It’s not an exaggeration to call the current refugee crisis global. Its effects are truly being seen worldwide. Meet Dannah, who fled her native Damascus with her mother and daughter and is now rebuilding her life in Ecuador, with help from HIAS.
It’s not an exaggeration to call the current refugee crisis global. Its effects are truly being seen worldwide. Meet Dannah, who fled her native Damascus with her mother and daughter and is now rebuilding her life in Ecuador, with help from HIAS.
“More than 50,000 unaccompanied children from Central America crossed into the U.S. from Mexico in fiscal year 2014 alone. We owe it to those kids to ensure they won’t be sent back into an unsafe situation by mistake or oversight,” said HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield.
A group of more than 30 NGOs who work on refugee, migration and human rights issues issued a joint statement urging that the upcoming high level meeting on refugees and migrants at the United Nations General Assembly affirm a few basic principles.
Eid al-Fitr is a Muslim celebration held at the end of the month-long period of fasting known as Ramadan. It’s a day of togetherness, when families and neighbors gather, all in their best clothes. There are lights, and candy for the kids, and a general atmosphere of festiveness that resembles Christmas or Hanukah.
So much of what I saw in these refugee camps was artificial–buildings that don’t belong in the middle of a desert, and people who don’t belong in the camps. By empowering refugees to become agents of change in their own communities, HIAS is helping to restore their dignity and self-sufficiency.
After escaping persecution in Eritrea, Asmait made her way to Israel, where she became a custodian in a neighborhood school. Despite her hard work, the students teased her ruthlessly. Their attitudes changed only after a teacher asked Asmait to share her story with them. “It felt strengthening,” explained Asmait. “I knew then that the reason people are not happy to see us is just because they do not know our story.”
Marina Berger, a personal chef, got involved with HIAS after hearing her rabbi speak about the Syrian refugee crisis during Yom Kippur services last fall. She recognized a familiar name among the organizations that were mentioned as helping refugees in the United States. “HIAS resettled my parents, brother and extended family when they emigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1970s,” Berger said.
Laughter. Face painting. A few spunky kids telling jokes. It was the kind of scene you’d expect at a party for children anywhere around the world. This one just happened to be in Kampala, Uganda and most of the children enjoying the festivities were, in fact, refugees.
Give Now
Help HIAS provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world
