- # We are Standing Strong with Refugees
Discover our projects aimed at providing essential aid, dance, education, fundraising, and community integration for refugees, fostering empowerment and lasting change.
Vrinda and Vaanyasri motivated Afghan refugee girls to learn martial arts techniques to instill self-confidence and to be prepared with defensive kicks for their safety. A nationally acclaimed Taekwondo instructor, who Vaanyasri personally trains under, was approached for this initiative and gladly volunteered to train the young girls with great enthusiasm and spirit shown by both the master and the students! Self-defence is a skill that is a necessity in a country like India especially for girls hence to train them and be aware of how one can protect their personal space is imperative.
The concept suggested by Ms Selin Susan (presently working with UNHCR refugees, India) was an initiative to socially integrate and culturally acclimatize refugee girls in Delhi. Through this ancient Indian classical dance, we bonded beautifully sharing our moments of fun, teenage issues, and career all the while attuned to the rhythmic tapping of footwork. Teaching this beautiful classical dance form to these young ambitious Afghan girls has been such a memorable experience. Seeing them learn this dance form so passionately and learning about their culture and craft helped all of us pick up new skills and collaborate and tell our life stories via dance.
Coordinated with the Bosco Society and volunteers were sent to teach conversational English to Afghan, Somalian, Rohingya and Congo refugees. The classes were meant to inspire them to talk, share ideas, express their thoughts with new vocabulary through role plays, debates and dumb charades. By creating a safe space for everyone to open up about their fears and strengths in different languages created a mutual understanding between them and inspired them to learn about the English language.
We participated in the initiative to make refugees aware and caution against substance abuse through a short yet impactful documentary film. The entire project was facilitated with the help of refugees. From being the actors, to writing the script, directing the actors, recording and shooting the documentary, it was all an effort put in by the refugees.
In a serious and sustainable venture to include refugees as an integral member of our society, we are constantly searching for new opportunities to provide them practical training in addition to their education at colleges. Empowering them economically is the ultimate aim and for that finding and recruiting them in internships matching their professional aspirations has been our passionate endeavour. Our aim has been to get to know these refugees well as an individual that has a lot to offer to a company or an organization so we try and match their skills and provide their details to companies looking to hire interns or full time employees in New Delhi.
Rise For refugees has been refugees organizing fundraisers to help support refugees during these difficult times. There are 20+ refugee families from Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sudan, that are stranded for food and unrecognized by our ministry and they need our support to help provide rations for their family. Approximately INR 2000 is the requirement for one family ration! We will help raise the funds thanks to your support and then provide food for these families by contacting grocery store owners and transferring the funds to them that we raise and help provide rations for these families.
Besides compassion and empathy, refugees constantly need motivation. We “Rise for Refugees” are forever striving to stand with this diverse community to find expert sources to guide them and nurture them with inspiring words. Organizing workshops to motivate them to find their path, to gain professional qualifications, and how to access resources in the host country have been our major causes in recent times. Motivational talks from industry experts will give them the solid foundation that they are not different, that they have other avenues to explore financial independence, their creativity and infuse stability.
Rise for Refugees is aimed at providing a sustainable living and earning a livelihood platform for the refugee community specifically in India and to give a start, in the NCR region; Delhi.
To provide a solid platform to keep the refugee community abreast with the e-commerce and start-up culture as a futuristic technology-based way of venture without risking financial resources.
UNHCR India celebrated World Refugee Day and we were bestowed with the opportunity to organize a workshop and a talk on Diversity & Inclusion for the refugees. The theme for this year’s World Refugee Day was that everyone can make a difference and every action counts so we aimed to combine that theme with diversity and inclusion and impart the message to all these inspiring refugees by organizing an online webinar. The conversations centered around their efforts and strategies to include themselves in society. We prepared a video and presentation showing them that they are welcome in this country and that its okay to be proactive to reach out to form new friendships making an alien country your habitat.
