World Refugee Day: Stand in Solidarity with MSF

On World Refugee Day, this June 20, a day designated by the United Nations to recognize refugees and other people who have been displaced around the world, we want to call attention to the challenges they face in their search for safety.

Every four minutes, more than 100 people around the world are forcibly displaced from their homes.
In Sudan alone, since conflict broke out last April, millions of people were forced to flee. Over 680,000 refugees and returnees crossed borders into Chad, stretching an already overwhelmed system.Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been increasing our activities to respond to the most critical needs of people displaced in Chad. But the needs are enormous.

“I have worked as a humanitarian worker in countries across the globe, but what I have seen in Chad in this emergency has shocked me to my core…This cannot be put aside and forgotten as just another crisis.”
These words by Stephen Cornish, MSF’s Director General, who visited eastern Chad last December, reflect the scale of suffering hundreds of thousands of people who left almost everything behind are facing every day.

In many camps, MSF teams have seen a surge in cases of hepatitis E — exacerbated by poor sanitation and lack of clean water. In Adré camp, there is just one latrine for 677 people.

“Life here is so difficult,” says Taiba, who is living with her husband Bashir and two children in Aboutengue camp. “We suffer without access to basics: food, water, school, work.”

Taiba had arrived at the camp with her family last July. While fleeing Sudan, her husband was beaten by armed men and shot in the foot. Taiba had to carry him and walk until they reached the MSF-supported hospital in Adré.

“At the hospital, we were taken care of by medical teams, supported by MSF, and had surgery and treatment. That was when we got the news that my husband’s left arm and leg were paralyzed for life,” says Taiba.

“There is nothing we can do here [in the camps],” she adds. “There is no work, no lands, there is no way for us to save ourselves. The only food we get is from humanitarian organizations.”

MSF has significantly increased medical humanitarian efforts to expand hospital capacities and provide safe water and other essential services in eastern Chad. In Adré, MSF is serving as the primary water provider in the camps, distributing around 600,000 litres daily and covering more than 80 per cent of the available water supply for refugees.

In addition, our teams are providing vital medical assistance, including emergency care for trauma and war-wounded patients, maternal and pediatric healthcare and treatment for malnutrition and disease outbreaks.

This is possible because of support from donors like you. As humanitarian needs continue to rise, we know minutes matter for refugees and displaced people who are facing chronic and concurrent crises and need immediate medical support.

This World Refugee Day, please support MSF as we stand in solidarity with people forced from their homes around the world.