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Letter to the White House in Advance of President Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 11:29
Barack H. Obama
President
United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of Refugees International, I write to highlight the ongoing displacement crisis in the Horn of Africa and urge you, in your upcoming State of the Union Address, to showcase U.S. leadership on this issue and the need for sustained, high-level attention to the plight of those impacted by drought and famine.
AMISOM: Changing the Mission to Reflect Somalia’s New Reality
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 16:52
It was six months ago that famine was declared in Somalia. The steady
flow of refugees already fleeing conflict was joined by a torrent of new
asylum seekers – people fleeing because of hunger and looking for a
more hopeful place in which to re-build their lives. During the past
six months, hundreds of thousands of people made their way to
neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, and aid organizations scrambled to ramp
up their operations in order to serve these new arrivals.
Building on the Success of 2011
Tue, 01/03/2012 - 17:50Happy New Year, from all of us at Refugees International! Before we start tackling the challenges of 2012 – and there will be many – we bring you a brief wrap-up of all things RI from the year gone by.
First, "RI in 2011: By the Numbers":
16 Days: To End Violence Against Women, Enlist the Men
Fri, 12/09/2011 - 16:13For the last two weeks, my colleagues have reflected on global efforts to combat violence against women and girls, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. Today, I want to examine a vital and practical solution to the problem of gender violence: the engagement of men and boys.
Breaking Somalia’s Displacement Cycle
Tue, 11/08/2011 - 12:29I spent two weeks in the Horn of Africa last month, and what I learned there was sobering: The recent influx of Somali refugees has swollen camps in Kenya and Ethiopia to critical levels. Kenya’s Dadaab camp now plays host to half a million people, while the population of Dolo camp in Ethiopia has tripled to 120,000. And the many small graves I saw in Ethiopia’s Kobe camp spoke to the heartbreaking price Somalis are paying more than three months into a devastating famine.
The World’s Largest Detention Center
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 12:55“Look at this,” the senior UN aid worker said to me, pointing to one of the many barbed-wire fences surrounding the Dadaab refugee camp. “This may look like a refugee camp, but it is really the world’s largest detention center.”
Dadaab is located in Kenya, 50 miles from the porous Somali border. Unified only by its drapes of plastic sheeting marked with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) logo, Dadaab is a cramped cacophony of tents, aluminum shacks, and even brick homes, that spans roughly 19 square miles.
Horn of Africa: Women at risk
Fri, 07/15/2011 - 12:00
The growing crisis prompted by drought in Horn of Africa has made international headlines. As more news becomes available about the wave of refugees exiting Somalia for the overcrowded camps in Dadaab, Kenya, startling information about abuse of women and children has emerged.
RI's Web Roundup
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 15:17The Horn of Africa – Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda – is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, leaving millions of people to face starvation and overflowing refugee camps.
Horn of Africa: Without food, without water, without options
Wed, 07/06/2011 - 14:43
The Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought in almost sixty years affecting ten million people. Somalia is one of the nations in the region hit hardest by the extreme lack of rain. It is also one of the poorest and most crisis-prone countries on the planet. Somalia is experiencing the driest season on record since the mid-20th century, resulting in widespread famine.
“When there is no water and hence no food, people must move or they will die,” says Alice Thomas, RI’s Climate Displacement Program Manager. “And moving they are – and in great numbers.”
“When there is no water and hence no food, people must move or they will die,” says Alice Thomas, RI’s Climate Displacement Program Manager. “And moving they are – and in great numbers.”
President’s Corner: Honoring The Spirit of Amina Ali
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 16:08
It was with much sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of Amina Ali. I first met Amina last fall during a Refugees International trip to Kenya, and will never forget that meeting. Here was a woman with such energy, and such passion for the work that she was doing in Nairobi’s Eastleigh community.
Refugees International (RI) advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.