7 Facts You Need To Know For World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day commemorates the obstacles refugees face each year, while also celebrating their courage and strength. Since 2001, the United Nations and more than 100 countries have observed World Refugee Day annually on June 20th.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has started the #WithRefugees petition to send a message of action, solidarity, and responsibility on behalf of refugees to governments worldwide.

Together, we can work to end the refugee crisis and find homes for displaced peoples worldwide. Here are seven facts to help you better understand the current refugee crisis, and how you can help:

According to the UNHCR, there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world.

More than 21 million of these people are refugees and 10 million are stateless.

On average, 42,500 people per day flee their homes to seek protection within the borders of their own country or other countries.

In the last year alone, there have been 13.9 million people newly displaced.

The civil war in Syria has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises of our lifetime.

More than 11 million Syrians are currently displaced. This amounts to 45% of the Syrian population.

86% of the world's refugees are hosted by developing countries.

This number has jumped by 16% in the last decade. Refugees only account for a tiny percentage of overall immigration.

The world’s largest refugee camp is located in Dadaab, Kenya, which is home to more than 329,000 people.

The Dadaab refugee camp was been threatened with closures due to potential security risks.

Of the 20 million refugees worldwide, 51% are under the age of 18.

This is the highest number of child refugees since World War II.

The first-ever Refugee Team competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

The team was comprised of athletes from Ethiopia, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria.

How You Can Help

Share this article on Facebook or Twitter to spread the word about the millions of refugees that need support.
Choose a project that speaks to you from the list below. GlobalGiving has a number of partners working on the ground to provide support in various ways—from empowering refugees by sharing to stories to ensuring access to food for families—and you can support any one of them today.

Projects working to assist refugees around the world

Why We Speak: Help Spread Refugee Stories

by 3 Generations

Refugee rights have been at the core of 3 Generations' work since we covered the genocide in Darfur in the film The Devil Came On Horseback in 2007. Our feature Lost in Lebanon was part of our multi-part coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis. We have also covered stories of Rohingya Muslims and Yazidi women fleeing ISIS. Currently, we are working on a short film about camps, which includes coverage of the genocide in Ukraine. We will continue our fight for refugee justice.

Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

by USA for UNFPA

For as little as $15 you can help UNFPA, the United Nations reproductive health and right agency, get 3 emergency birth kits, including a bar of soap, clear plastic sheet, razor blade, an umbilical cord tie, cloth and latex gloves into the hands of pregnant mothers and health care workers as they safely deliver babies in crisis situations.

Let's Help Syrian Refugee Children in Serbia Now!

by Pomoc deci

Over 650,000 refugees from Middle East, mainly from Syria, have entered Serbia over the last 18 months and are still coming in hundreds on daily basis. Amongst them are more than 200,000 children and over 5,000 of them are unaccompanied ones. We are trying to help them stay physically and mentally healthy. Alongside humanitarian aid, we are also trying to develop an online Q&A list for their protection, information and education on how and where they can seek medical, legal and social help.

Child Refugee Crisis

by Save the Children Federation

Right now, across the world, millions of children are caught up in conflicts they played no part in creating. Children make up more than half of the world's 22.5 million refugees from countries like Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Uganda, and Bangladesh. The recent events in Afghanistan only add to the existing global refugee crisis, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee violence and persecution. Save the Children remains committed to doing everything we can to help children around the world,

Help Strengthen the Resilience of Syrian Refugees

by Concern Worldwide US

Now in its thirteenth year, the Syrian civil war has sparked one of the greatest humanitarian crises in modern history, uprooting an estimated 14 million Syrians. Since July 2013, Concern Worldwide has worked with displaced persons within Syria and with refugees and vulnerable host families in Lebanon and Turkey to meet basic needs, improve access to health care, and provide psycho-social support.

Provide Education for Vulnerable People in Lebanon

by Insan Association

Insan Association provides formal education and professional training, as well as psycho-social support, to marginalized communities in Lebanon. It helps children of refugees and vulnerable Lebanese children who are unable to attend school due to poverty and discrimination, enabling them to experience their childhoods.Insan will assist vulnerable adults in building individual projects to prepare them for the labor market through counseling sessions.

Help Refugees at Risk in the U.S. and Globally

by International Rescue Committee

The U.S. accepts a limited number of refugees each year, setting record-low admission caps these past few years. Help the IRC deliver critical assistance to families in the U.S. who have fled war or persecution, including education, livelihood training, youth programs, and citizenship assistance to refugees and other vulnerable immigrant populations.

Menstrual Health Equity for Women in Lebanon

by Days for Girls International

Days for Girls (DfG) Lebanon is bringing locally made, washable menstrual Kits and health education to women. Since 2011, Lebanon has experienced an influx of refugees of which women and children comprise 1.5 million of the overall population. With protracted displacement, refugees have multiple humanitarian needs; among them are the challenges of managing menstruation with privacy, dignity, and safety.

Syrian Refugees Relief Fund

by CUSTOMS HEALTH CARE SOCIETY

Customs Health Care Society, Pakistan(CHCS) has started a relief fund to help the Syrian Refugees living in Turkey.In 2016, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and over 4.8 million are refugees outside of Syria. In January 2017, UNHCR counted 4,863,684 registered refugees. Turkey is the largest host country of registered refugees with over 2.7 million Syrian refugee

Dignity for displaced women and girls in Lebanon

by Developmental Action without Borders/Naba'a

Women and girls displaced by armed conflict suffer most from not having suitable accommodation or access to a bathroom and fresh water. Many live in shared shelters or abandoned buildings without a change of clothing or the means to attend to their hygiene needs. A lack of sanitary pads and clean underwear prevents women and girls from going out and can also cause infections and skin disease. The project will provide clothing and a supply of sanitary pads to restore dignity and well-being.

Empower Athens' Displaced people through community

by We Need Books

We Need Books founded Athens' first multilingual library and multicultural space in 2019, in the area of Kypseli, which is home to thousands of refugees and migrants, particularly from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. This project will empower 100 displaced families by providing free education, resources, and opportunities to improve their lives, become more self-sufficient, and find a sense of belonging through community engagement and support.

Education Versus Lost Generation!

by Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization

Today, Turkey is home to the largest refugee population in the world with nearly 4 million refugees coming from over 60 nations. Having a sustainable life in Turkey is the part that you can take action by supporting education not only by encouraging over 1 million refugee children to get enrolled in schools but also continue their education at university. Fight against "lost generation", child labor and marriage and be part of the resilience and empower youth to build their countries' future!

F4L: Syria - Restore hope and dignity to Children

by FundLife International

Football has to power to unite more than anything else in the world. More significantly, it has the power to restore childhood to children who have lost everything. The F4L programme will am to secure funds to launch a F4L Syria programme and support the child-survivors through play and normalcy. The F4L virtual stadium is a call for all football fans to help us launch our Syria Programme and bring some sense of hope and future to children.

Syria: Aiding Kurds and other vulnerable refugees

by Peace Winds America

The crisis in Syria forced hundreds of thousands of Syrian families to flee, many to neighboring Iraq. Peace Winds has been assisting families providing shelter, infrastructure, schooling, and livelihoods in northern Iraq/Kurdistan for more than 20 years. The "present Turkey/Syria border crisis" has greatly increased the flow of Kurdish and other refugees. The anticipated 250,000 refugees will need shelter, food, water. Peace Winds is responding.

Empowering 80 people with disabilities in Iraq

by Operation Mercy

Some of the most vulnerable and neglected Syrian refugees and Yezidi IDP's (Internally Displaced People) in Northern Iraq are families who have a family member with a disability. Operation Mercy empowers people with disabilities and their families by providing assistive devices, physical therapy and emotional resilience programs. Currently, Operation Mercy serves 80 clients and their families.

Support Small Entrepreneurs in Lebanon & Jordan

by Near East Foundation (NEF)

With over four million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and continued cuts in humanitarian aid, NEF is helping refugee women and adolescent girls in Lebanon and Jordan achieve self-reliance through skills training to improve economic opportunity, financial literacy, group savings, conflict management, and social networking.

Language Course & Recreational Events for Refugees

by Burgerstiftung Koln / Community Foundation Cologne

Together with you, we support organizations and initiatives in the recording, management and integration of refugees .

Help Syrian Refugees Heal in Gaza

by Rebuilding Alliance

Syrian refugees in Gaza, worried about family left behind, asked not to show their faces. 154 families sought refuge in Gaza when their homes in Syria were destroyed. They walked across to Lebanon, flew to Egypt, crossed to the Gaza Strip seeking specialized medical care, food, and jobs but now Gaza's economy is collapsing due to 12 years of blockade and the US cut of all aid. Please help these families get back on their feet with a 3-month job placement program and restorative medical care.

Yummy food opens hearts and integrates refugees

by Burgerstiftung Koln / Community Foundation Cologne

Donors will help to fund a great project of integrating refugees in different ways. On a social base by cooking with new friends and connecting with others, and in a local community by presenting themselves and their work at big events.

Feed & Empower Over 5000 Refugees in Greece

by Choose Love

The Food Project delivers fresh fruit, vegetables & dry food to over 5000 refugees stranded in Greece. Through operating in 17 refugee sites and partnering with 15 organisations, each family receives two food packs a week. The project gives malnourished children access to the vital nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. It allows families to cook for themselves, empowering individuals and upholding dignity. A project that aims to enhance the health and well-being of those fleeing war.

Help Us Keep Rescuing Refugees in Peril at Sea

by Refugee Rescue

Fleeing to seek refuge in Europe, thousands of people have died making the short sea crossing from Turkey to Lesvos. Setting off in flimsy rubber boats and wearing fake life jackets, many find themselves heading for rocks or sand banks that can readily capsize or sink a dinghy. Others abandoned by smugglers who drop them at beaches inaccessible via land. Our Search and Rescue crew and emergency response team are on call 24/7, working to prevent any more lives being needlessly lost to The Aegean.

Give Support to 800 Syrian Refugee Families

by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Focus of DKH in the countries of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey is the supply of refugee families, especially outside the camps, and support for host families and communities. Especially now, as winter sets in, people urgently need accommodation, clothing, blankets, stoves, and coal and food.

Emergency Relief for Refugee Families in Greece

by Kid & Family

There is a refugee crisis at Europe's door. The reason we talk about a "crisis" is not because of the number of refugees but because of the incapacity of Europe to deal with the problem in an organized and predictable way. There is a need for all European countries to cooperate with solidarity in order to confront this problem with cooperation and goodwill. The Greek islands receive 2.500 refugees every day. Source: The Greek Police Site and the UNHCR

Provide Relief for Syrian Refugees

by Mercy Corps

Over 4 million Syrians have fled the civil war in their country for the relative safety of neighboring countries. The flow of refugees into camps and host communities continues to swell - far beyond initial expectations - and strain limited resources in the region. Mercy Corps is helping refugees and community members in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and within Syria by providing essentials like clothing and blankets, digging wells and building safe places for children to play and be kids.