"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark,” Warsan Shire.  

On June 20th, every year, Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) joins the United Nations (UN) in recognizing refugees around the world on World Refugee Day.

World Refugee Day was established 72 years ago on the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This global effort by the UN aimed not only to recognize but also to honor the struggles of refugees.

Who are refugees?

According to the International Journal of Refugee Law, "a refugee is an individual who leaves their country due to the ramifications of war, conflict, persecution, and violence that they have faced within their home country."

HHRD works with refugees in all corners of the world. Many members of our international team work directly with internally and externally displaced refugees. Most of our projects are designed to alleviate the suffering of those who have already endured so much. These projects include orphan sponsorship, water initiatives, skills and development programs, caravan homes, emergency relief protocols, and more.

What Can You Do on World Refugee Day?

One of the programs HHRD offers to benefit those in impoverished conditions and refugee camps is to send in-kind containers monthly from our regional offices. On this day, we encourage you to visit your local HHRD regional office to volunteer your time and sort and pack boxes of resources for those most in need. If you are not near one of our regional offices, we implore you to check out our projects on hhrd.org and support a cause that touches your heart.

We do not choose the conditions we are born into, but we have the capability to make the best of what we have. Today, let us work to benefit our brothers and sisters who are living their lives with the best they have.

By Sobia Siddiqui - Sr. Sobia is part of the Content Marketing team at Helping Hand USA.