International Rescue Committee (IRC)
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Founded at the call of Albert Einstein in 1933, the IRC is now at work in over 40 crisis-affected countries as well as communities throughout Europe and the Americas. We deliver lasting impact by providing health care, helping children learn, and empowering individuals and communities to become self-reliant, always seeking to address the inequalities facing women and girls.
IRC received a grant from the Bain Capital Relief Fund in October 2021 as violence in Afghanistan was worsening and spreading, causing even more human suffering and displacement than what had been experienced in the 40 years prior from conflict, natural disasters, chronic poverty, food insecurity and COVID-19. IRC had been working in Afghanistan since 1988, launching relief programs for people displaced by the invasion of the Soviet Union. They continued to provide aid under Taliban rule and later expanded their community development projects. They now work with thousands of villages across nine provinces, with Afghans making up more than 99% of IRC staff in the country. In recent years, the IRC has become one of the leaders in women’s protection and empowerment in the country. The IRC was able to deliver lifesaving aid in areas of conflict, as well as provide emergency cash assistance and protection services for internally displaced people in Kabul.