IRC

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian organization founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein. The IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. The IRC works in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, providing emergency aid, protection, and long-term assistance to refugees and displaced communities.

In Ukraine, the IRC has been operational since 2014, initially focusing on supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and conflict-affected populations in the east. Following the escalation of the war in February 2022, the IRC rapidly scaled up its response, establishing offices in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and other locations. The IRC’s programs in Ukraine include emergency health services, protection for women and children, cash assistance, shelter repairs, and winterization support, reaching hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Since the full-scale invasion, the IRC has reached over 1.5 million people in Ukraine with critical aid. The organization has provided primary healthcare consultations, distributed cash and vouchers, offered psychosocial support, and facilitated access to safe spaces for survivors of gender-based violence. The IRC continues to adapt its response to meet evolving needs, including support for winterization, energy resilience, and recovery efforts in liberated areas.