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Help us Support Refugees on World Refugee Day
06/20/2007
donation to Refugees International.
A woman from Cote d'Ivoire said, "They tied up and beat our husbands and sons. We were forced to hand over all of our money to get our men released.....then we fled to the bush with only the clothes on our backs."
In Chad, a widow with four children said they must stay in the refugee camp because her "children are scared that they will be taken away by armed bandits and rebels in northern Central Africa Republic who steal children, money and cattle".
These voices are of just two families, a small part of the 35 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world.
World Refugee Day reminds us to not forget the suffering of the displaced -- the sense of fear and desolation they feel, as they patiently wait for circumstances to change so they can again have a home, a community, a life. Some refugees have been waiting for these changes for decades!
Refugees International has spent almost 30 years focusing attention on the daily realities facing refugees and on the adoption of practical, lifesaving actions to ease their suffering. Over the years, we have spoken and advocated for refugees and our efforts have resulted in many concrete benefits for thousands of them.
Today, Refugees International has successfully drawn attention to the plight of more than 4 million Iraqis---the world's "fastest growing refugee crisis". These Iraqis have been forced from their homes and thousands more are fleeing every day. Refugees International's groundbreaking work on this refugee crisis has yielded real results, among them the following:
- The U.S. Administration is finally acknowledging the "refugee crisis," establishing an internal task force to coordinate its response and promising to expand their funding significantly;
- There is legislation to expand slots for Iraqi translator visas from 50 to 500;
- UNHCR's request for the region is now $120 million, with the U.S. committed to providing 25 percent of this amount-six times what they spent in 2006 and three times what they had planned to spend in 2007;
- The UN, which had been ignoring the problem, organized an international conference to discuss the crisis in Geneva in April and UN agencies are expanding their programs as donations permit;
- More nonprofits are establishing themselves in the region to assist refugees who have fled into already overwhelmed countries, such as Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
Refugees International is now recognized as the leading organization for information and advocacy on the Iraqi displacement crisis. We currently have a team in the Middle East, and more funds are needed to allow us to sustain our work on this critical issue, with particular focus on the need for greater assistance to Iraqis in Jordan and Syria.
As a totally independent organization--accepting no funds from any government or from the United Nations--Refugees International depends on private donations to continue our crucial work.
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