June 19th, 2007 by: Ashley
World Refugee Day
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World Refugee Day, Established in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly, is tomorrow, June 20th. Here’s a little food for thought in honor of tomorrow:
- As of January 1 2007, UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) reported a total of 21,018,589 people of concern to the organization (including refugees, asylum-seekers, returned refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons). That’s nearly equal to the number of residents in the state of Texas.
- According to the UNHCR, as of April 2007, some 2.0 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their country, and another 1.9 million are displaced internally.
- UN officials estimate, that in Darfur, over 400,000 people have lost their lives and some 2 million more have been driven from their homes. Here is a link to a great documentary video, “On Our Watch,” that sheds light on the life of many Darfur refugees.
There are a number of ways you can get involved in helping refugees. I most strongly encourage you to find a refugee resettlement office in your area where you can donate furniture or other needed goods, or get more closely involved by volunteering with refugee families in your city. They often need transportation and help getting on their feet (ie language courses, job placement, etc.) The World Church Service or many local Catholic Charities offices are often a great place to start.
7 Comments
June 21st, 2007 at 8:50 am
so, are you going to color that in so that i can buy it or what?
June 21st, 2007 at 9:01 am
LOL, anything for you Colleen! Yes, ma’am.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Ashley:
I received your postcard and just came by to say hi. I love your work and your generous spirit.
Claire Celsi
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Wonderful! Thank you Claire, it’s great to hear from you.
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:05 am
[...] Per a request from a dear friend who works with refugees in Columbus, Ohio, I finished an earlier sketch of this image for World Refugee Day. But instead of reiterating what I had previously said, I asked her to share something with you about the clients she works closely with: “Of the roughly 12 million refugees and asylees worldwide, less than 1% will ever be resettled to a permanent home outside of the refugee camp. Of those lucky few, the struggle changes from waiting in line for grain and water to waiting in line to enroll in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and apply for Social Security cards. [...]
February 6th, 2008 at 6:12 am
i think its great i would love something like that in our school.! LOL
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
[...] a request from a dear friend who works with refugees in Columbus, Ohio, I finished an earlier sketch of this image for World Refugee Day. But instead of reiterating what I had previously said, I asked her to share something with you [...]
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