World Refugee Day 2008

In honor of all the things we have to be thankful for...

Let's remember the countless others who aren't as fortunate

Today is World Refugee Day 2008

On June 20, we celebrate World Refugee Day. This year, events around the world will focus on the fundamental need for protection. For some, this means economic security; for others, protection is freedom from violence and persecution. On World Refugee Day, we will turn our attention to the millions of refugees who live without material, social and legal protection.


Since its foundation in 1951, UNHCR has protected tens of millions of refugees. For us, protection consists of tangible improvements in the lives of forcibly displaced people – from the provision of food and shelter to support for those lacking legal status or those wishing to return to their home countries. On World Refugee Day, we commemorate this vital engagement.


Protection is also about raising awareness. We cannot protect refugees if their plight remains invisible. On World Refugee Day, we will highlight the universal nature of protection. Not only are refugees protected all around the globe, but the responsibility for protection is equally global.


Ultimately, protection is a challenge that knows no borders. Neither can it be left to a single agency to provide. On World Refugee Day, we are launching a global call for action. We want to promote engagement at the grassroots level, in local communities, workplaces and online. Only through a global network of supporters can we meet the manifold needs of protection.

How can you help?

Online social utilities provide excellent tools for advocacy.

Become a fan on Facebook, support our cause and share our videos, photos and latest news with your friends.

You can also find us on MySpace, YouTube and Flickr.

Angelina Jolie - Notes From My Travels

Angelina Jolie is the Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). This book is her journal & notes during missions she took to Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan & Ecuador. I started reading this book yesterday & am a little over half way through... I tell you.. my admiration for this woman grows more each day... the things she describes take your breath away. break your heart and fill you with indescribeable anger all at once.

It amazes me how little we know about what goes on in other parts of the world. During the Rwanda Genocide.. the Khmer Rouge & Pot Pol killed & tortured people in ways that you can't even imagine. In the prisons where people were held & tortured there are pictures of the things that happened... Mothers holding their babies in their arms.. dead with drills in their head. They would take drills and drill into people skulls until it killed them. They would take babies & hang them upside down by their feet & smash their heads against trees until they were dead. They forced parents to cut off the limbs of their children or spouse while they were alive, doctors to cut off hands of babies or they and their whole families would be killed. In this book, this journal of her travels.. Angelina Jolie sees first hand the death & destruction so many refugees suffered.


The US State Department estimates that there are STILL 60 to 70 MILLION landmines in the ground worldwide. In Cambodia.. children play in yards that have not yet been demined... amputees, victims of landmines often work together to try and farm land to provide for their familes. She writes of a man who has no arms below the elbow and is blind, from stepping on a mine. His 5 year old son is his eyes & has to help in the field... the field that hasn't been demined.


I encourage EVERYONE to read this book, research, read, study, do what you can to learn about the horrific conditions your fellow human beings are living in daily... All because Organizations like the UNHCR don't receive enough funding to help these people build new lives. Their homes are mud huts, or boards leaned against each other, they sleep on the dirt ground, they consider themselves blessed to have a few ounces of food a day... The courage, strength and pure heart of these people come through in Angie's notes and though I may never have the opportunity to let her know, I thank her for sharing her travels with us & inspiring me to even further see what I can do to make a difference.


For more info on Angelina Jolie and her work with the UNHCR visit UNHCR.org