Preparations under way for larger Rohingya influx to Bangladesh
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR is working with the Bangladesh authorities on a transit centre to prepare for a...
Grandi highlights needs of refugees in Bangladesh
Praising response so far, UNHCR chief says he has rarely seen people in so much need. GENEVA – Returning from a visit to the region, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi spoke movingly today of the suffering of thousands of Rohingya refugees...
Disease threatens refugees in Bangladesh in unplanned sites
Racing to prevent a ‘disaster within a disaster,’ UNHCR ups vaccine, clean water and sanitation drives in informal Bangladesh settlements. KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP EXTENSION, Bangladesh – It is about 10 steps from mother Khaleda Begum’s flimsy shack to the well where...
Bangladesh elephant rampage highlights dangers for refugees
KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh—After fleeing flames and gunfire in Myanmar, Rohingya refugee Jane Alam thought danger was behind him in Bangladesh. But as he slept last night in a fragile shelter in a forested area near Kutupalong refugee camp, rampaging elephants crashed in...
South Sudanese teenager dreams of taking to the skies
Nyahok Reath has her heart set on becoming a pilot and she is determined to complete her education to achieve her ambition. Nyahok Reath was a star pupil at her primary school in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State and had her heart set on becoming a pilot. However,...
Elderly Rohingya rely on families to carry them to safety
The old and sick are among the most vulnerable of the estimated 370,000 Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar. Many are carried to Bangladesh by relatives. This is not how Mabia Khatun, 75, imagined she would spend her old age: as a refugee, cocooned in a blanket and...
“A promise is a man’s honour” – The Procyk’s Journey to Canada
A daughter describes her father’s journey from Polish immigrant to successful farmer in Wilsonville, Ontario. By Christine Wheeler My father William Procyk was six years old when his family made the journey from Poland to Canada, but he can still distinctly...
Khaled Hosseini Visits a Refugee Camp in Uganda
By Khaled Hosseini, award-winning author and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Looking over the shoulder of Gladys, a young South Sudanese refugee flicking through a frayed album of old family photos, my mind flashes back to my own younger self. In 1983 I was in high school....