By Leonard Chan

This is just a quick summary.

I hope it will help to answer some of your questions regarding refugees and displaced people around the world, and some things that you could possibly do to help them.

I invite you all to read further, stay interested, and to get involved.

By the Numbers

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) there were 82.4 million people worldwide (more people than California, Texas, and Pennsylvania combined) that were forcibly displaced at the last count on June 18, 2021. This was before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan at the end of August 2021.

Of this 82.4 million, 48 million are displaced from their homes, but are still living in their country (according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre). Of those that flee their country, 68% came from five countries (Syria 6.7M, Venezuela 4M, Afghanistan 2.6M, South Sudan 2.2M, and Myanmar 1.1M). Their destination in 73% of the cases was to neighboring countries from their place of origin.

Reports from the end of 2020 say there were approximately 1,448,100 Afghan refugees in Pakistan and 780,000 in Iran.

The UNHCR estimates a worse-case scenario of an additional 515,000 Afghans could flee their country by the end of 2021.

According to the Washington Post (last updated Sept 16), 124,334 people were evacuated from Afghanistan in the August airlift. The Associated Press (AP) says the US is expected to admit more than 50,000 Afghans.

The US President and Congress sets a goal each October for how many refugees they would allow to resettle in the United States the following year. According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), over the years, the annual admissions cap averaged around 95,000 a year. Under the Trump Administration, that number was slashed by nearly 85% to 15,000 for 2021.

The UNHCR states that 1 in every 95 people on earth has fled their home as a result of conflict or persecution. Approximately 42% of all displaced people are children (approximately 30% of all the world’s population are children).

How to Help

The UNHCR says that you can stay aware of their work by following them on their social networks. You can also donate directly, fundraise, volunteer, or intern with UNHCR. To find out more, go to their Get Involved page.

The IRC asks that you contact your member of Congress to get them and the President to set the US refugee cap to 200,000 people for 2022. It may be too late by the time you read this, but they have an online petition that you can fill out. Click here to see more ways that the IRC suggests for you to help.

The Afghan American Foundation has resource pages of organizations that are providing humanitarian support and immigration and resettlement support.