Educate
 

We provide education and trauma counseling for children and families in the centers for asylum seekers and refugees around the world. Education is the ultimate empowerment tool for children, their families and communities to survive and recover from conflict or crisis; it is what enables people to drive their own health, safety and prosperity. Of the 59 million children out of school across the world, over half live in conflict-affected countries, yet resources for them remain low. Even for families resettled in the United States, understanding how to access different forms of education can be challenging.

It’s crucial to know the definition of the term “refugee,” and why we need to distinguish it from the term “migrant.” According to international law, a refugee is specifically someone who is fleeing armed conflict or persecution and has sought refuge across international borders. The UNHCR puts it plainly: “These are people for whom denial of asylum has potentially deadly consequences.”

A migrant is someone who chooses to seek better living conditions in another country. While there, too, is certainly a migrant crisis, the distinction is important because countries deal with migrants based on individual immigration policies and processes, while international law dictates that countries have a responsibility to protect refugees. Conflating the terms can have dangerous consequences for refugees, and often gives way to political debate and xenophobia in place of relief during a humanitarian crisis.