Afghan boy endures hardship en route to a better future
Farouk, 15, fled Afghanistan and endured a difficult journey overland across 10 countries. Now he is reunited with his siblings in London thanks in part to help from UNHCR. By Barbara Molinario in Rome By the age of 16, most teenage boys have survived school, made...
Nicaraguans make their home in an idle Costa Rican factory
Uprooted by persecution, dozens of Nicaraguan journalists, teachers, labourers and accountants now rent a former San José tin factory as a shelter. By Jenny Barchfield in San José, Costa Rica With its roof and walls made out of corrugated tin, a single spartan...
Climate change and displacement
How conflict and climate change form a toxic combination that drives people from their homes. They murdered his father, torched his neighbourhood and sent him running for his life. Rounding up as many family members as he could find, Hawali Oumar fled his hometown of...
UNHCR increases aid in north-east Syria
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Liz Throssell – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Since the escalation of violence in north-east Syria last week, teams from UNHCR, the...
Colombia gives Venezuela newborns a start in life
New measure grants citizenship to the children born to Venezuelan parents on Colombia soil, helping thousands at risk of statelessness. By Jenny Barchfield in Bogotá, Colombia One afternoon in early September, Yonielys Villegas was tending to the basement apartment...
Lone children face insecurity on Greek island
Children seeking asylum who have been separated from their parents say they face poor conditions and threats of violence at a reception centre on the Greek island of Lesvos. By Boris Cheshirkov on Lesvos, Greece Zemar* was only 15 when he arrived from Afghanistan at...
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Yusra Mardini on desperate journeys
Yusra Mardini is a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, a Syrian refugee, and an Olympian. She swam in Rio2016 as part of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. In 2015, I was 17, a high school student dreaming of representing my country at international swimming events. As the...
Yemen: faces from the front lines of a humanitarian emergency
Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian disaster with more than 24 million people who require humanitarian or protection assistance. Since 2015, Yemen’s conflict has killed 17,000 civilians and displaced 3.65 million. Escalating conflict continues to cause...