‘I am you and you are me’: UNHCR staff draw on first-hand knowledge of displacement
By UNHCR Staff On World Humanitarian Day, we talked to three colleagues whose own experience of being forced to flee their homes inspires and informs their work. Mohamed Alkalifa Ag Mohamed knows that a few simple questions can mean the difference between hope and...
Ukrainian village torn apart by war begins long process of rebuilding
By Victoria Andrievska and Saorlaith Ni Bhroin in Kyiv | 11 August 2022 In the quiet rural village of Nalyvaikivka on the outskirts of Kyiv, locals are sifting through the debris of their destroyed homes, hoping to salvage whatever they can. Others gather at garden...
Moldovan GBV shelter offers safety and a community for refugees from Ukraine
By Roger Burks in Chisinau, Moldova When war engulfed Ukraine, Casa Marioarei – a 20-year-old organization in neighbouring Moldova’s capital – opened its doors to welcome vulnerable women and children forced to flee their homes. A welcome at Casa Marioarei usually...
Budding Ukrainian game designer draws inspiration in Romania
Isolated from her friends and hundreds of miles from home, Kate dreams of connection. But, with the uncertainties of the Ukraine war, her dreams have taken new form By Roger Burks in Bucharest, Romania Before she was forced to flee to Romania alongside her mother and...
War uproots Ukrainian widow from lifelong home in Mykolaiv
After the house she built with her late husband went from sanctuary to bomb shelter, 83-year-old Svetlana left her beloved garden behind to seek safety as a refugee By Roger Burks in Chisinau, Moldova When Svetlana closes her eyes, she can still see the flowers that...
‘I just can’t stand aside if I know that I can help’
Disability rights activist Tetiana Barantsova escaped the war in Ukraine in a wheelchair. Now she’s helping others with disabilities to do the same. By Victoria Andrievska and Kristy Siegfried Messages asking for help can appear on Tetiana Barantsova’s phone at any...
‘When you open your home, you open your heart’
Iryna Morykvas reflects on how fleeing Ukraine with her son changed her perspective on love, peace and safety – and inspired her to design this year’s World Refugee Day emoji By Iryna Morykvas Iryna Morykvas is a Ukrainian artist and children’s book illustrator. She...
Forced displacement hit record high in 2021 with too few able to go home
The number of people forced to flee violence, war and persecution, is outpacing the available solutions. GENEVA – The number of people displaced by conflict, violence, persecution and human rights abuses rose for the tenth straight year in 2021 to reach the highest...