Refugee Stories
Refugee Stories
Monetary donations are a vital and easy first effort to helping refugees. Depending on the charity, impacts can be life-saving and life-changing. Food, water, shelter, medicine, and other basic necessities can be supplied. Some charities specialize in legal advocacy, which can be important to those trying to obtain asylum at our borders and being separated from their children. Many people declaring asylum and entering our southern border are lacking in most everything. Donations such as blankets, clothes, and toothbrushes, can make a terrible transition a little more humane.
There are many places asking for monetary donations to help refugees. It can be hard to know where to donate. Are they reputable? Do they serve the groups I’m interested in helping? How much of the donation actually reaches the cause? Are the causes already fully or overfunded? These are tough questions! Luckily, there are sites out there that measure the impacts of charities on refugees. GiveWell is one such place that assesses how much impact your donation can have on underfunded charities. Charity Navigator also does some great analysis on nonprofits and their impacts. We recommend the charities below as a starting point, but this list is not exhaustive. Do your research and determine which non-profits fit your desires.
Being a voice for those who cannot speak is one of the most important tasks we have as humans. Volunteering with local nonprofits is key to helping refugees receive the goods they need to lead happier and healthier lives. When facing resettlement in a new country, refugees have lost their family, their language, their culture and their careers. They can feel untethered and alone. Volunteering or showing up to rallies to support their rights is powerful and meaningful. Reaching out to neighbors and your broader community can help people with little feel like they have a little more. We encourage you to find a local nonprofit or rally to show you support refugees, no matter where they come from. We encourage you to find an opportunity to make hygiene packs, be a mentor, tutor someone in English, or write letters. We are all in this together, afterall. Let’s do something great.
