The right to seek asylum and to live in safety and protection is a fundamental human right.
World Refugee Day commemorates the obstacles refugees face each year, while also celebrating their courage and strength. Since 2001, the United Nations and more than 100 countries have observed World Refugee Day annually on June 20th. It is an occasion to extend empathy and understanding for the plight of the displaced and to build public solidarity to help them rebuild their lives.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Soaring Trends of Displacement
By the end of 2020, the number of people forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order had grown to 82.4 million, the highest number on record according to available data (source : UNHCR). In the last year alone, in the midst of a global pandemic, there have been 1.2 million people had to flee their homes in 64 countries.
World According to the United Nations, every single minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution, terror, natural disasters, or climate change. There is no end in sight to the refugee iris, as conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and northeast Nigeria continue to deteriorate.
What’s Next ?
From fundraising drive to become a tutor for refugee youths, everyone can make a difference.
ways to support refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless and displaced people. Get inspired. Recharge. And remember: Every action counts. Here are something to keep you going:
1. Support organisations providing critical relief for refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless and displaced people.
Grassroots Future, a non-profit organisation based in Hong Kong working to build capacity among refugees in this city and to support the development of refugee-led initiatives, is launching our crowdfunding campaign to empower refugees to fulfil their potential and become self-reliant and sustainability-minded global citizens.
Grassroots Future has been running well-being programs for over 6 months and community events for several years through Table Of Two Cities and now need help to reach the next phase and develop their education programs and expand our reach in the refugee community. They are looking to raise HKD 250,000 between now and 31 July to cover the following:
– Transportation cost for adult and children participants to attend training workshops and wellness activities for the next year
– Salary for two part time staff for a year to drive collaboration, develop programs and coordinate participation
– 15-20 refugee children’s textbook fees
– Delivery costs for ongoing and ad-hoc goods and food donations
– Education scholarships of up to HK$20,000 in total
For HK residents, all donations above HK$100 are tax deductible (Receipts are available upon request). For more information, kindly get in touch with team via email
2. Support and volunteer to be a tutor for refugee youths
Half of the global refugee population, nearly 13 million, are children below the age of 18. Far too many refugee boys and girls are living in conditions not suitable for children, with limited access to education and healthcare, no freedom of movement, and almost entirely dependent on aid.
For children who were struggling before this pandemic crisis, things have only gotten worse, often much more so. With the impact that COVID-19 has had on the economy, refugee families will be pushed even further into poverty, and child labor will increase amongst these communities.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Fugee recently launched Fugee HiEd Scholarship with goal to increase refugee access to higher education in Malaysia by reducing the financial barriers. The Fugee HiEd Scholarship has been established in support of the UNHCR’s 15by30 Roadmap and in recognition of the difficulties, both financial and otherwise, faced by refugee students in accessing higher education in Malaysia. Through the support of generous donors, the Scholarship, in its first year, provides refugee students, with financial need, excellent past academic performance, and demonstrated community impact, the opportunity to study full-time undergraduate studies at universities or other higher education providers in Malaysia or online through the award of scholarships.
The Fugee HiEd Scholarship is consistent with their mission to champion equality and access to education by and with refugees where each person has the right to build a meaningful life. Fugee believes that constraints such as displacement should not be a barrier to accessing the higher education necessary to make a new life or seek a professional career once resettled.
3. Launch donation drives within your network, employees and/or customers, locally, online or offline.
In conduction with World Refugee Day, Refugee Awareness Week (abbreviated as RAW) is back this year for the fifth installment with theme “More Than”.
RAW 2021: More Than has launched on 7 June and will conclude on 27 June. The campaign this year spotlights the voices and stories of refugees and displaced communities. With more than 80 million displaced people globally, it is important to realise that displaced persons are MORE THAN numbers and the mainstream narratives that perpetuates stereotypes and stigma surrounding displacement.
4. Support initiatives to reform laws around the issue of refugees and human rights.
The rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are, in fact, protected by International law, regardless of how and why they arrive in a country (source : Amnesty.org). They have same rights as everyone else, plus special or specific protections including :
– The Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries.
– The 1951 UN Refugee Convention (and its 1967 Protocol, which protects refugees from being returned to countries where they risk being prosecuted.
– The 1980 Migrant Workers Convention; which protects migrants and their families.
– Regional Refugee Law instruments – including 1969 OAU Convention, 1984 Cartagena Declaration, Common European Asylum System and Dublin Regulation.
5.Bookmark, save, share this messages within your networks.
Picha Eats in Malaysia is helping to change the narrative around refugees, asylum seekers, stateless and displaced community in Malaysia. It all started with one question “how can we help parents from the refugee community to be financially stable, so that their children can receive education?” and a meal sparked an idea; connecting families identify families who can cook, train them to become professional chefs, design menu and packaging, run branding and marketing, and arrange logistics to deliver food cooked by the chefs to clients.
It’s time for each of us to take action and support refugees across the globe to be protected and included in health care, education and sport. Remember, everyone can make a difference, and every action counts.
Together we heal, learn and shine.
The article was initially published on 20th June 2021.
