They leave behind families and endure long separations during assignments that may last for two years or more. And they face an increasing threat of violence by local actors who do not see our role as purely humanitarian or who believe that the murder of an aid worker will send a political message. They are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Refugees are forced to run for their lives, abandoning their homes, land and virtually everything else they possess in this world. Nearly half are children, some of whom have lost their families to violence, disease or starvation or have become separated in the chaos of flight.
Refugees face an uncertain welcome.
The communities where refugees flee may be hostile, seeing them as a threat to social stability and jobs. Even where local people receive them with understanding and compassion, large refugee populations can rapidly test the limits of human solidarity by placing huge strains on public services, housing, agricultural land and the environment. People become refugees in one tragic moment, but they may remain refugees for many painful years. We try to ensure that refugee children get primary level schooling, but I am very sorry to say that millions have no chance to continue their education at the secondary level. For them, the idea of entering university is an unrealistic and distant dream.