Some 70.8 million people live as refugees and internally displaced people around the world, forced to choose between safety and their family and the comforts of home. Of those, 46 percent are children under the age of 18.
New displacement remains very high. One person becomes displaced every 2 seconds – less than the time it takes to read this sentence. That’s 30 people who are newly displaced every minute.
This World Refugee Day, June 20th, the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming is joining the global community to draw attention to the needs of refugees and the ways in which people can help shoulder their burden.
Knowing the needs of the refugee community goes far beyond World Refugee Day, the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming are committed to helping people all year long. Every day, the American Red Cross—as part of our International Family Tracing Services program—transmits messages from all over the world to help families who have lost touch with their loved ones reconnect. Globally, over the last year the Red Cross and Red Crescent network facilitated the exchange of thousands of messages between families separated by disaster and conflict.
Join us in recognition of World Refugee Day and help make an impact at home and overseas by:
- Volunteering your time with the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming to reconnect families;
- Donating money or hosting a fundraiser for local Restoring Family Links activities and other American Red Cross services; and
- Taking steps to prepare for future disasters and Be Red Cross Ready.
Last year, the American Red Cross worked on behalf of 1.85 million people from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Somalia, Burundi, Central African Republic, Bosnia, South Sudan, and Rwanda who were seeking to reconnect or keep in touch with their families. As part of the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming International Services mission, our volunteers assisted 35 people separated by wars or international disasters to reconnect with loved ones.
Learn more about the Reconnecting Family Links (RFL) program at https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/international-services.html.