This World Refugee Day, share stories that defy narrow definitions. These four stories highlight people who are not only overcoming crisis, but transforming their communities with courage, care, and conviction.
Across the globe, these leaders are not waiting for change; they are creating it.
Their work demonstrates that resilience is more than survival—it’s action, hope, and transformation.
Mastora Bakhiet, a genocide survivor and the founder of the Darfur Women Network, supports displaced women and families in Sudan and Chad. When the Zamzam refugee camp was attacked and burned, thousands fled. Thanks to support through GlobalGiving, Mastora’s team swiftly established community kitchens in El Fasher, providing hot meals to more than 9,000 people during one of the region’s most devastating humanitarian emergencies.
“You made it possible for mothers to cook without fear, for children to drink clean water, and for entire communities to plant seeds of hope.” — Mastora Bakhiet.
Hasfar Tameesuddin, a stateless Rohingya human rights defender and co-secretary general of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, delivers emergency aid to hard-to-reach communities affected by civil unrest and natural disasters. With support from GlobalGiving, Hasfar and their partners reached families that many others could not.
“Refugee leaders like myself are capable of doing so much impactful and meaningful work with a small amount, which will not be the case for many big organizations.”—Hasfar Tameesuddin
Francois Zankih is a refugee who has been displaced seven times in his life. Despite this, he now leads the Guardians of Equality Movement (GEM), a refugee-led organization supporting LGBTQIA+ communities in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. GEM has helped people like Brwa, a displaced trans woman living in a camp with her sick mother. After surviving violence, imprisonment, and extreme poverty, Brwa was forced to sell her belongings just to afford food and medical care.
With GlobalGiving donors’ support, GEM provided Brwa with safe shelter, rent assistance, and mental health care. Though challenges remain, she now lives in safety and with hope for rebuilding her life with pride and autonomy.
“You donated, perhaps [to] safe housing, yet you chose to give to those who don’t even have the basics you do. That is noble. This act of mercy will reflect on all of us, because we all share one small home: Earth.”— Francois Zanhik
In Poland, Dawid Jarzabek-Nowak, founder of Fundacja Klementyna, leads a community-based effort to support people fleeing conflict with food, shelter, and psychological care. When Natalia arrived with her two-week-old twins after escaping Ukraine, she was exhausted, terrified, and alone. Dawid and his team welcomed her with warmth, medical care, and daily support from volunteers.
“Your generosity is like light in the darkness.”—Dawid Jarzabek-Nowak.
As Natalia regained her strength, she became a translator and leader within her support group—proving that healing happens through connection, and those once in crisis can become pillars of care for others.
This World Refugee Day, stand with those who are reshaping what it means to lead in displacement and crisis. By supporting GlobalGiving’s network of grassroots nonprofits, you uplift leaders with lived experience and empower communities to build lasting solutions grounded in dignity, hope, and resilience.
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