On June 10th, a report was released by the NGO Medecins Sans Frontiers warning that the world’s biggest refugee camp, Dadaab, located in Kenya, has run out of space. Built as a temporary home for 90,000 people, Dadaab currently houses 350,000, and will likely grow to 450,000 within the year. (more on this in one of our upcoming blogs…)
This striking story got a few of us thinking: how often do we talk about refugee rights and issues? Not very frequently, which is more than a little troubling, considering that over 40 million people around the world are living as refugees. And then we thought: who is better positioned to speak out than the members of WUSC Regina? Moreover, what better day than today?
Today is World Refugee Day, a day specifically designated for raising awareness about the plight of refugees around the world. And so with that, we would like to invite you to take a look at the issues with us.
Each week, we will be posting a story highlighting a refugee story, organization, or issue, and we invite anyone who is interested to join the discussion. If you have suggestions about stories that you think need to be given a voice, let us know, and we’ll shout it out loud. If you feel particularly passionate about a story, send it in, and we’ll post it for you!
40 million people around the world have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and too frequently, their families and friends. Their stories need to be told, and too often they can’t speak for themselves. Let’s give them a voice. Let’s start talking.
Jessica Brown
Co-Chair
WUSC Regina
