Hope and resilience on World Humanitarian Day 2023

Still, Leen longs to go back to her roots.

I miss my home,” she says. “The place I grew up in, and the activities I used to do.”

“The future is unknown”

Nyibol James, originally from South Sudan, lives in Ifo camp, one of the oldest refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya.

The Dadaab camp, constructed in 1991, is home to nearly 245,000 registered refugees, including more than 130,000 new arrivals from 2011.

“My mother raised us on her own,” she says. “I never knew my dad was dead until I was nine. To us, the future? We will leave it to God. We don’t know anything about the future because we can’t promise anything.”

“But if God is willing, I will finish my education, my university, and I will get a good job, I will give back to society.

CARE supports the new arrivals at Dadaab with the supply and installation of micro water storage facilities which can hold to up to 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of drinking water. CARE also distributes plastic jerricans, constructs communal latrines, and supplies soap bars to all new arrival households residing in the outskirts. Additionally, women and girls are provided with dignity kits.

“I would love to study medicine to become a doctor,” Nyibol says. “That is what I would really love to do, to be a doctor and help my people.”

The 250 mile walk to stay alive

Of the 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2022, an estimated 43.3 million (40 per cent) are children below 18 years of age.

Their journeys are almost unimaginably perilous.

Due to the drought in Somalia, Isnino and her family lost nearly all their livestock. She left with her six children for Dadaab, but her husband stayed behind to save what was still alive.

“We walked all day,” says Isnino says. “It took us a month.”

“I was scared that wild animals would take my children away and eat them.”

“We hardly had any food on the way, Isnino says. “Sometimes we got food from strangers.”

As of May 2023, 200-300 people are coming to Dadaab every day. Despite the numerous challenges there, people stay in Dadaab because they have no other place to go.

Scholarship and better internet

“I wish there were more scholarships available to students with good grades. If I can’t continue my education, I plan to work here at the camp.”

Balqees, an 18-year old student, arrived in the Al-Azraq camp with her family shortly after the camp’s establishment in 2016. She wishes to continue with her education outside the camp, but there are limited prospects for refugee students. She dreams of studying business administration.

Between 2018 and 2022, an average of 385,000 children around the world were born as refugees per year.

Less than two hours away from the border between Jordan and Syria, in a desert area far removed from the surrounding cities, sits Al-Azraq Camp, which hosts approximately 45,000 Syrian refugees, 60% of whom are children.

“I am the one who cooks and who is responsible for everything,” says Balqees.

Her father remarried after her mom passed away, leaving her to take care of the family as the second eldest child.

CARE is the main service provider in Al-Azraq camp that includes psychosocial support, case management and referrals, vocational trainings, developing business opportunities for refugees, community outreach, day care services, recreational activities, online learning, and higher education.

Driving to safety

“As soon as the war broke out, I knew we had to leave Kyiv immediately. We drove through Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and finally found a place to stay in Warsaw.

“I came to Warsaw to build a new life.”

“I miss my father and grandmother a lot. They stayed back in Ukraine. My dad has joined the army and it adds extra worries and stress, but I’m proud of him. He is 63 and could have come with us, but he chose to defend our country.”

In collaboration with Polish NGOs, CARE helps Ukrainian refugees by providing services across multiple sectors including cash assistance, support for accommodation, cash-for-work programs that hire Ukrainian teachers in Polish schools.

In their own words

“I ask countries that receive refugees to give them papers, make them feel safe and stable. This feeling of security is everyone’s right. My wish is to live in a place where I feel stable and safe, where I am treated as a person with ambition, and where I can work within the field that I love, the media.” – Hussein, Syrian refugee in Türkiye

“I hope this conflict ends soon and Ukraine will prosper and rebuild quickly.” – Dariya, Ukranian refugee in Poland

“Refugees challenge racism, poverty, and alienation. I wish for a better future for our children and that they will not have to face the racism we had to face. I hope that justice and equality will prevail in every corner of the world, “On this earth what makes life worth living.” – Leen, Palestinian-Syrian refugee in Türkiye

“If I had an eraser, I would have erased all the days of sorrow.” – Wouroud Ramadan, Syrian refugee in Lebanon