UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Just 30 minutes by sea separate this entry point in Djibouti from Yemen. If the conflict continues to escalate, UNHCR fears that 10,000 people could arrive within a short period, seeking international protection. UNHCR is urgently scaling up its response to prepare for people fleeing violence and seeking safety. Your support can help us provide life-saving aid to those in need. Donate now.

Fleeing for your life can take a profound toll on mental health. From separation from families, barriers to work and education, prolonged uncertainty and the challenge of rebuilding a life from scratch, refugee journeys are often unimaginably stressful. Yet this dimension of displacement is often overlooked. Ahead of World Mental Health Day, we highlight Anda Ernest Djogo, a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support expert working in Farchana, Chad to support, empower and help refugees on their journey to recovery.

We really, really, really, REALLY want you to support refugees. A message delivered to you by our Goodwill Ambasador Mary Maker and Sweden for UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Toussaint Chiza who know first-hand how that support can be life-saving. Join us. Every voice and every action counts.

Refugees deserve a voice in the decisions that shape their lives. Our Goodwill Ambassador Gugu Mbatha-Raw joined us at #UNGA in New York and carried with her the stories and perspectives of people forced to flee that she has met through her work with UNHCR. From Rwanda and Uganda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, those encounters have stayed with her and continue to shape her advocacy. Because the experiences and perspectives of refugees belong at the heart of conversations that affect their futures.

It’s not a choice. People all around the world continue to be forcibly displaced because they have no other option but to flee their homes.

Education is one of the smartest investments we can make, in refugees and in the societies that host them. Yet UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency's latest education report is a sobering read. Refugee children are still far less likely to be in school, especially in low-income and conflict-affected countries. Nearly half of school-aged refugee children are out of education. That's 5.8 million futures on hold, simply because they were forced to flee. But there’s a bright spot. For the first time, nearly 11% of refugees are accessing higher education. That didn't happen by accident and it shows what's possible. For me, that's the point. Education is how displacement shifts from dependency to self-reliance: skills, livelihoods, rebuilding. Governments, development partners, academia, the UN and the private sector all need to invest in education, and to do so together. That is how we turn progress into scale. https://lnkd.in/eT4-vSRA

Paulina is a physics teacher at a secondary school in Pemba, Mozambique. Through UNHCR and Vodafone Foundation's Instant Network Schools programme, her students can use tablets and access the internet to deepen their understanding of science, turning abstract concepts into something they can see, explore and experience for themselves. Technology opens the door to new ways of learning. But it is teachers like Paulina who make this possible every day. Happy #WorldTeachersDay, Paulina!

I was a refugee, and education changed everything for me. It gave me the chance to shape my own future. Today, 5.8 million refugee children are out of school, while funding cuts threaten hard-won progress. Displacement should never determine how far a child can go.

Reminder: Winter is coming. For millions of refugees and people forced to flee, winter can be life-threatening. Help them prepare for the cold. Donate today: https://unh.cr/B2RLz1

Quality education means having quality teachers. For refugee learners, one great teacher can ensure a path to a brighter future. Three great teachers is a gamechanger. And no one knows this better than Leila, Suleiman and Weli. #WorldTeachersDay