Not waiting for handouts: Five stories of resilience from one of the world’s largest refugee camps

Date: Friday, August 16, 2019

In some of the world’s largest camps, refugees and the native communities power their own economies. Students compete for admission into a better school, journalists report on daily news, entrepreneurs learn new skills and health workers deliver babies. And women are often a forgotten part of this workforce. Meet five women and girls who are doing the usual and unusual jobs that keep life going, and aspiring for more.

In the words of Madina Mousa: “I could not stay idle in the face of hardship”

Date: Thursday, August 15, 2019

Madina Mousa fled the war in Syria with her family in 2013, and now lives in Kawergosk Refugee Camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She started volunteering to help other refugees and now works as a Protection Supervisor at the Women’s Empowerment Organization (WEO), local partner organization of UN Women implementing the regional programme, “Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls and Host Communities in Iraq, Jordan and Turkey”, funded by the European Union under the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (the EU MADAD Fund).

Take five: “Addressing gender and protection issues in humanitarian action is lifesaving and planning and budgeting needs to reflect that”

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Nimarta Khuman, a Gender and Protection Advisor, explains what it means to incorporate gender and protection in humanitarian action and why it’s important.

Yemeni women leaders call for recognition and support of women-led organizations as part of humanitarian response in Yemen

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019

Yemeni women’s rights leaders call for recognition, support and funding at the event themed, “Yemeni women’s leadership in the peace process, humanitarian space and beyond”, taking place in Geneva on 25 February, in the context of the High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. The event was organized by the Permanent Missions of Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations (UN), UN Women, CARE International, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Oxfam International.

In the words of Nur Omar: “I’ve healed the wounds of war and feel more confident about my future”

Date: Monday, January 21, 2019

The SADA Women Empowerment and Solidarity Centre provides livelihood skills and psycho-social support and referral services to refugees like Nur Omar and local women in Gaziantep, Turkey. Set-up by UN Women, the Centre helps women like Nur Omar learn new skills and start a brighter future.

Women at the helm of cyclone recovery efforts in Tonga

Date: Thursday, August 23, 2018

Tropical Cyclone Gita, one of the worst storms to pass by Tonga in the last 60 years, made landfall on 12 February 2018 as a Category 4 cyclone with winds up to 230km per hour. It impacted 79,556 people—75 per cent of the country’s population. Today, many rural Tongan women are tackling the various challenges wrought by Tropical Cyclone Gita with hard work and leadership.

Statement: The invisible wounds to women and girls damage all of us

Date: Sunday, August 19, 2018

Joint statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director and Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management

Expert’s take: Women refugees on the road need strong advocates to protect their rights

Date: Friday, August 17, 2018

Iris Bjorg Kristjansdottir is a Gender and Humanitarian Specialist at the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia based in Turkey. She has over 15 years of experience in migration policy and refugee response, working with the United Nations, the Government of Iceland, the local government in Reykjavik and with non-governmental organizations. Prior to joining UN Women, she served as a Senior Advisor on Migration for the Ministry of Justice in Iceland.

Crisis update: Restoring dignity and livelihoods after storms in the Caribbean

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Nearly a year ago, catastrophic hurricanes devastated the Caribbean. After Hurricane Irma, almost the entire population of Barbuda, a small island in the eastern Caribbean, was driven to its twin island of Antigua. In Dominica, Hurricane Maria wiped out crops, equipment and infrastructure. In efforts to ensure that women both benefit from, and lend their expertise to the humanitarian response in the Caribbean, UN Women has been working with partners in the immediate aftermath of the storms and beyond.

Crisis update: Nearly one million Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh now

Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2018

UN Women is on the ground, addressing the needs of women and girl refugees arriving in Bangladesh. We’ve provided dignity kits, safe spaces and skills training, while engaging in high-level advocacy to promote women’s leadership in peacebuilding, disaster mitigation and resilience. On World Humanitarian Day, find out more about the Rohingya crisis.

Crisis update: Women of Syria, eight years into the crisis

Date: Monday, August 13, 2018

The protracted humanitarian crisis in Syria has devastating consequences for women and girls. From food insecurity to loss of educational opportunities, lack of safe water or health services, and high rates of gender-based violence, women and girls are facing the brunt of the crisis.

Empowerment through employment for Syrian refugee women in Jordan

Date: Friday, August 10, 2018

1.3 million refugees are currently hosted by Jordan, a country that continues to demonstrate humanitarian leadership in the Syrian refugee crisis. In 2012, UN Women opened its first Oasis— a centre for refugee women and girls to access emergency aid and specialized gender-based violence services at Za’atari refugee camp in northern Jordan. Over time, the scope and impact of the Oasis model has expanded to encompass multi-sectoral services that build women’s resilience and empowerment. Currently, UN Women operates four Oasis centres in two Jordanian camps: Za’atari and Azraq.

Women play a key role in rescue, reconstruction and resilience after volcanic eruption in Guatemala

Date: Thursday, June 28, 2018

Thousands of Guatemalans recently lost their homes in the eruption of Volcán de Fuego, and many victims have sought refuge at temporary shelters. María Ohong, resident of El Porvenir, and a victim of the disaster herself, is working to help others who have lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods. UN Women has supported a government-run shelter at the Escuela Mendez Montenegro in Alotenango, where women like Ohong have organized themselves to ensure equitable distribution of relief items and protection for women and girls.

One woman’s journey to find hope in Turkey, after escaping Syria

Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Menal Suleyman, at the age of thirty, is a mother of three, a widow, and a refugee from Syria. Fleeing the violence in Syria, Suleyman has found a new life, and hope, in Turkey, assisted by the “SADA Women-only Centre”, a UN Women-led project in Gaziantep.

UN Women statement for World Refugee Day 2018

Date: Monday, June 18, 2018

On World Refugee Day, UN Women calls on the global community to ensure that the global compact on refugees provides the services, protection and resources that all refugees need, addressing the rights of all.

Resilient and empowered, South Sudanese refugee women find new beginnings in Uganda

Date: Monday, June 18, 2018

More than one million South Sudanese refugees have crossed over the border into Uganda since 2013. Along with immediate assistance, they need long-term support, including therapy to cope with trauma and opportunities to earn a living. UN Women-supported therapy groups in one refugee settlement have helped women come together, heal and discover new beginnings.

From where I stand: “Always rely on yourself”

Date: Monday, June 18, 2018

Maha Aasi Emm Ala’a, a Syrian refugee, came to the UN Women-run women’s centre in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp with severe depression after her husband passed away. She received counseling and found tailoring work through the cash-for-work programme. As refugee crises become more protracted, humanitarian assistance must take into account immediate and long-term needs of women and girls. The women’s centres in Za’atari Refugee Camp are building women’s resilience and empowering them as leaders, workers and entrepreneurs.

From where I stand: “I am worried about the monsoon…will our small shelter keep standing?”

Date: Monday, April 30, 2018

Minara Begum is among the thousands of Rohingya women who fled the violence unleashed by the Myanmar army in her village, Buchidong, Myanmar. Having learned new skills in a UN Women-supported Multi-Purpose Women’s Centre in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, she is speaking out, meeting decision-makers in the camp and helping other Rohingya women.

Getting women farmers back on their feet in Dominica

Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Six months on, since the Category 5 hurricane battered the small island nation, UN Women assessment shows what women want is assistance to get back on their feet and back to work, not handouts.

Solar lamps, alternative fuel, feminine hygiene products—relief that counts in the practical needs of Rohingya women refugees

Date: Monday, February 19, 2018

Through the months of December and January, UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) and ActionAid Bangladesh in Cox’s Bazar, distributed dignity kits to 7,893 households, specifically targeting female-headed households, pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and women and girls with special needs.