RefugePoint

Today and Tomorrow! Join virtually: https://buff.ly/3XUpAtq

As part of the RefugePoint Team, I am excited to share the success of the recent traineeship program held in September as part of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency-RefugePoint Collaboration Project! Over the course of three weeks, our Resettlement Trainees engaged in extensive training, with three impactful days hosted at the UNHCR Regional Bureau Office in Nairobi. During this program, trainees delved into the theory of resettlement and casework, while also gaining hands-on experience through shadowing and mentoring from experienced RefugePoint staff. They had the opportunity to work directly with clients, honing their skills in interviewing and drafting resettlement submissions. This training not only built the capacity of the trainees but also enhanced our collective efforts to partner with refugees to access life-changing solutions and transform how the world supports them. By investing in the next generation of professionals, RefugePoint is creating a lasting impact on the lives of those seeking safety and support. Thank you to everyone involved for making this program a success! Together, we are making a difference. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency , RefugePoint David Kinzuzi (DK) 吴卫, MSc. , Lucy Mushakwe , Chiomberegwa Gapare , Valeria Martínez García , Alvaro Zuniga Ayala , Cheryl Toroitich , Christabel Gowi , Tamara Omazi? , Ekiru Alex , Damaris Kibuthu , Damaris Kibuthu , Mireille Nsengiyumva , Vivian Kiptarit #RefugePoint #UNHCR #ResettlementTraining #Empowerment #RefugeeSupport #SelfReliance #Resettlement

Today, on International Day of the Girl Child, we celebrate Bahati's incredible journey and the stories of refugee girls around the world. Bahati, who became a refugee at just a few months old, grew up in Kenya and was one of the first to resettle to Canada as part of that country's labor mobility program, the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP). Now a registered nurse and full-time staff member at RefugePoint, Bahati has built her life—and a family—in Nova Scotia. The illustrated docu-short, Bahati, directed by Leila Shifteh & Harun Yasin Tuna, details Bahati's life story and is currently screening at festivals and available on demand. Visit bahatimovie.com for information and contact info for screenings.

How much of a difference can six months make in the lives of refugees living in Nairobi? Enough to help refugee families take critical first steps towards self-reliance by helping them afford housing, ensuring full meals on the table every day, covering school fees so kids can go to school, and easing access to needed health care for all family members. This recent blog post by Jacinta Mutie, Mbata Owiti, and Patrick Guyer features analysis of data from refugee families who joined RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Protection Program (URPP) in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023. Fresh insights shared below show that, with the right combination of services and support, even refugees facing extreme vulnerabilities can take critical steps towards self-reliance in just the first six months of their engagement with RefugePoint’s holistic support.? Visit https://lnkd.in/egUv5YBB to read the full article.

In this Candid Insights article, RefugePoint's Chief Program Officer, Simar Singh, explains the science of measuring #refugeeselfreliance: what we know, what's missing from the data, and what we have yet to learn. Read the article here: https://buff.ly/48dibKx

Something to celebrate: 100,034 refugees welcomed to the U.S. in FY2024! We are thrilled and honored to have contributed to this, the highest amount of refugees welcomed in 30 years. https://lnkd.in/epn5nmmF

In addition to helping refugees relocate to safety through direct services, RefugePoint also: -Hosts trainings, -Develops and shares tools to enhance capacity across our partners -Makes policy recommendations to improve global systems related to resettlement and other pathways to safety. A new partnership with Caritas Nigeria refers refugees experiencing vulnerabilities for resettlement to the U.S. Caritas Nigeria joins a growing network of NGOs that strives to expand equitable access to resettlement by identifying and bridging gaps in global refugee resettlement. With support from the Resettlement team, RefugePoint conducted a partner onboarding mission, during which we trained 24 Caritas Nigeria staff to identify and refer cases for resettlement.

RefugePoint’s UN Collaboration Project (UNCP) is on track for another record-breaking year. In 2024, our Experts have already supported nearly 14,000 individuals in 32 countries to access pathways to safety. This past quarter, several Experts went on missions away from their duty stations to interview refugees where there is little or no resettlement infrastructure. These missions promoted equitable access to resettlement and resulted in resettlement submissions for at-risk refugees in Benin, Namibia, Nigeria, and the Republic of Congo. Want to see more of our impact? Visit https://lnkd.in/djkEMvG4 to see more.

Last week’s events alongside the UN General Assembly renewed our inspiration and energy to continue finding lasting solutions for refugees! Some highlights: -Devex panel with actress America Ferrera, IOM - UN Migration’s Amy Pope, and Alight US’ Nasra Ismail, to discuss legal migration pathways. -Discussion with The Charles Bronfman Prize on solutions for refugees amid anti-immigrant rhetoric. -Refugees SEAT panel ensuring that refugee voices are at the table, with Rez Gardi -Conversation co-led by Sarah Hidey and others at TheSidebar around refugee inclusion and climate. -Breakfast roundtable at Goals House, where Sasha Chanoff met Poet and Activist Emtithal Mahmoud and caught up with Josie Naughton from Choose Love. There is so much work yet to be done. In high-level discussions, we must center and amplify the voices of refugees and others with lived experience. In our conversations, the stories showing the humanity and resilience of those who have been forced to flee and who have built new lives in the U.S. and in other countries must overpower the hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric currently dominating the conversation. At RefugePoint, we remain committed to these values and are planning far into the future to help more and more refugees build stable, connected, and thriving lives. #UNGA79 #LastingSolutionsforRefugees

RefugePoint welcomes the news that President Biden signed the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025, authorizing the admission of up to 125,000 refugees to the U.S. during that time. This reinforces the Biden administration’s commitment to expanding resettlement in the U.S. and other legal pathways for refugees. This commitment has been evident through the historic number of refugees who have resettled in the U.S. this year—more than during any year in the past two decades.? Read more: https://lnkd.in/eFgSrpAK