11.10.2008

Bloggers Unite, Refugees United

Time for some serious stuff...


Bloggers Unite is a wonderful / informative web site. They help out great causes. Today, I will be highlighting Refugees United along with 10,000 other bloggers from Bloggers Unite.

"It is in our power to bring people to act to make change. The core of Bloggers Unite and Refugees United is information. Information leads to empowerment. Bloggers Unite enables ordinary folks to make an extraordinary impact." -Bloggers Unite

About Refugees United

Refugees United is a non-profit organization that helps refugees relocate family and friends through the use of the internet.

Refugees United provides refugees with an anonymous forum to reconnect with missing family. By registering with nick- names, scars, former locations and other markers only identifiable to family and close friends, everyone can remain 'invisible' to all but relatives.

  • All refugees are welcome, regardless of conflict, place or time.
  • Refugees United is an independent, non-political, non-religious NGO.
  • No third party is involved. No official papers need to be filled in.
  • The service is free of charge, easy and safe.

The Refugees United search engine is the first of it's kind. Visit Refugees United to see how it works and to learn more about the work that Refugees United is doing.

Who is a Refugee?

A refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their country because they are unable to live in their home or they fear they will be harmed. This can be due to a number of reasons, including fighting or natural disasters, like earthquakes and floods.

People may also be under threat due to their "religion, race, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion" (1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees).

In many cases, a person's own government will no longer protect them so he or she is no longer safe and needs to seek protection elsewhere.

Refugees lose everything when they are forced to leave their homes, belongings, family and country.

A Refugees Future

Many refugees have left behind a life of pain and suffering. They can no longer live in their homeland and have to make a new home in a strange, new country. It can be very difficult for them. A lot of refugees cannot speak the language of their new country, have very little possessions, cannot get a job in the role they are used to (because their qualifications are not the same) and do not know anyone.

At the same time they have to deal with bad memories of past experiences.

Life is still not easy. Refugees are often treated as outsiders. Lack of money and culture shock awaits most refugees in addition to the hardship of having to build a new life in a foreign land through no fault of their own.

Sometimes the situation in a refugee's home country changes and it becomes safe for them to return if they choose to. Often their homes have been destroyed and many of their loved ones are nowhere to be found €“ they have either fled to a new place for safety or might have been caught up in fighting.

Can you imagine leaving everything you have ever known and having no one? Thanks goodness there are organizations like Refugees United helping these brave people find one another.

Bloggers Unite

Ta Ta for now

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