A crisis of refugees (not migrants)
A migrant, by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary definition, is a person who “moves regularly in order to find work, especially in harvesting crops.”
A refugee is a someone who leaves for safety or “flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution.” As explained on the UN website: “They [refugees] are so recognized precisely because it is too dangerous for them to return home, and they need sanctuary elsewhere. These are people for whom denial of asylum has potentially deadly consequences.”
The United Nations estimates 60 million people worldwide are refugees -- a number roughly equivalent to the combined state populations of California and New York. Most visibly and in headlines now are those fleeing the war in Syria. But the broader refugee crisis is also driven by the war in Iraq, "as well as conflict and instability in Afghanistan, Eritrea and elsewhere,” the U.N. website said.
Here are five charitable groups helping with the crisis, along with links to their websites.
Doctors Without Borders: This group, awarded the Noble Peace Price in 1999, was founded by young doctors in 1968 to help victims of wars and disasters. The group rescued 1,658 people in one day – Sept. 2, according to its website. Those rescues were primarily from Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia – including 199 children, toddlers and babies.
The U.N Refugee Agency: As Syria’s conflict enters its fifth year, the United Nations website points out that refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt are stuck – unable to return home and unable to restart their lives. The website says the agency provides “cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating, insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing.” Support also helps children get an education.
UNICEF: The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund began after World War II to help children suffering from the war. Later, it expanded its mission, helping children in the developing world, according to the website. From the beginning of the Syrian conflict, UNICEF has helped immunize children, provided safe drinking water, education, physical protection, psychological support and winter clothes for refugee children.
Mercy Corps: This charity was founded in 1979 in response to the plight of Cambodian refugees. [See the story on the website.] The group is helping Syrian families get food, water, shelter and support.
Project HOPE: The organization’s name explains its mission -- Health Opportunities for People Everywhere. It is involved in multiple countries around the globe. In the Syrian crisis, it has shipped “more than $100 million of donated medicines to help displaced children, women and men living in refugee camps,” the website says.
Video -- Doctors without Borders rescue on Aug. 26:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GObDoQxfghkRelated:
A mission with Project HOPE in the Philippines
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