Today is World Refugee Day, so we’re asking you to make a gift to deliver lifesaving care and resources to women and girls around the world who have been displaced by war, famine, and natural disaster.

Women and girls are the most vulnerable when crisis hits and communities are displaced.

11-year-old Khadijo and her family left their home in Somalia after severe drought caused a devastating famine. They arrived at a refugee center with 41,000 other displaced persons. There was no proper sanitary system in place, so people took cover in thickets to relieve themselves. Women often waited for the dark in the hope of increased privacy.

One such night, Khadijo was raped just feet away from her shelter. She told her mother about the assault, but she didn’t believe Khadijo. Even worse, the center did not have a nearby health facility that could offer her support or first aid after such a grave physical and psychological violation.

But when a UNFPA-supported Mobile Legal Aid Clinic reached the camp, a gender officer gave Khadijo psychosocial support and counseling to deal with post-rape trauma and offered legal assistance regarding registering her case.

“The lady was willing to listen to what had happened to me. She comforted me, she believed me,” Khadijo says, with some confidence. “She even asked details and told me that there can be an investigation, and they can help me get justice… I am hopeful that I will get justice.”

UNFPA Somalia’s Gender-Based violence unit is scaling up their humanitarian response to provide quality, lifesaving, confidential, and timely violence prevention and response services. But to reach more displaced girls like Khadijo, your support is urgently needed.

This World Refugee Day, make a gift that will provide critical care and resources to displaced women and girls around the world.

Nasrin, a 27-year-old midwife, was on duty at a UNFPA-supported field hospital in Bangladesh when Cyclone Mocha made its destructive landfall.

The powerful storm unleashed gales and torrential rain, triggering widespread flooding and multiple landslides across the district. Among the 2.3 million affected individuals were over 960,000 Rohingya refugees, a population already burdened by poverty, marginalization, and high vulnerability.

As one Rohingya refugee went into labor, her need for assistance was met with obstacles as health centers closed and floods prevented help from reaching her. But a ray of hope emerged when a UNFPA-funded ambulance arrived to transport her to the field hospital.

Nasrin and her team of skilled midwives helped deliver a healthy baby boy and intervened when the mother began experiencing profuse postpartum bleeding that could have resulted in severe illness or death.

“After successful deliveries, when mothers hold my hand and thank me with a full heart — that is the kind of moment that inspires me even more about my profession," Nasrin told us.

Despite significant strides made by Bangladesh in reducing maternal mortality rates over the past two decades, the lack of trained birth attendants and midwives in crisis settings remains a grave concern. Limited access to health centers, shelter, food, and water intensifies the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.

UNFPA remains committed to reaching even the most remote areas and providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, especially as climate change continues to impose heavy tolls on the lives of displaced communities. As needs grow amongst vulnerable displaced populations, women and girls are counting on your support.

Please: Donate today to deliver lifesaving care and resources to displaced women and girls around the world. Millions of lives hang in the balance.

Our dedication to ensuring the health and rights of women and girls remains unwavering. Thank you for supporting this work.

— USA for UNFPA