Never before has the world witnessed such a dramatic scale of human suffering. Today, 65 million people—24 per minute—are displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution. Among them are more than 11 million Syrians uprooted by nearly six years of civil war in their country. In a year of unprecedented crisis, these are the ten most-read stories on Rescue.org.

Violinist Mariela Shaker, who fled Aleppo as a college student, reflects on the war in Syria, the healing power of music, and the contributions refugees make in the countries that welcome them.