Providing for the Health of Refugees

An estimated 300 million people worldwide live in countries affected by armed conflict. When violence and political instability disrupt societies and displace populations, they usually destroy public health services, clean water supplies, sanitation and stable living conditions. As a result, death and disease skyrocket.

During these emergencies the International Rescue Committee strives to rapidly reduce illness and death rates to normal levels. When the conflict subsides, the IRC works with displaced individuals and communities to rebuild their health systems.

IRC health programs assist approximately 13 million people in 25 countries, focusing on primary health care, reproductive health care, environmental health, child survival, blindness treatment and prevention, and assistance for victims of sexual violence. 

The IRC works in various settings such as in refugee camps, in disaster-stricken areas and in host countries where refugees have resettled after a conflict.

IRC experts in primary care, environmental health, reproductive health, epidemiology, child survival, and emergency medicine ensure that IRC programs use cutting edge public health tools in accordance with best-practice standards for humanitarian aid.

The IRC is also committed to contributing to the development of the science and practice of humanitarian assistance and has undertaken a variety of research studies on public health published in various peer-reviewed journals.

Learn More

Congo Crisis: Special report on the IRC's latest mortality survey.

Contact:

Emmanuel D’Harcourt, MD, MPH
Senior Health Director
International Rescue Committee
122 East 42nd Street
New York, NY, 10168

The IRC is a member of the CORE Group, which works to improve and expand community-focused public health practices for underserved populations around the world.