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.
Hungarian volunteers offer warm welcome for refugees
Meals, advice, shelter — and smiles — provided to those fearing only cold shoulders. The kitchens of the John Wesley Theological College resound to the clatter of pans and the chopping of vegetables. Hungarian staff are making meals not only for their own students....
Art therapy helps a boy with PTSD from war
A bogeyman haunts the recurring nightmares of six-year-old Miguel,* who was born and spent his earliest years in a conflict-ravaged corner of Colombia. Now resettled in Canada, he picks up modeling clay at an art therapy session and makes a cage. With delicately...
As beloved imam’s hope for peace live on
For decades, Imam Moussa Bawa worked with Italian nun Sister Maria Concetta to help refugees of all faiths to live in peace. On his death, his successor pledges to continue his work. When they welcomed newborn babies in this town in Democratic Republic of the Congo...
UN Summit commits to protect refugee, migrant rights
NEW YORK – At a high-level UN Summit in New York today, the governments of 193 countries adopted key commitments to enhance protection for millions of people who have been forcibly displaced and are otherwise on the move around the world. Amidst record levels of...
Refugee girls beat the odds with education in Kenya
Providing refugee children and adolescents with an education wherever they find safety is a core humanitarian service, yet many do not have the opportunity. Esther, 18, did not attend school from late 2008 through to early 2011. Constant insecurity in South Sudan’s...
Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington & stars in refugee video
In the moment they flee, refugees cast a last desperate look around their homes and grab a few vital possessions to take into exile. Highlighting their harrowing choices, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett today launched a powerful video, supporting UNHCR’s...
Canada’s Blue Rodeo stands with refugees
Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo has partnered with UNHCR to record Stand Together with Refugees. In addition to their generous cash donation to support the Syrian refugee crisis late last year, Blue Rodeo continues to show its support for refugees worldwide...
Young Syrian footballer aims high in Germany
Seven-year-old Ahmad escaped war and chaos in Syria. Now safe, he hopes to become an international football star and is watching the European championships closely for new tips. A wide, gappy grin spreads over Ahmad Alzaher’s youthful face. He gazes at his father,...
Refugees and human rights student poetry contest, 2016 edition
UNHCR, the CCUNESCO and COSTI Immigrant Services are happy to announce the winners of the “Refugees and Human Rights Poetry Contest, 2016 edition”. Canadian students from grades 4 to 12 from schools across the country submitted high quality poems as part of this...
The importance of education for a young girl’s independence
Beautifully illustrated, Barikan tells of a story about an encounter with her mother. As a young girl, Barikan had wished for her mother to buy her shoes. In response, her mother encouraged her to get an education and become an independent woman so she could buy shoes...
Donate Today
Please help refugee families in need.






