Stories
The latest stories from UNHCR.
Photo: © UNHCR/Roland Schonbauer
We take special care to bring you the latest refugee news and stories of the men, women and children we help each day.
Burundian Refugees Find Solace on Familiar Shores
It’s 5 p.m. and the sunlight is fading in the Congolese fishing village of Mboko, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, when we spot two wooden boats on the horizon. Immigration officials and local residents tell us the boats carry refugees from Burundi, where political...
Rwanda: 50,000 Flee Burundi
More than 50,000 Burundians have fled to neighbouring countries since mid-April. Many say they experienced intimidation and threats of violence linked to the upcoming elections.
A new start in Sweden
It has been just over a year since Mahmoud and his family were resettled in the small town of Torsby in central Sweden. Coming here was a dream come true for this young Syrian boy who, like so many of his generation, suffered the traumas of war only to discover...
A Syrian Family Counts its Blessings
Syria is now in its 5th year of conflict and refugees are losing hope of going home any time soon. Hassan, Heba and their three children had an affluent life back in Syria; a car rental business a home and a good school for their children. But after Hassan was...
Shakespeare in Za’atari
Twelve-year-old Wiam Yousef Al-Ammari has not been to school since her family fled Syria in January 2013. But that hasn’t stopped her from studying Shakespeare. She was one of 80 young refugees who recently staged “King Lear” at Za’atari camp in Jordan, exploring...
Brighter Lives for Refugees is Back!
Together with the IKEA Foundation we are excited to launch the return of the Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign to raise millions of dollars for refugees living around the world. This marks the second year of the campaign. Last year’s campaign raised over 10 Million...
Chasing Away the Shadows
Refugee camps can be dark places. For many thousands of people living in tents and caravans far from home, the day effectively stops at sundown. Lack of light puts refugees at greater risk of injury or misfortune, limits their educational prospects and makes it harder...
Aid worker as hostage: Why 317 days must not be forgotten
It was 17 years ago that Vincent Cochetel, a UNHCR aid worker, was held hostage for 317 days in a dark Chechen basement, tortured and alone. For the first time, he tells his story of terror, but also of insight and inspiration. A TED Talk like no other, this video...
Three Baby Brothers
“How do you tell them apart?” I ask Jalila, the grandmother of newborn triplets in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. “I just know,” she replies confidently. The baby boy in her hand, she notes, looks different from his two brothers, who are identical. I take a closer look, but...
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Iraq, calls for international leadership to end suffering
DOHUK, Iraq, January 25 (UNHCR)– The UN refugee agency's Special Envoy Angelina Jolie is in Dohuk, Iraq, visiting Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqi citizens in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to offer support to 3.3 million displaced people in the country and highlight...
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