Raising funds for our vital work with Syrian refugees, the Star Boot Sale has got off to a flying start! The auction is live and will run up until 9pm on Sunday the 6th December.

An online auction of personal possessions and signed memorabilia donated by famous musicians, actors, artists and comedians has raised £65,000 for the International Rescue Committee to provide support for refugees driven from their homes by the violence in Syria.

Flows of refugees into Europe show no sign of abating. In January 2016 alone, 65,775 men, women and children travelled treacherous seas to find sanctuary in Europe, more than in July last year. As a result of chronic conflict, persecution, and human rights abuses in origin countries, the UNHCR predicts 1 million will travel to Europe in 2016. Europe has shown itself to be ill-equipped to respond to this crisis. As a result of a lack of coordinated and humane response by Europe, thousands of refugees fleeing violence and persecution continue to lose their lives and their dignity. This is desperate situation and reflects a shamefully inadequate response. Addressing this challenge is not beyond reach, but European states must take urgent action now.

Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand - The International Rescue Committee is assisting over 700 Burmese refugees who were left homeless after fire broke out in the Ban Mae Nai Soi refugee camp in northern Thailand on April the 7th. Nearly 200 houses were destroyed in the fire, along with a school and several IRC health training facilities.

Since August 2017, nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh, putting a huge strain on the country’s already limited resources. In addition, the Bay of Bengal region of South Asia is prone to devastating natural disasters, including monsoons.

The IRC’s ‘Hope’ Clinic in Jordan provides critical treatment for uprooted Syrians like Hisham, a 7-year-old refugee battling diabetes.

As flames engulfed the refugee camp where he lived in Thailand, a 13-year-old Burmese boy stayed behind to help rescue other refugees. Sha Nay Htoo's heroic actions on that March day left him with third degree burns over most of his body. When the IRC's Peter Biro caught up with him last month, Sha Nay was out of the hospital where he received treatment and eager to return to his friends and family:

Worried about the surge in fighting in their Dara’a, Syria neighbourhood, 30-year-old Anwar and her family of six fled to Jordan in 2013. They had no means of earning money since it was nearly impossible for Syrian refugees to receive a work permit – a daily reality for many Syrian refugees living on the fringe.