REFUGEE RESILIENCE

WHY REFUGEE RESILIENCE?

Every day, people are forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, violence, persecution, and other crises. Forcibly displaced people include: internally displaced persons who flee their home but do not cross an international border; asylum seekers who flee persecution and seek safe haven in a different country; and refugees who likewise flee persecution and cross an international border, but are granted refugee status by the United Nations or a government. Displacement brings with it trauma, poor living conditions, and prolonged periods of uncertainty regarding legal status. In some countries, refugees are not legally permitted to work or access social services. Forcibly displaced people consistently experience higher rates of poverty than nationals, with over half living below the poverty line. In addition, a majority of refugees (85%) are hosted in low-income countries, limiting their available resources and straining fragile host communities. People experiencing displacement require immediate aid like food and hygiene supplies, as well as longer term support to build financial and psychosocial resilience in the face of uncertainty.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 122.6 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes: 68.3 million people are internally displaced; 37.9 million are refugees; 8 million are asylum seekers 
• 65% of refugees worldwide come from just 4 countries: Syria; Venezuela; Ukraine; and Afghanistan 
• 47 million forcibly displaced people are children 
• 66% of refugees are displaced for more than 5 years: lasting on average 20 years for refugees and 10 years for internally displaced people
• 75% of forcibly displaced people are hosted in low and middle income countries

OUR RESPONSE

One Day’s Wages comes alongside community-based partners to provide critically needed food aid and relief supplies, and to facilitate access to educational and income generating opportunities. Since 2009, we have supported 18 projects in communities experiencing displacement, impacting over 56,000 people. Through our partnerships, Deborah was able to enroll her children in school and establish a small business after they were displaced from their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to violence, and over 1,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh received much-needed food and hygiene kits after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.