The stories we hear as children inform us as we grow. Simar Singh’s decision to work with refugees was based on her family’s migration from India.
The stories we hear as children inform us as we grow. Simar Singh’s decision to work with refugees was based on her family’s migration from India.
On the night of August 13, 2004, 166 Congolese refugees, mostly women and children, were killed in a brutal attack on the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. Armed militants surrounded the camp, set shelters on fire, and opened fire on the sleeping residents. Additionally, 116 people were injured or permanently disabled.
The victims were Banyamulenge refugees, a Tutsi minority from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who had fled violence. Despite warnings that they felt unsafe so close to the border, the refugees were not relocated in time.
The massacre shocked the international community and exposed urgent gaps in refugee protection.
Cover Photo and Left: Sidera in Burundi following the Gatumba Camp massacre. Right: Sidera in her home after resettlement to the U.S. Photos: Christophe Calais
The Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL), a Burundian rebel group, claimed responsibility. The attack was condemned by the United Nations, African Union, and international human rights organizations. However, despite reopened investigations and survivor testimonies, no one has been held fully accountable for the massacre to this day.
For survivors, justice has been slow. But their story helped lay the groundwork for a new kind of response.
A refugee family in Burundi after the massacre, and in the U.S. after resettlement. Photos: Christophe Calais
When the massacre happened, Sasha Chanoff was in the process of founding RefugePoint. He began receiving desperate calls from refugees in the U.S. whose family members had been at the camp when it was attacked.
“They said things like, ‘My sister was killed and her children are orphaned.’ ‘My relatives who survived are now in hiding. The killers are searching for them. Please help.” – Sasha Chanoff
Recognizing that the only solution for them was resettlement, Sasha called colleagues at UNHCR and the U.S. State Department, traveled to Burundi, met with survivors, and drafted an emergency resettlement proposal. That proposal led to more than 1,000 Gatumba survivors being permanently resettled to the U.S.—a life-saving and lasting solution for families who had lost nearly everything.
“That was the moment I realized: even someone outside the system, who knows how it works, can change it,” Sasha recalls. That lesson became a foundation for RefugePoint, which Sasha officially launched later that year. Fueled by a small grant and a clear mission, RefugePoint began identifying refugees in Africa and later, around the world, for resettlement to the U.S. and elsewhere and supporting those overlooked by existing systems.
A refugee family in Burundi after the massacre, and in the U.S. after resettlement. Photos: Christophe Calais
The Gatumba massacre exposed the hard truth that traditional systems can fail to respond with the urgency required.
RefugePoint was founded to help fill that gap, responding quickly and creatively to support the most vulnerable refugees.
Since 2005, RefugePoint has helped more than 180,000 refugees access resettlement and other pathways to safety, and has assisted thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. We work with partners around the world to strengthen resettlement, self-reliance, family reunification, and labor mobility systems, ensuring that the lessons of Gatumba are never forgotten.
Related: Learn more about RefugePoint’s approach
Before and after resettlement: Alice and her daughter. Photos: Christophe Calais
Even today, too many refugees face danger, displacement, and systems that don’t move fast enough.
You can help:
“The arrival of 1,000 Gatumba survivors in the US was a clear lesson: anything is possible. You just have to figure out how to do it.” — Sasha Chanoff
At RefugePoint, that belief still drives us today. In remembering Gatumba, we recommit to building a world where all refugees can find safety, dignity, and opportunity.
On the night of August 13, 2004, 166 Congolese refugees, mostly women and children, were killed in a brutal attack on the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. Armed militants surrounded the camp, set shelters on fire, and opened fire on the sleeping residents. Additionally, 116 people were injured or permanently disabled.
The victims were Banyamulenge refugees, a Tutsi minority from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who had fled violence. Despite warnings that they felt unsafe so close to the border, the refugees were not relocated in time.
The massacre shocked the international community and exposed urgent gaps in refugee protection.
Cover Photo and Left: Sidera in Burundi following the Gatumba Camp massacre. Right: Sidera in her home after resettlement to the U.S. Photos: Christophe Calais
The Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL), a Burundian rebel group, claimed responsibility. The attack was condemned by the United Nations, African Union, and international human rights organizations. However, despite reopened investigations and survivor testimonies, no one has been held fully accountable for the massacre to this day.
For survivors, justice has been slow. But their story helped lay the groundwork for a new kind of response.
A refugee family in Burundi after the massacre, and in the U.S. after resettlement. Photos: Christophe Calais
When the massacre happened, Sasha Chanoff was in the process of founding RefugePoint. He began receiving desperate calls from refugees in the U.S. whose family members had been at the camp when it was attacked.
“They said things like, ‘My sister was killed and her children are orphaned.’ ‘My relatives who survived are now in hiding. The killers are searching for them. Please help.” – Sasha Chanoff
Recognizing that the only solution for them was resettlement, Sasha called colleagues at UNHCR and the U.S. State Department, traveled to Burundi, met with survivors, and drafted an emergency resettlement proposal. That proposal led to more than 1,000 Gatumba survivors being permanently resettled to the U.S.—a life-saving and lasting solution for families who had lost nearly everything.
“That was the moment I realized: even someone outside the system, who knows how it works, can change it,” Sasha recalls. That lesson became a foundation for RefugePoint, which Sasha officially launched later that year. Fueled by a small grant and a clear mission, RefugePoint began identifying refugees in Africa and later, around the world, for resettlement to the U.S. and elsewhere and supporting those overlooked by existing systems.
A refugee family in Burundi after the massacre, and in the U.S. after resettlement. Photos: Christophe Calais
The Gatumba massacre exposed the hard truth that traditional systems can fail to respond with the urgency required.
RefugePoint was founded to help fill that gap, responding quickly and creatively to support the most vulnerable refugees.
Since 2005, RefugePoint has helped more than 180,000 refugees access resettlement and other pathways to safety, and has assisted thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. We work with partners around the world to strengthen resettlement, self-reliance, family reunification, and labor mobility systems, ensuring that the lessons of Gatumba are never forgotten.
Related: Learn more about RefugePoint’s approach
Before and after resettlement: Alice and her daughter. Photos: Christophe Calais
Even today, too many refugees face danger, displacement, and systems that don’t move fast enough.
You can help:
“The arrival of 1,000 Gatumba survivors in the US was a clear lesson: anything is possible. You just have to figure out how to do it.” — Sasha Chanoff
At RefugePoint, that belief still drives us today. In remembering Gatumba, we recommit to building a world where all refugees can find safety, dignity, and opportunity.
Today, there are 43.4 million refugees in the world—more than at any other time in history. Most will be displaced for 10-25 years, often with little access to safety, education, livelihoods, or healthcare. At the same time, international funding for long-term refugee support is shrinking, and harmful narratives continue to fuel fear and misunderstanding.
RefugePoint’s work to create lasting solutions for refugees has never been more urgent. This October, as we commemorate 20 years of life-changing impact, we invite you to join us for our 20th Anniversary Gala: Finding Refuge Together on October 14, 2025, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
You may be wondering: Is now the right time to celebrate?
Given the global challenges facing refugee and immigrant communities—from reduced funding to anti-refugee rhetoric to rising needs—our answer is a resounding yes. This is not just the right time; it’s the necessary time.
Across the U.S. and globally, refugee resettlement programs are being defunded or dismantled, leaving countless individuals and families without access to critical support services. In this increasingly difficult landscape, RefugePoint remains committed to helping refugees not just survive, but thrive—by addressing their needs holistically and expanding programs like family reunification and labor mobility that will help them access pathways to safety.
At RefugePoint, our goal is to find long-term, permanent solutions. This work centers on two pillars of impact:
Since our founding in 2005, we’ve directly supported over 180,000 refugees to access pathways to safety, and thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. We have also helped shape global systems to ensure more refugees can access the solutions they deserve.
Our 20th Anniversary Gala is more than a celebration—it’s a solidarity gathering, a reflection of our values, and a catalyst for the future. Finding Refuge Together is:
We are honored to welcome Nobel Peace Laureate and human rights activist Nadia Murad as our keynote speaker. A survivor of genocide and advocate for survivors of sexual violence, Nadia’s voice reminds us why this work is so vital—and what is possible when we act with courage.
We will also honor two visionary women whose extraordinary commitment to refugee rights and humanitarian causes has shaped the world for the better:
The evening will feature inspiring stories of impact, performances that honor the richness and resilience of refugee cultures, and a community of changemakers committed to innovative solutions for refugees.
We know the road ahead will be challenging. But we also know the strength of our community. Together, we can meet this moment with boldness, generosity, and purpose.
Join us this October as we reflect on 20 years of impact—and recommit to the urgent work still to come. Visit www.findingrefugetogether.org for more information. Tickets go on sale June 10.
By Sarah Hidey, Chief Development Officer
Today, there are 43.4 million refugees in the world—more than at any other time in history. Most will be displaced for 10-25 years, often with little access to safety, education, livelihoods, or healthcare. At the same time, international funding for long-term refugee support is shrinking, and harmful narratives continue to fuel fear and misunderstanding.
RefugePoint’s work to create lasting solutions for refugees has never been more urgent. This October, as we commemorate 20 years of life-changing impact, we invite you to join us for our 20th Anniversary Gala: Finding Refuge Together on October 14, 2025, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
You may be wondering: Is now the right time to celebrate?
Given the global challenges facing refugee and immigrant communities—from reduced funding to anti-refugee rhetoric to rising needs—our answer is a resounding yes. This is not just the right time; it’s the necessary time.
Across the U.S. and globally, refugee resettlement programs are being defunded or dismantled, leaving countless individuals and families without access to critical support services. In this increasingly difficult landscape, RefugePoint remains committed to helping refugees not just survive, but thrive—by addressing their needs holistically and expanding programs like family reunification and labor mobility that will help them access pathways to safety.
At RefugePoint, our goal is to find long-term, permanent solutions. This work centers on two pillars of impact:
Since our founding in 2005, we’ve directly supported over 180,000 refugees to access pathways to safety, and thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. We have also helped shape global systems to ensure more refugees can access the solutions they deserve.
Our 20th Anniversary Gala is more than a celebration—it’s a solidarity gathering, a reflection of our values, and a catalyst for the future. Finding Refuge Together is:
We are honored to welcome Nobel Peace Laureate and human rights activist Nadia Murad as our keynote speaker. A survivor of genocide and advocate for survivors of sexual violence, Nadia’s voice reminds us why this work is so vital—and what is possible when we act with courage.
We will also honor two visionary women whose extraordinary commitment to refugee rights and humanitarian causes has shaped the world for the better:
The evening will feature inspiring stories of impact, performances that honor the richness and resilience of refugee cultures, and a community of changemakers committed to innovative solutions for refugees.
We know the road ahead will be challenging. But we also know the strength of our community. Together, we can meet this moment with boldness, generosity, and purpose.
Join us this October as we reflect on 20 years of impact—and recommit to the urgent work still to come. Visit www.findingrefugetogether.org for more information. Tickets go on sale June 10.
By Sarah Hidey, Chief Development Officer
Boat crossings to Europe from North Africa are attempted by tens of thousands of asylum seekers each year from across Africa and the Middle East. This is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world: the IOM reports that 2,452 lives were claimed in attempted boat crossings in 2024. Tunisia has consistently been one of the most common departure points, and the Tunisian coast guard intercepts hundreds of boats each year.
People fleeing wars and violence across the African continent make their way to Tunisia to attempt this dangerous crossing, including thousands of unaccompanied children. UNHCR estimates that 45,000 refugees and asylum seekers are in Tunisia, and as of March 2025, 10,683 were registered with UNHCR. Of this number, 1,890 are children.
In 2024, RefugePoint sent a Child Protection Expert named Aaron from Kenya to the UNHCR mission in the capital city of Tunisia. In November 2024, RefugePoint’s Manager of Philanthropic Partnerships, Jenna Hornsby, had the opportunity to visit Aaron and learn about his work.
Aaron: Almost all of the children who are here are unaccompanied. These are unaccompanied refugee children who have been registered, undergone asylum procedures, and some have been granted refugee status by UNHCR. And now UNHCR is trying to find solutions for these children through resettlement. So, for them to proceed with resettlement, we must conduct Best Interests Determination (BIDs).
Related: A Day in the Life: RefugePoint’s Child Protection Expert in Bangkok, Thailand
Aaron: Yes, the ideal situation is that if we have children who have families, let’s say in Europe or in countries that are safer, the best thing to do is family reunification. However, UNHCR needs to have certain agreements and mechanisms in place with the receiving government for this process or repatriation to be viable, which presents an impediment to some of these cases. They also need to be apprised of the security situation in such countries. Tunisia does not have any asylum or local integration framework, so the option available to most children we work with is resettlement.
Most of the cases in Tunisia are children from Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan or Cameroon. Before considering resettlement, we have safeguards to ensure that if they have family back in, let’s say, Cameroon or another country of origin, we seek to establish those relations. Legally, that’s the first option. But most are purely unaccompanied, and sometimes we cannot establish their families, because there are some countries where we cannot do tracing.
Aaron: What inspires me most is the kind of support the clients get in finding durable solutions and lasting solutions to most of their problems and the challenges they go through.
Aaron: I wake up, you know, like any other person. Then I prepare for the day based on the plans that I had the other day.
Before, when I worked in a refugee camp, I would wake up in the morning and then head straight up to the camp. In Tunis, the situation is quite different because most of the children here live in shelters. So we visit them.
At the office, I go through the BIDs that have been submitted. I work on strategies because we are trying to have a working child protection unit in Tunisia. So I am thinking through what we can really introduce that would make our work more feasible in terms of children accessing services. I then train our teams to implement them.
I also participate in BID review panels, which include case discussions with the government. The caseworker presents the case, and I make sure that we are doing the correct procedure in terms of the BID, having a proper review of the child’s best interests.
Aaron: There are 52 nationalities here – almost all of Africa. Mostly from Sudan. Also many from Eritrea, Cameroon, South Sudan, and Somalia.
Aaron: Yes, most of the kids that we respond to here want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Most of them have already tried and were rescued by the Tunisian coast guard.
I interviewed one child in the south with a very sad story – she said she was one of 117 people in one boat, and it capsized. She was one of only 17 that were rescued—the rest drowned.
There’s a highly connected smuggling network, and most of the children have made multiple journeys. Some come from Chad to Libya, and then Libya adopted restrictions, so they cross on foot to Algeria. And then from Algeria to Tunisia. The smugglers are charging around $8,000 USD, and if you cannot pay, you are put in a warehouse. Many of the girls are repeatedly raped.
Aaron: I will tell you a story from one of the three cases that I received, which were pending from 2021, which I was finally able to resolve.
The client was a boy of mixed nationality. He was born in West Africa to parents of different nationalities. But the mother passed away when he was seven or eight years old. She had told him he had a father, but that the father lived in another country. When the mother died, her friend called the child’s father to come and retrieve him. But when the child arrived in a new country with his father, his stepmother was not very receptive and didn’t want to take care of another child. So she didn’t let him play with her children and discriminated against him.
One day, they woke up, and she brought him out and handed him off to a man he didn’t know. She had arranged for him to be sold, and the man brought him and dropped him at the Tunisian border. This is how he came to live in Tunis.
The boy doesn’t remember the name of his father—he just calls him daddy—nor the stepmother. He does know the names of his half-siblings in Cameroon, but after their mother died, they were taken by their father. So he was just a boy alone in the world.
For me, this was one of the cases that made me feel like I really did something. I completed the BID process, so he is being considered for resettlement. Even if I leave Tunis today, I’ll just pray that he finds closure and support wherever he’s going. And that in the future, he’s going to remember where he’s come from, and he’s able to have an impact on other people. So, that’s what I hope, too.
Sometimes when we do case management or the BID procedures, I hope that the support this child is getting from Refuge Point and UNHCR, is going to reflect on his life going forward. That it will be these people who will, in the future, shape how assistance is provided to vulnerable people. He might offer a hand here and there. And I hope they remember one day. I’m sure they do.
Boat crossings to Europe from North Africa are attempted by tens of thousands of asylum seekers each year from across Africa and the Middle East. This is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world: the IOM reports that 2,452 lives were claimed in attempted boat crossings in 2024. Tunisia has consistently been one of the most common departure points, and the Tunisian coast guard intercepts hundreds of boats each year.
People fleeing wars and violence across the African continent make their way to Tunisia to attempt this dangerous crossing, including thousands of unaccompanied children. UNHCR estimates that 45,000 refugees and asylum seekers are in Tunisia, and as of March 2025, 10,683 were registered with UNHCR. Of this number, 1,890 are children.
In 2024, RefugePoint sent a Child Protection Expert named Aaron from Kenya to the UNHCR mission in the capital city of Tunisia. In November 2024, RefugePoint’s Manager of Philanthropic Partnerships, Jenna Hornsby, had the opportunity to visit Aaron and learn about his work.
Aaron: Almost all of the children who are here are unaccompanied. These are unaccompanied refugee children who have been registered, undergone asylum procedures, and some have been granted refugee status by UNHCR. And now UNHCR is trying to find solutions for these children through resettlement. So, for them to proceed with resettlement, we must conduct Best Interests Determination (BIDs).
Related: A Day in the Life: RefugePoint’s Child Protection Expert in Bangkok, Thailand
Aaron: Yes, the ideal situation is that if we have children who have families, let’s say in Europe or in countries that are safer, the best thing to do is family reunification. However, UNHCR needs to have certain agreements and mechanisms in place with the receiving government for this process or repatriation to be viable, which presents an impediment to some of these cases. They also need to be apprised of the security situation in such countries. Tunisia does not have any asylum or local integration framework, so the option available to most children we work with is resettlement.
Most of the cases in Tunisia are children from Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan or Cameroon. Before considering resettlement, we have safeguards to ensure that if they have family back in, let’s say, Cameroon or another country of origin, we seek to establish those relations. Legally, that’s the first option. But most are purely unaccompanied, and sometimes we cannot establish their families, because there are some countries where we cannot do tracing.
Aaron: What inspires me most is the kind of support the clients get in finding durable solutions and lasting solutions to most of their problems and the challenges they go through.
Aaron: I wake up, you know, like any other person. Then I prepare for the day based on the plans that I had the other day.
Before, when I worked in a refugee camp, I would wake up in the morning and then head straight up to the camp. In Tunis, the situation is quite different because most of the children here live in shelters. So we visit them.
At the office, I go through the BIDs that have been submitted. I work on strategies because we are trying to have a working child protection unit in Tunisia. So I am thinking through what we can really introduce that would make our work more feasible in terms of children accessing services. I then train our teams to implement them.
I also participate in BID review panels, which include case discussions with the government. The caseworker presents the case, and I make sure that we are doing the correct procedure in terms of the BID, having a proper review of the child’s best interests.
Aaron: There are 52 nationalities here – almost all of Africa. Mostly from Sudan. Also many from Eritrea, Cameroon, South Sudan, and Somalia.
Aaron: Yes, most of the kids that we respond to here want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Most of them have already tried and were rescued by the Tunisian coast guard.
I interviewed one child in the south with a very sad story – she said she was one of 117 people in one boat, and it capsized. She was one of only 17 that were rescued—the rest drowned.
There’s a highly connected smuggling network, and most of the children have made multiple journeys. Some come from Chad to Libya, and then Libya adopted restrictions, so they cross on foot to Algeria. And then from Algeria to Tunisia. The smugglers are charging around $8,000 USD, and if you cannot pay, you are put in a warehouse. Many of the girls are repeatedly raped.
Aaron: I will tell you a story from one of the three cases that I received, which were pending from 2021, which I was finally able to resolve.
The client was a boy of mixed nationality. He was born in West Africa to parents of different nationalities. But the mother passed away when he was seven or eight years old. She had told him he had a father, but that the father lived in another country. When the mother died, her friend called the child’s father to come and retrieve him. But when the child arrived in a new country with his father, his stepmother was not very receptive and didn’t want to take care of another child. So she didn’t let him play with her children and discriminated against him.
One day, they woke up, and she brought him out and handed him off to a man he didn’t know. She had arranged for him to be sold, and the man brought him and dropped him at the Tunisian border. This is how he came to live in Tunis.
The boy doesn’t remember the name of his father—he just calls him daddy—nor the stepmother. He does know the names of his half-siblings in Cameroon, but after their mother died, they were taken by their father. So he was just a boy alone in the world.
For me, this was one of the cases that made me feel like I really did something. I completed the BID process, so he is being considered for resettlement. Even if I leave Tunis today, I’ll just pray that he finds closure and support wherever he’s going. And that in the future, he’s going to remember where he’s come from, and he’s able to have an impact on other people. So, that’s what I hope, too.
Sometimes when we do case management or the BID procedures, I hope that the support this child is getting from Refuge Point and UNHCR, is going to reflect on his life going forward. That it will be these people who will, in the future, shape how assistance is provided to vulnerable people. He might offer a hand here and there. And I hope they remember one day. I’m sure they do.
RefugePoint was founded in 2005 in response to critical and chronic gaps plaguing the international response to refugees.
While addressing the urgent needs of individuals and families has always been a priority, the greater goal is to fix the systemic failures that cause refugees to ‘fall through the cracks’ in the first place, leaving them without the services and solutions they need.
In other words, RefugePoint has had “systems change” in its sights from the very start, to make solutions for refugees more widely and equitably available. To that end, it deploys its unique blend of staff expertise, private funding, influence with decision-makers, programmatic innovations, convening power, and support for peer organizations and the sector at large to tackle some of the most salient systemic problems it has identified in its 20-year history.
A recent externally-led evaluation that RefugePoint commissioned and participated in last year found that over the past two decades, RefugePoint has achieved considerable success in contributing to systems change. The evaluation found that the levers of change RefugePoint has used most often and effectively are:
The evaluation further found that most of RefugePoint’s systems change impact came through collaboration, playing the role of a lead contributor or primary actor among a group of partners in launching and/or propelling the effort.
The table below summarizes the specific gaps and problems that RefugePoint has identified and the impact the agency had in its response. Evaluation briefs linked provide more detail on each example. All of these systems change accomplishments add up to more equitable access to solutions for refugees. While recent political shifts severely challenge these systems, RefugePoint will continue to use its unique assets to nimbly respond to new realities and needs, always with a view toward improving the systems and policies that affect refugees.
Please reach out to the RefugePoint MEL team with any questions or comments at MEL@refugepoint.org.
Systemic Problems Identified |
RefugePoint’s Impacts |
|
Too few refugees had access to permanent resettlement opportunities. Lack of referral capacity left slots unfilled and vulnerable groups unreached. |
RefugePoint has expanded equitable access to resettlement globally by normalizing a role for NGOs in referring refugees, both independently and through deployments to UNHCR. RefugePoint has organized, trained and supported other NGOs, opening doors for them to join this effort. (See volumes 1, 2, and 3) |
|
Unaccompanied refugee minors require a time-consuming ‘Best Interest Determination’ in order to access resettlement. Capacity was lacking, leaving vulnerable children without solutions. |
RefugePoint has expanded global capacity for conducting Best Interest Determinations, enabling many more vulnerable minors to be resettled and normalizing a role for NGOs in this process. (See volume 4) |
|
Refugees in host countries were often provided with the minimal means of survival but without the support to realize their potential and improve their lives. |
RefugePoint developed a unique, holistic approach to facilitating the self-reliance of refugees that is changing mindsets in the sector. (See volume 5) RefugePoint used the learning from its programs to build and influence a global movement to advance refugee self-reliance, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative. (See volume 6) |
|
Refugees are often the subjects of top-down approaches and are excluded from the decisions that affect their lives. |
RefugePoint has invested in shifting power dynamics and strengthening the participation of refugees and the role of Refugee-Led Organizations globally. (See volume 7) |
| Refugees are typically excluded from the social safety nets of their host countries, often leaving them without access to basic health care. |
RefugePoint secured the inclusion of refugees in Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund—a breakthrough that is now held as a best practice in the field. (See volume 8) |
RefugePoint was founded in 2005 in response to critical and chronic gaps plaguing the international response to refugees.
While addressing the urgent needs of individuals and families has always been a priority, the greater goal is to fix the systemic failures that cause refugees to ‘fall through the cracks’ in the first place, leaving them without the services and solutions they need.
In other words, RefugePoint has had “systems change” in its sights from the very start, to make solutions for refugees more widely and equitably available. To that end, it deploys its unique blend of staff expertise, private funding, influence with decision-makers, programmatic innovations, convening power, and support for peer organizations and the sector at large to tackle some of the most salient systemic problems it has identified in its 20-year history.
A recent externally-led evaluation that RefugePoint commissioned and participated in last year found that over the past two decades, RefugePoint has achieved considerable success in contributing to systems change. The evaluation found that the levers of change RefugePoint has used most often and effectively are:
The evaluation further found that most of RefugePoint’s systems change impact came through collaboration, playing the role of a lead contributor or primary actor among a group of partners in launching and/or propelling the effort.
The table below summarizes the specific gaps and problems that RefugePoint has identified and the impact the agency had in its response. Evaluation briefs linked provide more detail on each example. All of these systems change accomplishments add up to more equitable access to solutions for refugees. While recent political shifts severely challenge these systems, RefugePoint will continue to use its unique assets to nimbly respond to new realities and needs, always with a view toward improving the systems and policies that affect refugees.
Please reach out to the RefugePoint MEL team with any questions or comments at MEL@refugepoint.org.
Systemic Problems Identified |
RefugePoint’s Impacts |
|
Too few refugees had access to permanent resettlement opportunities. Lack of referral capacity left slots unfilled and vulnerable groups unreached. |
RefugePoint has expanded equitable access to resettlement globally by normalizing a role for NGOs in referring refugees, both independently and through deployments to UNHCR. RefugePoint has organized, trained and supported other NGOs, opening doors for them to join this effort. (See volumes 1, 2, and 3) |
|
Unaccompanied refugee minors require a time-consuming ‘Best Interest Determination’ in order to access resettlement. Capacity was lacking, leaving vulnerable children without solutions. |
RefugePoint has expanded global capacity for conducting Best Interest Determinations, enabling many more vulnerable minors to be resettled and normalizing a role for NGOs in this process. (See volume 4) |
|
Refugees in host countries were often provided with the minimal means of survival but without the support to realize their potential and improve their lives. |
RefugePoint developed a unique, holistic approach to facilitating the self-reliance of refugees that is changing mindsets in the sector. (See volume 5) RefugePoint used the learning from its programs to build and influence a global movement to advance refugee self-reliance, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative. (See volume 6) |
|
Refugees are often the subjects of top-down approaches and are excluded from the decisions that affect their lives. |
RefugePoint has invested in shifting power dynamics and strengthening the participation of refugees and the role of Refugee-Led Organizations globally. (See volume 7) |
| Refugees are typically excluded from the social safety nets of their host countries, often leaving them without access to basic health care. |
RefugePoint secured the inclusion of refugees in Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund—a breakthrough that is now held as a best practice in the field. (See volume 8) |
Join us at RefugePoint’s 20th Anniversary Gala on Tuesday, October 14. Tickets are now on sale!
