#1 Who are refugees?
According to the UNHCR*, Refugees are people fleeing from conflicts or persecutions. They are defined and protected in international law, and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their life and freedom are at risk. Life as a refugee can be difficult to imagine. But, for nearly 20 million people around the world, it is a terrifying reality.
* UNHCR (2017) http://www.unhcr.org/refugees.html
#2 Refugees in Republic of South Sudan
1 in 5 people in South Sudan are refugees.
A continuous civil war since 1955 has made 11 million South Sudanese people, 20% of its population, refugees. Day and night people in South Sudan are still exposed to violence of the conflict. Medical aid and humanitarian support are needed urgently.
A civil war started in Syria in 2011 has taken the lives of over 160,000 people and left over 2.7 million Syrian refugees, moving to neighboring countries to escape the violence. Many of them crossed the ocean risking their lives. This refugee crisis brought a lot of attention especially after the photo of Alan Kurdi, 3 years old Syrian child, who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea was presented via international news and magazines. These refugee families are in desperate need for help.
#4 Refugees in Myanmar
150,000 refugees from Myanmar are living in Mae sot, Thailand. Before those refugees immigrated to Thailand they were suffering from racial and political persecutions during a military dictatorship. The refugees are living in 9 refugee camps complying with the government policy, prohibited from economic activities. The refugees are provided with foods and things for their basic needs but scrape a living in fear of arrests and detentions as well as traffickings and horrific murders in Thailand.
June 20, World Refugee Day established by UN