

Yong Kwok 

Tom Lantos 

Reynold Levy 

Winston Lord 

Daniel Lufkin 

Vincent Mai 

John Makinson 

Lucretia Martin 

Roberto Martinez 

Kati Marton 

Allen Moore 

Robert Oakley 

Sadako Ogata 

Catherine O’Neill 


Alexandra Peters 

David Pincus 

Colin Powell 

Donald Putnam 

Bruce Ratner 

Milbrey “Missie” Rennie 

John Richardson 

Felix Rohatyn 

George Rupp 

Jessica Seinfeld 

Barbara Shailor 

James Sherwin 

Nancy Starr 

Peter Stern 

James Strickler 

Lee Thaw 

John Train 

Georgia Travers 

Liv Ullmann 

William vanden Heuvel 

Ronald J. Waldman 

Leah Zell Wanger 

Daniel Weiner 

Edwin Wesely 

Rhonda Weingarten 

Anne Whitehead 

John Whitehead 

Elie Wiesel 


James D. Wolfensohn 

Guy Wyser-Pratte 

Senior Staff 

George C. Biddle 

Senior Vice President 

Edward P. Bligh 

Vice President, Communications 

Robert J. Carey 

Vice President, Resettlement 


Vice President, Development 

John Keys 

Vice President, International Programs 

Patricia Long 

Vice President, Chief Financial Officer 

Ellen O’Connell 

Vice President, Administration and 

Board Relations 

Anne C. Richard 

Vice President, Government Relations 

and Advocacy 

Louise Shea 

Vice President, Human Resources 

Carrie A. Simon 

General Counsel 

International Rescue 

Committee-Belgium 

Hervé de Baillenx 

Director 


Laurent Alpert 

Jeremy P. Carver CBE 

Liv Ullmann 


International Rescue 

Committee-UK 

Sarah Hughes 

Director 


Jeremy P. Carver CBE 

Kathleen O’ Donovan 

Co-Chairs Board of Directors 

George Biddle 

Gillian duCharme 

Sir Jeremy Greenstock GCMG 

John Makinson CBE 

Kathleen O’Donovan 

James P. Rubin 

Mary Anne Schwalbe 

Ex Officio 

Chris Wilde 

Company Secretary 

Women’s Commission for 

Refugee Women and Children 

Carolyn Makinson 

Executive Director 


Glenda Burkhart 

Co-Chair 


Co-Chair 

U.S. Resettlement Offices 

Abilene, Tex. 

Atlanta, Ga. 

Baltimore, Md. 

Boise, Idaho 

Boston, Mass. 

Charlottesville, Va. 

Dallas, Tex. 

Glendale. Calif. 

Linden, N.J. 

Los Angeles, Calif. 

Miami, Fla. 

New York, N.Y. 

Oakland, Calif. 

Phoenix, Ariz. 

Sacramento, Calif. 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

San Diego, Calif. 

San Francisco, Calif. 

San Jose, Calif. 

Seattle, Wash. 

SeaTac, Wash. 

Silver Spring., Md. 

Tucson, Ariz. 

Turlock, Calif. 

Washington. D.C. 

43 


Financial Report 


The IRC is helping repair damaged buildings in 

tsunami-affected regions of Aceh, Indonesia. 

CONDENSED AUDITED STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES for the years ended September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005 (in thousands)20062005 

OPERATING REVENUES 

2006 2005 

Contributions $ 55,798 $ 40,611 

Contributed goods and services 3,952 3,419 

Grants and contracts 164,477 148,703 

Investment return used for operations 2,622 2,002 

Loan administration fees and other 1,439 1,431 

Total Operating Revenues 228,288 196,166 

OPERATING EXPENSES 

Program Services 

International relief and assistance programs 145,673 127,979 

44 

Resettlement 31,512 28,749 

Emergency preparedness, technical units and other 9,263 6,597 

Women’s Commission 3,159 2,698 

Total Program Services 189,607 166,023 

Supporting Services 

Management and general 13,414 12,552 

Fundraising 7,438 6,005 

Total Supporting Services 20,852 18,557 

Total Operating Expenses 210,459 184,580 

EXCESS OF OPERATING REVENUES OVER OPERATING EXPENSES* 17,829 11,586 

Endowment, planned giving and other non-operating activities (net) 5,878 8,172 

Increase in Net Assets 23,707 19,758 

Net assets at beginning of year 79,658 59,900 

NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR $ 103,365 $ 79,658 

* Included in these balances are unrestricted operating surpluses of $3,309 in 2006, and $3,013 in 2005. 

Complete financial statements, audited by KPMG LLP, are available upon request.

stephanie cristalli 

Art Direction and Design © Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios / www.designEWS.com Editor: Steven Manning Text: Steven Manning and Peter Biro Contributors: Melissa Winkler and Nhien Nguyen/International Examiner. 

Back Cover Photography: Stephanie Cristalli ©2007 International Rescue Committee Printed by Philip Holzer & Associates 

Ehmoo Hsar Hswe, age 4, and her 

grandmother, Nah Lah Hswe, age 85, 

are among the first Karen refugees 

to be resettled in Seattle. 

Advocate! 

Join the IRC’s online global 

family at www.theIRC.org to 

receive important advocacy alerts 

and news about the humanitarian 

issues that are important to you. 

Donate! 

Give online by visiting our web 

site at www.theIRC.org 

Call toll-free 1.877.Refugee 

(1.877.733.8433) 

Make a tax-deductible 

contribution by mail to: 


Vice President, Development 


122 East 42nd Street 

New York, NY 10168-1289 

The IRC accepts gifts in the form 

of securities. For more information, 

please contact: 

Dagmar Fiala 

Development Manager 

212.551.0964 

Dagmar.Fiala@theIRC.org 

Volunteer! 

The International Rescue 

Committee’s regional resettlement 

offices rely on volunteers 

to support their work helping 

refugees adjust to a new life in 

the U.S. For information about 

how you can help, contact: 

Christine Petrie, Deputy Vice 

President, Resettlement 

212.551.3071 

Christine.Petrie@theIRC.org


122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 

10168-1289, USA 

www.theirc.org 

International Rescue Committee Belgium 

Place de la Vielle aux Blés 

16 B-1000 Brussels, Belgium 

International Rescue Committee UK 

11 Gower Street, London 

WC1E 6HB, UK 


Rue Gautier, 7 CH-1201 

Geneva, Switzerland 

The Hswe family are among the first wave of 

Karen refugees, a Burmese ethnic minority group, 

who have been resettled in Seattle by the IRC.

International Rescue Committee 2006 Annual Report

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