How To Help The Most Vulnerable People Of Our Time

With forced displacement hitting record numbers, more and more people are in need of aid. Here's how you can help:

The Philippines' long history of welcoming refugees to our shores goes hand-in-hand with our culture of generosity and compassion as a people. Unbeknownst to most of us, this generous country has provided a safe and dignified environment for refugees. From the ‘white Russians’ escaping persecution in the 1920s, the Jews fleeing the Holocaust in the 1930s, the Spaniards seeking asylum after a civil war, to the 500,000 Indochinese refugees who either sought asylum or transited through the Philippines in the last two decades– their stories of hope and courage have been left out from history books.

With forced displacement hitting record numbers, these refugees need our help more than ever. Here are some ways to revive our humanitarian tradition of standing in solidarity with the most vulnerable people of our time:

Marawi families on the long road to rebuilding

A year ago, the battle in Marawi City forcibly displaced more than 353,000 persons from the city and the neighbouring communities. Families who left everything behind are now struggling to get back on their feet: parents have lost their livelihood while the children had to stop their schooling. It’s going to take a lot of time, effort, and resources before the affected communities are able to recover.

Tens of thousands of families are still in need of life-saving assistance while recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected communities are underway. Here's how to help Marawi survivors rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

Above The war is now seven years old, the same age as Fatmeh. And with every year that passes the situation of Syrian refugees grows more desperate.

Syrian refugees enduring seven years of war

Imagine never being able to take your baby home. Or growing up in a refugee camp, never meeting your grandparents or cousins or seeing your true home. This is the reality for Fatmeh and thousands of Syrian refugee families like hers.

After seven years of destruction and displacement, Syria remains the largest refugee crisis in the world. As fighting in their war-torn country continues, Syrian families like Fatmeh's are locked into a cycle of violence, displacement, and crushing humanitarian need. Here's how you can be a hope-giver to the refugees.

Above "Staff are on the ground distributing shelter and pre-monsoon kits to the vulnerable families, reinforcing roads, bridges, steps and other infrastructure that risk being washed away, and relocating families to safer places where land is available. But more is urgently needed to ensure refugees stay safe," says UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett.

Rohingya refugees who escaped persecution and death

They braved treacherous journeys to escape escalating violence and persecution in Myanmar. Now, Rohingya refugees who have found safety in Bangladesh are bracing for another looming threat.

The onset of the monsoon and cyclone season brings with it strong winds and torrential rainfall. At least 120,000 people are at risk of falling victims to landslides and floods when the monsoon hits the steep sandy slopes of refugee camps and settlements—the very area that is now home to so many Rohingya families. Click to find out how you can save the lives of Rohingya refugees escaping persecution.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, operates in the Philippines and 127 other countries to provide life-saving aid, protection, and solutions to refugees and internally displaced persons—some of the most vulnerable people of our time. To learn how you can Move Them In to a place of safety and to a life filled with hope, visit https://donate.unchr.ph/movethemin

Tatler Asia

How To Help The Most Vulnerable People Of Our Time

Marawi families on the long road to rebuilding

Syrian refugees enduring seven years of war

Rohingya refugees who escaped persecution and death