5 Notable Groups Working To Help Refugees

Refugees are people who leave their home countries not because they want to, but out of fear of persecution. For those who manage to escape to a new country, it can often be difficult to make new lives for themselves in an unfamiliar culture. That's why organizations like the ones listed here work to make refugees feel welcome in their new homes and provide the services needed to get them back on their feet. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

Organizations That Work With Refugees

Organization Mission
Refuge Point Advance lasting solutions for at-risk refugees and support the humanitarian community to do the same
Upwardly Global Eliminate employment barriers for skilled immigrants and refugees, and integrate this population into the professional U.S. workforce
Refugees International Advocate for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promote solutions to displacement crises
Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project Provide free legal and social services to detained adults and unaccompanied children facing immigration removal proceedings in Arizona
Refugee One Create opportunity for refugees fleeing war, terror, and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance

What Is A Refugee?

According to the UN 1951 Refugee Convention, the legal definition of a refugee is "someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion."

Top Refugee-Hosting Countries

According to the UN Refugee Agency as of 2018

Country Refugees Hosted
1. Turkey 3.7 million
2. Pakistan 1.4 million
3. Uganda 1.2 million
4. Sudan 1.1 million
5. Germany 1.1 million

The Difference Between Refugees And Immigrants

Refugee Immigrant
Life has been uprooted abruptly
Visiting home is typically not an option
Basic needs may be urgently needed
Arrangements in new country usually made ahead of time
Personal business is settled before leaving
Time to prepare for the transition
Leaving behind family, friends, and home
Dealing with culture shock
May need to learn a new language
Looking for new opportunities

What Does It Mean To Be A Refugee?

In Depth

War, conflict, persecution, climate change, and extreme weather events displace millions of people every year. This causes stress on international communities to help refugees and immigrants who are among some of the most vulnerable people in the world. A number of organizations have stepped up and devoted their time and resources to helping with this global crisis, believing these displaced individuals are crucially important to global wellbeing. In no particular order, here are five notable groups working to help refugees.

Up first at #1 is Refuge Point. Refuge Point focuses on lasting solutions for at-risk refugees, and supports the humanitarian community to do the same. Using a three-pronged approach that provides direct services, field building, and systems change, the organization is able to focus on resettlement and self-reliance for those most at risk.

Hoping to achieve one of three possible outcomes, Refuge Point has been able to directly help over seventy-three thousand refugees across thirty-five countries in either returning home, remaining in their current host country, or resettling to another country. Identification and referral are at the core of what this organization does to help stabilize refugees, and help them advance both socially and economically so that they can meet their household needs. To get involved, consider volunteering, writing your local representatives, or learning more about how to advocate for refugees.

To get involved, consider volunteering, writing your local representatives, or learning more about how to advocate for refugees.

Next up at #2 is Upwardly Global. Founded in 2000, by Jane Leu, after realizing there was no infrastructure to help skilled immigrants regain their careers in the U.S. at their full potential, the organization has helped hire over six thousand refugees into professional jobs. Upwardly Global's central belief is that country of origin should not be a barrier to success, with a vision to have skilled immigrants seamlessly integrated into the professional workforce and fabric of American life.

Of the almost two million college-educated immigrants and refugees that are unemployed or underemployed in the U.S., forty-five percent have a bachelor's degree with fifty percent in high demand fields like healthcare, I.T., and engineering. The organization is the first and longest serving organization of this kind and has been able to represent 169 countries. To help this organization continue with its life changing work, consider volunteering, utilizing their advocacy resources, or donating.

Sliding in at #3 is Refugees International. Refugees International endorses lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people, and promotes solutions to displacement crises around the world, including climate change, war, and persecution. The organization does not accept government or UN funding, ensuring independence and their ability to speak freely and forcefully, which they believe is needed now more than ever, with refugees often demonized and rejected.

Refugees International endorses lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people, and promotes solutions to displacement crises around the world, including climate change, war, and persecution.

Started in 1979 as a citizen's movement, they now organize over twenty field missions a year. This allows them to identify the needs of displaced people for basic services such as water, food, healthcare, housing, access to education, and protection from harm. In 2009 they launched a climate program for improved assistance, protection, and solutions for communities and individuals uprooted by extreme weather and climate change.

Refugees International also works to ensure that women and girls are provided specific protection and response programs for gender-based violence that includes medical, psychological, legal, and security assistance. All funding and support comes from donations and sponsors, like you, allowing this organization to do this life saving work.

At #4 is the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. The only organization in Arizona that provides free legal and social services to detained men, women, and children under threat of deportation, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project strives to assist unrepresented immigrants. The organization is a non-profit, founded in the 1980's, that envisions all immigrants who face removal will have access to counsel, understand their rights under the law, and are treated fairly and humanely.

The organization is a non-profit, founded in the 1980's, that envisions all immigrants who face removal will have access to counsel, understand their rights under the law, and are treated fairly and humanely.

With specific programs that serve adults and children, they also have programs for advocacy and outreach, integrated social services, pro bono work, and a mental health team. On any given day five thousand immigrants are detained in Arizona, with eighty-six percent unable to afford representation, and without the right of a public defender under U.S. law. The Florence Project helps to address this inequality and prevent what for many would be a death sentence. To help this important organization, consider writing to your representatives, donating, or volunteering.

Last but not least at #5 is Refugee One. Refugee One was founded in 1982 and has helped over eighteen thousand refugees since. Creating opportunities for refugees fleeing war, terror, and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance is central to what the organization does. As the largest resettlement agency in Illinois, they provide a number of services to refugees, including resettlement, English language training, workforce development, and wellness programs.

When refugees enter the country, the organization meets them at the airport, provides them furnished apartments, English classes, job search support, mental health care, youth programming, and mentors, so that their transition to life in the United States goes more smoothly. They work with refugees and immigrants of all ages, ethnic groups, faiths, and backgrounds, and assist them in becoming independent members of their new communities. If you want to assist this empowering organization, consider donating, utilizing their advocacy resources, or volunteering.