Refugees and Displaced People
Over 120 million people have been forced from their homes worldwide. Give now to help deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid.
Ukrainian refugees fleeing to safety at Ukraine-Poland border. Photo: Caritas Poland
Number of Refugees
120 million people
have been forced to flee their homes worldwide
43 million people
have crossed international borders
40% are children
aged under 18 years
2 million children
were born as refugees in 2018-2022
Our partners are on the ground providing vulnerable communities with:
WASH programs
clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene
Emergency shelter
reducing risks for vulnerable families
Medical support
access to basic family medicines and sanitation can help prevent the spread of disease
Psychosocial support
critical in helping displaced people recover from the experience of trauma
Marian and her eight-month-old daughter queuing at the Trócaire health outreach centre at an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Gedo district, southern Somalia. Trócaire is one of Caritas Australia’s partners. Photo: Miriam Donohue: Trócaire.
Africa
A young boy who has fled the bombing in Odessa, Ukraine at the Palanca border crossing. Photo: Marijn Fidder, Caritas Germany.
Ukraine
Aftermath of the May 2024 fire. Photo credit: Caritas Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
Stories from the global refugee and displaced people crisis
Aftermath of the May 2024 fire. Photo credit: Caritas Bangladesh.
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Over 1 million refugees, mainly Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar, live in the Kutupalong camp. Conditions are poor, and the people live in limbo - unable to live freely in Bangladesh, and unable to return to safety in Myanmar.
On May 24th a devastating fire broke out leaving 1,300 people without shelter and destroying the Caritas Bangladesh warehouse that contained shelter materials worth millions. Fires are unfortunately common in camps like Cox’s Bazar, as people typically cook on open stoves in small shelters made of combustible materials.
Marian’s story, Somalia
Marian's livelihood has been decimated after four years of drought caused by climate change.
“We had no food or water because of the drought,” she says. “Our crops failed and our goats died. Our livelihoods are gone. We were hungry and desperate.”
Like so many others, she left her home because she had no other options. She walked across Somalia with her eight-month-old daughter to get to Gedo in southern Somalia, hoping to find more food and water, or at least humanitarian aid.
“We walked for five days and nights with little food or water to get here,” she says. “We have been here for several weeks, maybe even a month, and still have not been properly registered with the authorities.”
Marian and her eight-month-old daughter queuing at the Trócaire health outreach centre at an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Gedo district, southern Somalia. Trócaire is one of Caritas Australia’s partners. Photo: Miriam Donohue: Trócaire.
Sibomana and his family in an IDP camp. Photo: Bitita Dany/Caritas Goma
Sibomana's Story - Democratic Republic of Congo
Sibomana is 34 years old and a married father of six children. War forced his family to flee their home in August 2022.. Since then, they have been living in a camp for Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs), in the province of North Kivu. A native of the Kisigari sub-chiefdom in Rutshuru territory, "Sibo" as his relatives call him, was chosen as a hygiene promoter because of his leadership skills and knowledge of community mobilization. Hygiene promoters organize community awareness sessions, and disinfect public toilets and households exposed to the risk of cholera.
As one of 51 members of the hygiene committee (80% of whom are IDPs), he has been equipped, supported, and accompanied by Caritas Goma in implementing hygiene and sanitation measures in various IDP camps and sites.
As part of this work, Sibomana earns a bonus at the end of each week, which allows him to support the needs of his family.
Illyena's story, Ukraine
23-year-old Ilyena, her husband Andrei and their 9-month-old son Bagdan, decided to flee Kharkiv. After sheltering in a crowded metro station, they walked for hours through dark metro tunnels until they reached their car. It took them six days to drive to the Polish border. After they crossed, volunteers from Caritas Poland helped Illyena access a sheltered room for mothers and children, where she can access the necessities she needs to care for Bagdan. Andrej had to stay behind as most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 cannot leave the country.
Dignity kits distribution by CAFOD in Sudan. Photo CAFOD
9 million forced from their homes, Sudan
Sudan has been suffering from protracted fighting for over a year. The violence has spread across the country and led to millions of people being forced from their homes, along with thousands of injuries and deaths.
Sudan has traditionally hosted for refugees from neighbouring countries. Important aid work has been happening in refugee camps for many years with limited resources. The conflict has put pressure on these already scarce resources, resulting in many people facing a lack of water, sanitation, food, shelter and safety.
Latest News
View of the refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Mark Harding/Caritas Australia
A visit to the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh
Aftermath of the May 2024 fire. Photo credit: Caritas Bangladesh.
World Refugee Week: Caritas Australia raises awareness of the world’s largest refugee camp
A destroyed church in a rural village in Ukraine that was used as target practice by Russian troops with cluster bombs. Photo credit: CAFOD.
Caritas Australia welcomes a $31m government investment into Ukraine aid
Where the funds go
78%
of funds are spent on implementing Local and International Programs, including important education and advocacy in Australia to amplify the voice of our partners.
15%
of funds are spent on Fundraising, so that we can maintain and expand the scope of our humanitarian and development partnerships and work across the globe.
7%
of funds are spent on infrastructure, systems and people that make the work we do possible.
Other Emergencies
Ukraine War
17.6 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, as we pass the 2-year anniversary of the invasion.
Read More
Gaza War
Over 35,000 people have been killed, the majority of them women and children. All 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food, with 1 million on the brink of starvation and famine.
Read More
Sudan Crisis
25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance as violence spreads across the country. 9 million people have been displaced and the country teeters on the edge of famine.
Read More
Where does my donation go?
The funds you donate to this appeal go to Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Fund and will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by this crisis. Should circumstances prevent us from delivering aid to this emergency, or if excess funds remain after the crisis, donations will be directed to other emergencies where Caritas has humanitarian operations.
