Ground-breaking programme reunites families, reignites hope
UNHCR’s ‘holistic’ integration project helps refugees find jobs, education, homes and help towards naturalization. By Jenny Barchfield in Saltillo, Mexico After his mother fled El Salvador following a barrage of death threats, her son – little Samuel* – was also...
As drought compounds security woes, Somalis flee to Ethiopia
Crop failures, livestock die-offs, and Al-Shabab extortion demands are driving thousands of farmers and pastoralists to abandon their lands and seek refuge. By Katie Nguyen in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia When drought killed most of Barwako Noor Abdi’s cows and goats eight...
Eight refugees fighting for the planet
Far from home these refugees are still doing their part to combat climate change “Our house is on fire — let’s act like it.” This is the picture youth activist Greta Thunberg paints on the global climate crisis, which may well be the defining fight of our lifetime. It...
Trans woman defies danger to champion LGBTI rights in El Salvador
Bianka Rodríguez, named regional winner for the Americas for the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, champions the transgender community’s rights. By Jenny Barchfield in San Salvador, El Salvador Bianka Rodríguez was leaving a San Salvador shopping centre when a man with a...
Amid rising xenophobic attacks in South Africa, UNHCR ramps up aid for refugees, calls for urgent action
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is deeply concerned about recurring violence against...
UN Refugee Chief welcomes African leadership and solidarity in action for refugees evacuated from Libya
Welcoming this week’s agreement with the African Union and Rwanda to set up a refugee transit mechanism for evacuation of vulnerable refugees out of Libya, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today urged other countries to follow this example with further...
Nicaraguan professionals seek safety in Costa Rica
Doctors, lawyers and professors are among professionals forced to flee their Central American homeland for doing their jobs. By Jenny Barchfield in San José, Costa Rica When anti-government protests broke out in Nicaragua in 2018, Sara,* a pediatrician, knew the...
New UNHCR evacuation of refugees from Libya to Italy, as Tripoli fighting continues
A group of 98 vulnerable refugees have been today evacuated out of Libya to Italy, the third direct humanitarian evacuation to the country this year. With Libya continuing to suffer under conflict, such evacuations are a lifeline for the most vulnerable refugees...