Barbara Hendricks reflects on half a lifetime helping refugees
On the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, celebrated performer and Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador looks back at her 35-year role with the UN Refugee Agency. By UNHCR Staff UNHCR’s longest-serving Goodwill Ambassador – world-renowned classical...
Internship a dream come true for refugee at IKEA store in Croatia
Furniture retailer IKEA offers promise of a new start for refugees in Croatia through internship programme under a partnership with UNHCR. By Jan Kapic in Zagreb Some people view their office jobs as a daily grind but for Lajan, a refugee from the Kurdistan region of...
Refugee athletes stride into global spotlight as Tokyo Games begin
Opening ceremony features refugee athletes marching out under the Olympic flag, showcasing the power of sport and sending a message of hope to 82 million displaced people worldwide. By Malcolm Foster in Tokyo, Japan One is a marathon runner who as a child fled...
Local groups offer vital assistance to newly displaced in Myanmar
UNHCR is partnering with local communities and faith groups to help an estimated 200,000 people driven from their homes by fresh violence since February’s military takeover. By Reuben Lim Wende in Myitkyina, Myanmar Armed conflict is sadly nothing new for 27-year-old...
Meet the young champion soaring to the top of the chess world
Tanitoluwa Adewumi and his family fled violence in Nigeria and ended up in a homeless shelter in New York, where he learned the game that changed their lives. By Andrea Mucino-Sanchez in New York Tanitoluwa Adewumi and his family fled their native Nigeria in 2017,...
Forced from their homes, displaced Congolese in dire need of shelter
As more families flee the DRC’s Beni Territory, shelter needs are mounting – over 100,000 families who have found safety in North Kivu urgently need a place to stay. By Blaise Sanyila in Kitchanga and Sanne Biesmans in Beni, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Elodie...
Displaced Afghan family struggles to cope amid latest violence
A widowed mother-of-four struggling to take care of her family in a camp is among the 270,000 Afghans displaced since the start of the year by the latest upsurge in fighting. By Edris Lutfi in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan Two weeks after fleeing her home to escape...
Expelled asylum seekers ‘crying out for help’ in northern Mexico
Removed from the United States, asylum-seekers fear for their safety in northern Mexico and deadly violence if they return to their Central American homelands. By Tim Gaynor in Tijuana Honduran mother of three Lorena* recalls how she clambered on to a makeshift raft...