16 Days: To End Violence Against Women, Enlist the Men
By Michel Gabaudan Fri, 12/09/2011 - 17:13For 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.
16 Days: A Dangerous Climate for Women
By Alice Thomas Fri, 12/02/2011 - 16:21This week, events are taking place across the globe to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a campaign to end violence against women, which, according to the UN, 70 percent of women will experience in their lifetime.
Breaking Somalia’s Displacement Cycle
By Michel Gabaudan Tue, 11/08/2011 - 13:29I 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
By Ariela Blätter Wed, 10/12/2011 - 13:55“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.
RI's Web Roundup
By Larissa Dalton Tue, 08/02/2011 - 16:25
In Washington and much of the U.S., all eyes have been on the debate over the debt limit. While our elected officials squabbled away, here are some stories you may have missed:
Horn of Africa: Women at risk
By Kristen Cordell Fri, 07/15/2011 - 13:00
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
By Larissa Dalton Tue, 07/12/2011 - 16:17The 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
By Garrett Bradford Wed, 07/06/2011 - 15:43
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.”
World Refugee Day: Spotlight on needs
By Michel Gabaudan Mon, 06/20/2011 - 17:06
Today is World Refugee Day -- a day for people to spend a little more time recognizing and honoring the world’s most vulnerable people. At a time when only a few of the world’s refugees and displaced people make the news headlines, I welcome any day that reminds people to stop and pay attention to all 43.7 million people who are struggling to rebuild their lives and communities.
President’s Corner: Honoring The Spirit of Amina Ali
By Michel Gabaudan Tue, 05/03/2011 - 17:08
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.
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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.