HOPE: A Refugee Story

No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land. – Warsan Shire

Can you imagine having a childhood dream of earning a refugee status? Neither can I! Refugees are people, like you and I, with the overwhelming difference of being forced to flee the place they call home and seek sanctuary elsewhere. There is a distinct difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee. An asylum seeker is someone who fled from their country of origin, due to war or persecution for example and are now seeking refugee status and international protection in another country. A refugee is someone who has been recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Convention, which clarifies who a refugee is, what kind of assistance they have the right to, and what their responsibilities are towards their host countries.  

20^th June 2021 marks the 70^th annual World Refugee day. The UNHCR (United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees) began in response to World War II, with the intention of disbanding shortly thereafter. The institution still exists today, creating awareness, providing a place of safety and bringing aid to millions of people globally. South Africa, along with the rest of Africa, started celebrating World Refugee day after the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) agreed to have World Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day, in 2001 that marked the 50^th annual World Refugee Day. Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26% of the world’s refugee population according to the UNHRC, with over 18 million people of concern.

GLOBAL PERSEPCTIVE

According to the UNHCR, there are currently more than 80 million people who have fled their country due to war, persecution and are identified as forceable displaced people. The obscure fact is that 48 million are internally displaced. The remainder is made up out of 26.4 million are refugees, 4.1 million are asylum seekers and 3.9 million are Venezuelans placed abroad. 40% of the 80 million forcibly displaced people are below 18 years of age. The biggest refugee camp, Kutupalong, is in Bangladesh, and currently host more than 800 000 refugees.

The COVID -19 pandemic that started in December 2019, has to date recorded 177,200,433 cases globally, and allows us to draw the conclusion that most of us have experienced the pandemic one way or another. During the pandemic, inspiring stories of refugees that mounted from the place of hopelessness made a profound impact in the country which they now call home.

7 Refugees making a difference in the COVID – 19 period - READ THE FULL STORY

Carmen 35-year-old widow who was seeking asylum in Peru in 2017 worked as a receptionist at a radiography clinic. After her medical credentials became  recognised in Peru, she returned to the clinic as a doctor, serving on the front lines during the pandemic. Another story of inspiration is the one of Heval Kelli, who knows about the importance of education. He arrived in the Southern United States town of Clarkston, Georgia, in 2001 as an 18-year-old Syrian refugee and enrolled at Georgia State University 10 months later. Recently, he has also found the time to work as a volunteer physician at a COVID-19 drive-through testing site and to do online education with members of the Kurdish community about the virus. Fourteen-year-old Sidra Median Al-Ghothani, a Syrian refugee living in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, is an aspiring teacher who believes that education “builds the human personality”. She showed through volunteering to assist the neighbourhood’s children with the new “e-learning” that came into play during the pandemic, that age is no restriction to helping!

Humanity has proven time and time again that good things can come from very depraved situations, as stated in the stories above. As we celebrate World Refugee Day, I want to challenge your view on refugees – can we see the opportunity to grow in our humanity, compassion, and the way we threat all people residing in our country. There are multiple ways to get involved. Follow the UNHCR Live Blog on 20^th of June 2021 World Refugee Day where they will honour the 80 million people who were forced to flee and start a new life in a foreign country. Read further about the Largest Refugee Crises in 2021 and Get Involved.

On Sunday the 20^th of June 2021, the UNHCR, is asking people from all walks of life to join #WithRefugees. Remember, everyone can make a difference, and every action counts.

2021 World Refugee Day theme: Together we heal, learn and shine