UNHCR partner’s project is stitching new lives in Bangladesh
It’s the start of the work day in Nayapara refugee camp in Bangladesh, and a group of Rohingya refugee women are hard at work producing items that make up some of the contents of UNHCR’s female hygiene kits. The kits are distributed to refugee women of reproductive...
Humanitarians of Canada: 16-year-old gives a gift from the heart
Meet the 16-year-old humanitarian raising funds for refugees—and hoping to change the world Daphnée Gagnon-Beaule had a very clear vision and goal when it came to delivering her biggest Christmas gift. The 16-year-old was familiar with UNHCR’s work helping refugees,...
Syrian family come home to a town ravaged by war
After eight years of conflict, some Syrians are slowly returning to areas where they feel safe. For many, it is a harsh homecoming, and the start of a new set of challenges. By Christopher Reardon in Souran, Syria Life as a refugee was never easy for Zahida, 35, who...
Eight years on, Syrian refugees weigh the cost of war
Eight-year-old Syrian refugee Abdulhay has a memory of his father. They are in his yellow taxi, driving through their old neighbourhood in Syria. From the passenger seat, he looks over and smiles at his father. His father turns and smiles back. It’s a brief memory,...
UNHCR mourns the deaths of three colleagues killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash
GENEVA – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is mourning today the tragic loss of three colleagues killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash in Ethiopia yesterday morning (10 March). UNHCR’s own Nadia Ali, Jessica Hyba and Jackson Musoni were among the passengers on board the...
The high price of fighting for women’s rights
Ketty Nivyabandi is longing for her country, but she is determined to continue her fight for women in Burundi – a fight that caused her to lose her homeland. By Gisèle Nyembwe in Ottawa, Canada “It has been close to four years now. My most cherished dream is to...
‘Guardian angel’ offers lifeline to abused refugee women in South Sudan
Volunteers living in Maban County’s refugee camps have opened up their homes to care for women affected by sexual and gender-based violence. Mama Elizabeth, 65, is a Sudanese refugee and one of 48 refugee volunteers, also known as ‘guardian angels,’ who have opened up...
High Commissioner for Refugees visits Syria, assesses humanitarian needs
On his fourth visit to Syria as High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi assessed the massive humanitarian needs facing the population here. After eight years of war, he observed that the magnitude of the humanitarian problem is staggering, exacerbated by the...