The word ‘refugee’ brings to mind rows of white tents spread over remote and dusty plains – today has made me think differently. I am in Nairobi, home to tens of thousands of refugees trying to survive and build a new life in Kenya’s sprawling capital. Eastleigh, a neighbourhood on the east side of the city, is home to an estimated 120,000 refugees. The majority are Somalis who have fled conflict and drought in their own country. Rather than head for refugee camps, increasingly they seek the anonymity and opportunities for self-reliance offered by the city. They are not alone in this choice – according to the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee body, more than half of the world’s refugees now live in urban settings.

The much-anticipated Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), expected in late 2018, together with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), promise to revitalize refugee response through a multi-stakeholder “whole of society” approach. At a time when the international community is grappling with fundamental questions such as the equitable sharing of responsibility for refugees, the views and opinions of citizens in East Africa are invaluable in charting new directions. East Africa has a long history of hosting refugee populations. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have experienced large influxes of displaced people from numerous conflicts around the region over the past decades. These three countries currently host more than 2.2 million refugees, with Uganda hosting 1.4 million, followed by Kenya (just under 500,000) and Tanzania (over 350,000).

Now more than ever, refugees need our support. When crisis and disaster erupts, families are often torn apart, parents and their children separated, homes abandoned, livelihoods left behind and futures lost. 

All you need to know — and the latest updates — as we take Together for Refugees to the streets of the UK

The IRC is expanding its Syrian refugee response to support one of the most vulnerable segments of the growing refugee community: women and girls.

Diala’s Brisly is an artist, activist and refugee. She is responsible for our newly commissioned illustration, which makes the statement “Refugees are Courageous,” kicking off the International Rescue Committee’s 2021 World Refugee Day campaign honouring and celebrating the contributions of refugee artists.

Joining renowned hip hop recording artist, actor, poet and one of the UK’s best-loved podcasters Scroobius Pip was not an ‘average day in the office.’

Meet a doctor, a refugee herself, who works with the IRC along the Thailand-Myanmar border providing essential care for 150,000 patients a year.

The IRC accepts new or gently used items for refugees in Elizabeth.