International Rescue Committee 2006 Annual Report

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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 INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE 2006 ANNUAL REPORT www.theIRC.org
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Page 3 and 4: Gerald Martone A newly arrived fami
Page 5 and 6: Sarah O’Hagan From the president
Page 7 and 8: “My village was attacked and burn
Page 9 and 10: photos by Peter Biro “People live
Page 11 and 12: photos by Peter Biro Home From Exil
Page 13 and 14: From Horror to Hope George Angolli
Page 15 and 16: photos by Victor Mello A Lasting Le
Page 17 and 18: photos by Peter Biro “I am free a
Page 19 and 20: photos by Peter Biro Looking Forwar
Page 21 and 22: opposite page The Hswe family in th
Page 23 and 24: IRC staff worked with students incl
Page 25 and 26: Richard Falco The International Res
Page 27: preventive and emergency Rwanda —
Page 31 and 32: Melissa Winkler Every year, the cha
Page 33 and 34: Sarlo Awards Although they rarely m
Page 35 and 36: International Rescue Committee oppo
Page 37 and 38: Brillo-Sonnino Fund of RSF Mrs. Wal
Page 39 and 40: Delta Blood Bank DiMaio Capital Dol
Page 41 and 42: Maurine King Nathalie King Lois Kir
Page 43 and 44: Estate of Edith Dempsey Estate of L
Page 45 and 46: IRC Board of Directors and staff IR
Page 47 and 48: stephanie cristalli Art Direction a

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