Residents of Yida Camp Face Difficult Choices
By Caelin Briggs Fri, 06/14/2013 - 12:00Nila is tired. Two weeks ago, she arrived in Yida camp, South Sudan, with her three young children in search of safety and food. Like the many people that fled before her, Nila and her family escaped from their homes in the middle of the night after relentless bombings by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) made it impossible for them to harvest their crops. As they hid in the caves away from the bombs, hunger set in, and finally they were forced to flee.
S. Sudan's Yida Camp: No Place to Raise a Child
By Marcy Hersh Mon, 06/03/2013 - 15:06Samuel totters on uneven footing in the doorway of the thatch hut and gapes, open-mouthed, at the strangers in his house. He’s just a year old and has lived his entire life here in Yida, a transit camp for refugees in Unity State, South Sudan.
My Refugees International colleague and I perch on the edge of the bed that Samuel shares with his mom, Halima. When Samuel starts to whimper, Halima rises from her metal chair, held together by twine, scoops up the naked baby, and then returns to her chair and continues her story.
If We Can’t Stop Natural Disasters, Then Let’s Contain Their Human Costs
By Alice Thomas Fri, 05/31/2013 - 10:03Right now, the shell-shocked residents of Moore, Oklahoma, are grappling with the loss of 24 lives and the destruction of entire neighborhoods following a devastating tornado on May 20. Meanwhile, across the globe, tens of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Burma are returning to damaged homes and villages in the wake of Cyclone Mahasen, which thankfully proved more merciful than anticipated.
Kachin State: Local Groups Provide Aid at Great Personal Risk
By Sushetha Gopallawa Thu, 05/30/2013 - 12:30While in Myanmar's Kachin State last month, I visited a number of displacement camps around Myitkyina and Waingmaw, and I also met with Kachin community-based organizations (CBOs) who deliver aid in both government and non-government controlled areas.
A Kindness in the Midst of Conflict
By Caelin Briggs Fri, 05/24/2013 - 10:30
Juba, South Sudan -- A man stands in the middle of a dusty compound. Around him, 60 people sit and drink water that he paid for, eat food that he gave them, and take shelter under the roof of his own house.
S. Sudan Army Causing Atrocities, Humanitarian Emergency in Pibor
By Dara McLeod Mon, 05/20/2013 - 11:27This post originally appeared at ThinkProgress.
South Sudan Army Commits Atrocities in Jonglei as Aid Workers Flee
By Caelin Briggs Tue, 05/14/2013 - 09:00Bor, South Sudan – It has been a dark week in Jonglei State in eastern South Sudan. On Friday night, the last of the humanitarian workers in Pibor town were evacuated by UN helicopter as South Sudanese forces roamed the dusty streets, attacking civilians and looting anything they could carry.
Post-Quake “Voices of Haiti” Captures Haitian Resiliency
By Guest Mon, 05/13/2013 - 10:43Three decades ago, the Center for Disease Control famously created its own “4H Club” to signify the four groups most at-risk for HIV/AIDS: homosexuals, hemophiliacs, heroin users, and Haitians. For Haiti, the implications of the label were particularly high – a dramatic dip in tourism, a near halt of foreign importing of Haitian goods, and, fueled by subsequent poverty, a heightened prevalence rate among Haitians.
Thousands Are Cut Off From Aid in South Sudan
By Caelin Briggs Mon, 05/06/2013 - 17:43Today, Marcy Hersh and I are en route to South Sudan, where we will spend the next three weeks assessing the conditions for displaced people in two of the harshest and most isolated areas of the country. In Jonglei and Unity states, an estimated 180,000 displaced persons are taking shelter in camps, with host families, and hiding in the bush, often with little to no support from the UN or humanitarian agencies.
Help Syrians Help Themselves
By Michel Gabaudan Mon, 05/06/2013 - 15:31This post previously appeared in Politico.
Syria’s civil war has become one of the largest humanitarian disasters in recent memory. The number of displaced Syrians is climbing rapidly, and the United Nations now estimates that half of Syria’s 20 million people could need aid by the end of this year. The Obama Administration and Congress have responded generously to the needs of Syrians during the last two years of conflict, but clearly more must be done.
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Refugees International (RI) advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.