September 26, 2024
The UNHCR states there are currently 117.3 million people displaced throughout the world. The most vulnerable groups affected are children, women and the elderly. Many people and families are forced to flee their homes for a variety of reasons including conflict, poverty and climate change. Throughout the last several years, the number of displaced people has increased exponentially.
According to Oxfam, five countries account for two-thirds of the people displaced throughout the world. A majority of refugees are from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. The global refugee crisis has worsened due to:
Conflict: An increase in political instability and violence has been a driving factor in the displacement of people.
Climate Change: Climate shifts throughout the world have led to an increase in extreme weather events. Rising sea levels have destroyed communities resulting in people fleeing their homes.
Border Closures: Due to an increase in migration patterns, many countries have tightened their borders. This has made it harder for people fleeing their countries to find safety.
At Zakat Foundation of America, we strongly believe in finding solutions to the complex issues surrounding forced displacement. One of our most notable projects include the Muhammad Ali Safe House complex in Turkey, which provides apartments to widowed Syrian refugee women with children, financial stipends, transportation, and education for orphans, as well as vocational training and entrepreneur start-up assistance for their mothers. We established and sponsor the acclaimed Rohingya Culture Center in Chicago for America’s largest Rohingya refugee community. Muslims make up at least two-thirds of the world’s 25.9 million refugees and nearly half its 41.3 million internally displaced persons, but our refugee support reaches displaced migrants whatever their creed and origin, including in North, Central, and South America.
