Hellenic Rescue Team lands 2016 Nansen Award
The Hellenic Rescue Team’s (HRT) tireless efforts to rescue refugees across the Greek islands have earned the recognition they deserve, after the organization was named as one of two winners of UNHCR’s 2016 Nansen Refugee Award. When flimsy, dilapidated boats...
Winners of the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award Announced
Konstantinos Mitragas on behalf of the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT) and Efi Latsoudi, the human rights activist behind “PIKPA village” on the Greek island of Lesvos, are joint winners of UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award 2016. The award recognizes their tireless voluntary...
Historic Olympics come to an end in style for Team Refugees
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – In a dazzling celebration of life, Brazil has brought down the curtain on an Olympics which enchanted and inspired millions around the world with powerful stories of triumph over adversity. The Rio 2016 Games – the first-ever Olympics to...
Olympics reunites refugee family
Early one morning as he woke up in his room at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, South Sudanese runner Yiech Pur Biel answered a call from a number he did not recognize and a voice came on the line he had not heard for a dozen years. “It was my mum,” says Biel, who was...
Displaced athletes to make historic debut at Paralympics
GENEVA – Athletes with disabilities have vied for glory at the Paralympics since 1960. This summer, for the first time, para-athletes who have faced the additional challenge of being displaced from their homeland will compete in Rio de Janeiro as the Independent...
Majid dreams of a good education for his children
Majid, 31 years old: “This was our number one dream. We wanted Rose and Baban, our children, to have a good education here. They will go to a good school, they will have a better life than what we had. And we feel safe. It is a terrible feeling when you go outside in...
UNHCR deputy chief hails refugee team as ‘true Olympians’
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil—Hailing the first-ever refugee team as “true Olympians”, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements has praised its 10 members of for helping to change world’s perception of refugees. “This team has captured the world’s attention and in a...
Refugees find chance to flourish in German workforce
Many German businesses are striving to break down employment barriers for newcomers, integrating them into the German job market with internships and vocational training. The task is significant. Germany’s Federal Labour Office says it advised 322,000 asylum-seekers...