Episode 15: A Conversation with Kathleen Morris, Executive Director, IRC, Washington

Today we are excited to share with you a conversation with Kathleen Morris, the newly elected executive director of International Rescue Committee, Washington. Kristen Dailey, executive director of GlobalWA, and Kathleen had a wonderful and revealing conversation about the refugee crisis facing us today, the path to settlement in Washington State, the refugee experience, including the inspiring resilience and resourcefulness of refugees, and so much more. Special thanks to the Seattle Foundation who supplied us a room for this conversation.

Formed in 1933, IRC helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. IRC is an incredible organization with very impressive results. In 2022 alone, the IRC and their partners reached over 32.9 million people in countries affected by crises.

Here are a few stats from 2022:

• They’ve supported 3,137 health facilities
• Provided 8,013,515 primary health care consultations
• Treated 222,278 children under 5 for severe acute malnutrition
• Admitted 453,344 children and 106,722 pregnant and lactating women to nutrition programs
• Built or rehabilitated water supplies serving 3,490,159 people
• Reached 1,421,270 people with cash assistance…

And the list goes on. I encourage you to visit their website at www.rescue.org to find out more.