A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country..."
The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

Estimated Number of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR, 1st Jan 2007

According to the UNHCR, they have helped approximately 50 million individuals over the last 50 years to begin their lives again. They have a staff of 6,289 people spread out in 111 countries in order to help refugees in every possible venue.

WHAT IS UNHCR?

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protects refugees in hundreds of countries around the world.

In fact, UNHCR is the only agency with the specific world mandate to help refugees and resolve their plight.

"The protection of 32.9 million uprooted people is the core mandate of UNHCR. The agency does this in several ways. Using the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention as its major tool, it ensures the basic human rights of vulnerable persons and that refugees will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution. Longer term, the organization helps civilians repatriate to their homeland, integrate in countries of asylum or resettle in third countries. Using a world wide field network, it also seeks to provide at least a minimum of shelter, food, water and medical care in the immediate aftermath of any refugee exodus."

• There are some 50 million up-rooted people in the world- both refugees who have crossed an international border and people displaced within their own country.
  
  
• Women and children makeup 80% of the world refugees.
  
  
• There are 10 million children below the age of 18 under UNHCR's care.
  
  
• Over the last decade, about 2 million children have been killed in conflict.
  
  
• Since the end of 2001, UNHCR has helped millions of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons return home.
  
  
• The UN Refugee Agency has provided protection and humanitarian relief to the refugees and internally displaced persons of Sudan's decades long civil war and those fleeing violence in Darfur.
  
  
• Refugee women and girls caught in conflict situations are often the victims of rape.
  40-60% of sexual assults are committed against girls less than 16 years old.
  
  
• There are over 12 million children orphaned by aids living in Sub-Saaran Africa.
  
  

Every June 20th, World Refugee Day is celebrated in various cities throughout the United States. Student-Refugee-Alliance is planning to make a big donation on World Refugee Day. Watch this space for upcoming details.