Nine Million Children Refugees: About

New community - take a look!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:15:33 GMT

Hello everyone and sorry for radio silence! We've been busy and we're excited to announce that we've just soft launched a new community for supporters of ninemillion.org! You can find it here http://www.community.ninemillion.org/ and we'd love to hear what you think...

Even better - join up! We love hearing from you and the new community is the place to reach us and hear what we're doing...

Look forward to seeing you there!

ninemillion.org

Not just another day in the office…

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 14:09:30 GMT

I never envisioned myself coming to and from an office each day, stuck behind a computer, engaging in meeting after meeting and barely leaving my desk for hours on end.

Then came ninemillion.org - Education and sport programs for refugee children - something I am extremely passionate about.

Each new day working on ninemillion.org brings challenges and learning opportunities. Some good some bad.

The good experiences are easy to celebrate. The struggles pale in comparison to the hardships refugees face day in and day out.

I work on ninemillion.org to help refugee children. I hope hearing about my work encourages you to support the campaign.

Ninemillion what?

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:57:21 GMT

… or UNHCR? What is UNHCR? These are the questions I get when I mention the ninemillion.org campaign, the word “refugees” and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In war-torn countries, refugee children sometimes become the head of their family as young as 10 years old. Can you only imagine for a few seconds what it is like to be a refugee child? When I think about this I realize how lucky my brother, my sister, my friends, my children and myself are. This is why I work for UNHCR and this is what ninemillion.org is all about. Making sure that refugee children have access to education and to play, the right of each child in the world.

I can’t imagine my own daughter of 8 living the life of an eight-year old refugee girl, waking up every day at 5 am, going to help her mother in the fields, going to collect firewood and water, carrying on her shoulders the equivalent of her own weight. I have decided to do something. Every month, I donate $20 to ninemillion.org to help these children to be children and to have access to education and sports.

If we all join forces to help refugee children we can show them that they are not forgotten. We have to let them know that we care about them. How? It’s really very easy…please be part of and join the efforts of ninemillion.org

You can also make a difference.

Daniela

Help them learn. Help them play.

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:50:50 GMT

I’m Carla and I work for the UNHCR on the ninemillion project. I’ve just taken on running this Space. This campaign is all about making people aware of the plight of the nine million refugee children in the world at the moment. Did you know there are 20.8 million people of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)? And that more than half are young people?

The money we raise through ninemillion.org is going to be spent on giving these young people access to education and to sports programs. We’re working on how best to spend the money we’ve raised to date. Watch this space for more news!

What’s it like to be a refugee?

Refugee children have often suffered greatly, witnessing war first hand and sometimes being orphaned or separated from their parents in the panic and chaos of fleeing. Finally they make it to a refugee camp, but that’s not the end of their problems, as children they often go unheard and unprotected. Some refugees are born in camps, others live and grow in camps for years on end with little or no access to education, sport or recreation. Imagine if you were in their shoes… how would you feel? Maybe a bit alone?

How does sport help?

I love sport! A life without sport is unthinkable. Even just a kick-about in the park! Sport doesn’t discriminate. It’s a great way to get important health messages out to kids. For refugees, sport provides normality and structure to lives that are in disarray. Sport develops necessary life skills such as tolerance, cooperation, and an appreciation of rules. Think about when you play basketball or soccer… you need to play as a team, right? Sport also motivates children to attend camp schools – particularly important for girls who are too often left out.

I’m just one person, what difference can I make?

Making a difference takes time, energy, motivation and determination. I decided I had to fight for refugee children and try to ensure that all kids have the chance to learn and play.

What can you do? Nothing, right? Wrong! You can let these kids know that you know about them. Let them know they matter to you. Add ninemillion to your space – just click to download the banner. Show these kids they have friends…that’s a great place to start.