Actress Morena Baccarin visits Venezuelan refugees assisted by the IRC in Cúcuta, Colombia. Since April 2018, the IRC has been working in Cúcuta, supporting Venezuelans and vulnerable Colombians with specialized services. Photo by Andres Brenner/IRC.
International Rescue Committee
In Honor of World Refugee Day
This past year millions of people in Afghanistan and Ukraine were forced to flee their homes at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, crises in countries like Syria, Ethiopia and Venezuela persist, resulting in a record-high 100 million people displaced globally.
These families have had to make difficult decisions when fleeing their homes. But while they can only carry so much, refugees bring countless gifts to their new communities: hopes and dreams, experiences and talents, traditions and family stories, resilience and determination. Now more than ever, people fleeing war and persecution need our support.
That's why we're so proud of our #VBGIVESBACK partnership with the International Rescue Committee and are making a donation from each and every veronicabeard.com order to this cause, pledging a minimum giveback of $150,000. Today, on World Refugee Day, we're also doubling our online donations—because we at Veronica Beard stand for a world that recognizes, welcomes and supports all refugees today and every day.
But small acts of kindness matter, too, as actress and IRC ambassador Morena Baccarin shares with us here in an exclusive interview. She has been a longstanding supporter of the nonprofit for over a decade, visiting stateside refugee resettlements and even traveling to Colombia to support Venezuelan refugees on the ground. "The IRC has a real impact on people’s lives," she says. "You actually see the work the organization is doing, firsthand. It's giving refugees the tools they need to thrive."
In addition to the life-saving resources IRC provides to refugees—learn more in our stories here, here and here—"the staff takes them to the grocery store, shows them how to buy clothes, how to use a credit card for the first time," adds Baccarin. "Those small things—even showing them how different a carton of orange juice is from the one at home—can make a big difference."
Below, Baccarin opens up about her work with the IRC and we share how you can help, in ways both big and small.
Q&A
Baccarin in Cúcuta, Colombia, with the IRC. Photo by Andres Brenner/IRC.
Tell us about your trip to Colombia…
I went in 2019 with the International Rescue Committee. We wanted to shine a light on the Venezuelan crisis. The figures are staggering—as many as 40,000 Venezuelans cross the Simon Bolivar bridge to Colombia every day to buy basic goods, like toilet paper, eggs, diapers, medical supplies. These things are either in limited supply in their own country or they couldn't afford them there. Many cross back, but a good amount—some 5,000 of them—do not return. The border are open to them, but Colombia doesn't have the infrastructure to be able to deal with the influx of new immigrants coming in. So the IRC set up a center in Cúcuta, very close to the border, to provide assistance and medical attention. There is a maternity ward and a school, a place where children could go have a meal and sit in an air-conditioned place to read, write and draw. It was really touching, one of the most profound trips I've done.
I went in 2019 with the International Rescue Committee. We wanted to shine a light on the Venezuelan crisis. The figures are staggering—as many as 40,000 Venezuelans cross the Simon Bolivar bridge to Colombia every day to buy basic goods, like toilet paper, eggs, diapers, medical supplies. These things are either in limited supply in their own country or they couldn't afford them there. Many cross back, but a good amount—some 5,000 of them—do not return. The border are open to them, but Colombia doesn't have the infrastructure to be able to deal with the influx of new immigrants coming in. So the IRC set up a center in Cúcuta, very close to the border, to provide assistance and medical attention. There is a maternity ward and a school, a place where children could go have a meal and sit in an air-conditioned place to read, write and draw. It was really touching, one of the most profound trips I've done.
What were the days like?
I got to know the women at the clinic and listen to their stories. They told me about the trauma of moving, what the conditions were like in their home country and what their hopes were for the future. We did activities with them, like trust exercises, to help them emotionally. I remember a picture of a tree on the wall and they would fix their hopes and dreams on it—so they could look toward a goal that was tactile and concrete.
I interviewed mothers who were crossing the bridge, with their toddlers and babies in hand, to get medication for them. Sometimes, they would cross twice a day. And this is a very long journey. They're not crossing the bridge for a walk. You have to be pretty desperate to walk for miles with your children in the hot sun. Some hadn't had a meal in two or three days. It's crazy that human beings have to go through something like that when there is so much wealth and so many resources around the world.
I got to know the women at the clinic and listen to their stories. They told me about the trauma of moving, what the conditions were like in their home country and what their hopes were for the future. We did activities with them, like trust exercises, to help them emotionally. I remember a picture of a tree on the wall and they would fix their hopes and dreams on it—so they could look toward a goal that was tactile and concrete.
I interviewed mothers who were crossing the bridge, with their toddlers and babies in hand, to get medication for them. Sometimes, they would cross twice a day. And this is a very long journey. They're not crossing the bridge for a walk. You have to be pretty desperate to walk for miles with your children in the hot sun. Some hadn't had a meal in two or three days. It's crazy that human beings have to go through something like that when there is so much wealth and so many resources around the world.
What were your first impressions?
I was really struck by how grateful they were and how much they wanted to work. In the U.S., people tend to have a preconceived notion that refugees want a free ride and this was the exact opposite. I remember the IRC was setting up one man with a little bit of cash so he could have an ice cream truck, so he could sell his ice cream in the town square. It was a very simple way to make ends meet, but it was very important to him because he wanted to send money home to his family.
I was really struck by how grateful they were and how much they wanted to work. In the U.S., people tend to have a preconceived notion that refugees want a free ride and this was the exact opposite. I remember the IRC was setting up one man with a little bit of cash so he could have an ice cream truck, so he could sell his ice cream in the town square. It was a very simple way to make ends meet, but it was very important to him because he wanted to send money home to his family.
Baccarin at the IRC clinic in Cúcuta, Colombia, listening to the women's stories. Photo by Andres Brenner/IRC.
What kind of impact is the IRC making there?
It meant a lot to the people to have a place and point of contact where they could go if they needed help. Because once you cross over to the other side, it takes a while to get into the city and, even then, where do you begin? A lot of the women create friendships and a support system through the IRC. They are able to grow and move forward. The IRC provides a safety net, immense psychological support—which is really important at that stage—and a place where they feel heard. They have a kinship and common ground with other people because the experience, going through those hardships, can feel very isolating.
It meant a lot to the people to have a place and point of contact where they could go if they needed help. Because once you cross over to the other side, it takes a while to get into the city and, even then, where do you begin? A lot of the women create friendships and a support system through the IRC. They are able to grow and move forward. The IRC provides a safety net, immense psychological support—which is really important at that stage—and a place where they feel heard. They have a kinship and common ground with other people because the experience, going through those hardships, can feel very isolating.
What other work have you done with the organization?
I visited a communal garden in the Bronx where many refugee residents grow produce from their home countries. It gives them a sense of community as well as a taste of home. It was wonderful to see.
I visited a communal garden in the Bronx where many refugee residents grow produce from their home countries. It gives them a sense of community as well as a taste of home. It was wonderful to see.
That sense of comfort means so much when you're far from home…
My family immigrated from Brazil to New York when I was seven. I know how difficult it is to assimilate—my brother and I were very young and didn't speak any English. We actually moved back to Brazil for a couple years—my father stayed and did that whole thing where he would send money to us—before we came back. I still felt like a total foreigner, but remember feeling incredibly supported by my community. It was through small acts of kindness—simple things like helping you figure out what lunch is on the menu or where the bathroom is at school.
It's the same with refugees who come here. I was at the IRC office in Maryland and met a lot of the new immigrants who arrived, from war-torn countries, within days. A lot of the women who come from patriarchal societies are never allowed to have money or don't know how to spend their own money. The staff takes them to the grocery store, shows them how to buy clothes, how to use a credit card for the first time. Those small things—even showing them how different a carton of orange juice is from the one at home—can make a big difference.
My family immigrated from Brazil to New York when I was seven. I know how difficult it is to assimilate—my brother and I were very young and didn't speak any English. We actually moved back to Brazil for a couple years—my father stayed and did that whole thing where he would send money to us—before we came back. I still felt like a total foreigner, but remember feeling incredibly supported by my community. It was through small acts of kindness—simple things like helping you figure out what lunch is on the menu or where the bathroom is at school.
It's the same with refugees who come here. I was at the IRC office in Maryland and met a lot of the new immigrants who arrived, from war-torn countries, within days. A lot of the women who come from patriarchal societies are never allowed to have money or don't know how to spend their own money. The staff takes them to the grocery store, shows them how to buy clothes, how to use a credit card for the first time. Those small things—even showing them how different a carton of orange juice is from the one at home—can make a big difference.
How does your mother's work as an activist inspire your advocacy now?
My mom, an artist and actress, grew up in Brazil during a dictatorship and always felt it was important to speak out for women's rights and artist's rights. So I grew up with that credo. It's important to have a voice and to fight for something. When we moved to the U.S., she continued that. She saw The Vagina Monologues here in New York and that it was such a powerful play about women's issues, she bought the Brazilian rights and brought it there. It ran in Brazil for 10 years.
My mom, an artist and actress, grew up in Brazil during a dictatorship and always felt it was important to speak out for women's rights and artist's rights. So I grew up with that credo. It's important to have a voice and to fight for something. When we moved to the U.S., she continued that. She saw The Vagina Monologues here in New York and that it was such a powerful play about women's issues, she bought the Brazilian rights and brought it there. It ran in Brazil for 10 years.
How are you encouraging activism and philanthropy in your own kids now?
I don't frame it to them as activism. I don't want them to feel like they have to speak out for things, just for the sake of it. I foster them to be exposed to a lot of different things. For example, through the IRC's help, we connected with an Afghan family who recently moved to the U.S. and helped them with supplies. We bought groceries for them. My kids donated their toys and brought them candy (because that's their highest currency). It was important to open their eyes to experiences like these.
I don't frame it to them as activism. I don't want them to feel like they have to speak out for things, just for the sake of it. I foster them to be exposed to a lot of different things. For example, through the IRC's help, we connected with an Afghan family who recently moved to the U.S. and helped them with supplies. We bought groceries for them. My kids donated their toys and brought them candy (because that's their highest currency). It was important to open their eyes to experiences like these.
How to Help This World Refugee Day
• Join Team VB and help donate essential items for refugees to help them succeed and thrive as they resettle in the US. If you’d like to help, you can donate directly at the Amazon Wish Lists below. Items start at $5 and can help change someone's life.
• Check your local IRC office’s current volunteer needs and extend a welcoming hand in your own community. Or sponsor a refugee family.
• Take action and tell President Biden to continue welcoming refugees and all that they bring. Learn more here.
• Explore refugee stories, told in their own words—here on VB Edit, meet refugees from Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan, Georgia, Niger and Afghanistan.
Imagery used with permission of the International Rescue Committee. © International Rescue Committee
From April 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022, Veronica Beard will donate a dollar amount from every sale on veronicabeard.com worldwide, to the IRC, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid, relief and resettlement to refugees and other victims of oppression or violent conflict. The company will also donate 10% of all retail sales made in the United States on April 7, 2022 (#VBGIVESBACK) to the IRC. Company guarantees a minimum donation of $150,000 USD. For more information, visit www.rescue.org. No portion of the purchase price is tax-deductible.
