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Chris Jensen

Can Refugees Return Home? A Syrian Father’s Story of Voluntary Repatriation and Family Reunification

| September 3, 2025
Understanding voluntary repatriation as a durable solution for refugees and RefugePoint’s role in safe returns to Syria

What Is Voluntary Return for Refugees?

Voluntary return, also known as voluntary repatriation, involves refugees returning in safety and dignity to their country of origin. This durable solution is considered the preferred option whenever conditions in the country of origin allow for return.

Unfortunately, voluntary return is challenging in many contexts and elusive for many refugees. However, for Syrian refugees specifically, recent political changes have opened new pathways for return that were previously impossible. UNHCR estimates more than 1.4 million Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, marking a significant shift in displacement patterns.

The Three Durable Solutions for Refugees

The international community recognizes three primary durable solutions for refugees, each addressing different circumstances and possibilities:

1. Voluntary Repatriation

Going home is what millions of people around the world dream of, but often cannot do. This solution requires that conditions in the home country have improved sufficiently to ensure returning refugees can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

2. Local Integration

Local integration allows refugees to legally, economically, and socially integrate in the host country, availing themselves of the national protection of the host government. This solution enables refugees to establish permanent roots in their host communities.

3. Resettlement to Third Countries

Resettlement enables refugees to relocate to a new country, where they can obtain legal status, receive international protection, and eventually secure permanent residence. This solution typically serves the most at-risk refugees who cannot safely return home or integrate locally. Other visa pathways, such as family reunification and labor mobility, may also lead to a durable solution.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of refugees are unable to achieve one of these durable solutions. In 2024, just 4.4 percent of refugees found a durable solution, and 67 percent were living in protracted situations of five years or more. RefugePoint is working to expand access to these solutions for refugees around the world.

RefugePoint’s Voluntary Return Monitoring in Türkiye

RefugePoint works on monitoring voluntary returns through a partnership with UNHCR. Our staff document the aspirations and experiences of returning families. In the second quarter of 2025, RefugePoint experts in Türkiye conducted comprehensive interviews with 230 Syrian families, totaling 566 individuals. Notably, 273 of these returning refugees (48 percent) were children, highlighting the significant impact of return decisions on younger generations.

Many of these families had been displaced in Türkiye for over a decade. Several children born in Türkiye were experiencing their first journey to Syria. The families were eager to return home following political changes in Syria that made it possible.

One Father’s Family Reunification

Among the many stories shared by refugees returning to Syria, one stood out: a story of resilience, hope, and family unity. A 28-year-old father arrived at the Türkiye side of the border gate with his two young children, ready to return to Syria. He was reuniting with his wife, who had been deported by the Türkish Migration Authority to Syria in August 2024 due to legal registration issues. On the day he and his children returned, she anxiously waited on the Syrian side to welcome them home.

For months, the father had balanced the demanding roles of caregiver and breadwinner in Türkiye, navigating the challenges of single parenthood while supporting his family. Despite the hardships, he remained steadfast in his commitment and hope for reunification with his wife.

The voluntary return process provided a clear path forward. His journey exemplifies the power of family unity and the human spirit’s perseverance amid adversity.

As he crossed the border, he expressed joy and relief, saying he was truly excited to return home and raise his children together with his wife. His return marked not just a physical journey but the start of a new chapter for him and his family.

A RefugePoint Child Protection Expert at the Karkamiş Border Gate in Kilis Province, Türkiye after the young father was able to voluntarily rerturn to Syria.

Challenges in Voluntary Return Implementation

While voluntary return represents an important durable solution, significant challenges persist:

Documentation and Legal Status: Many refugees face complications related to legal registration, identity documents, and administrative procedures that can complicate return processes.

Safety Assessments: Determining when conditions are sufficient for safe return requires ongoing monitoring and evaluation of political, security, and economic factors in countries of origin.

Reintegration Support: Successful voluntary return extends beyond border crossing to include access to housing, employment, education, and social services in home communities.

Family Separation: As demonstrated in RefugePoint’s monitoring, deportations and forced separations can create complex scenarios requiring careful case management.

The Need for Durable Solutions

The Syrian situation exists within a broader global displacement crisis. By the end of 2024, there were 42.7 million refugees globally, with 69 percent originating from just five countries (Syria being the second).

RefugePoint supports refugees as they seek to live lives of dignity and self-reliance where they are. For those who cannot remain safely in their host communities and also cannot return home, we provide casework support to help them access lasting solutions such as resettlement, labor mobility, family reunification, and, when possible, voluntary repatriation. In 2024, we helped more refugees access these life-changing pathways than ever before. Since 2005, RefugePoint staff have supported 184,719 people to access lasting solutions.

Moving Forward: The Importance of Monitoring and Support

Monitoring voluntary returns serves several critical functions. It documents the experiences of returning refugees, identifies challenges in return processes, and provides evidence for policy and program improvements.

This father’s reunion with his family demonstrates that when proper frameworks and political conditions align, voluntary return can offer meaningful solutions for families seeking to rebuild their lives.

As conditions evolve in Syria and other contexts globally, organizations like UNHCR, RefugePoint, and other NGOs play essential roles in responding to emerging needs and opportunities and contributing to evidence-based approaches to durable solutions. Each documented return provides insights for improving future programs and supporting families seeking safe, sustainable, and voluntary return.

To learn more about our work to increase pathways to safety for refugees, click here.

Understanding voluntary repatriation as a durable solution for refugees and RefugePoint’s role in safe returns to Syria

What Is Voluntary Return for Refugees?

Voluntary return, also known as voluntary repatriation, involves refugees returning in safety and dignity to their country of origin. This durable solution is considered the preferred option whenever conditions in the country of origin allow for return.

Unfortunately, voluntary return is challenging in many contexts and elusive for many refugees. However, for Syrian refugees specifically, recent political changes have opened new pathways for return that were previously impossible. UNHCR estimates more than 1.4 million Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, marking a significant shift in displacement patterns.

The Three Durable Solutions for Refugees

The international community recognizes three primary durable solutions for refugees, each addressing different circumstances and possibilities:

1. Voluntary Repatriation

Going home is what millions of people around the world dream of, but often cannot do. This solution requires that conditions in the home country have improved sufficiently to ensure returning refugees can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

2. Local Integration

Local integration allows refugees to legally, economically, and socially integrate in the host country, availing themselves of the national protection of the host government. This solution enables refugees to establish permanent roots in their host communities.

3. Resettlement to Third Countries

Resettlement enables refugees to relocate to a new country, where they can obtain legal status, receive international protection, and eventually secure permanent residence. This solution typically serves the most at-risk refugees who cannot safely return home or integrate locally. Other visa pathways, such as family reunification and labor mobility, may also lead to a durable solution.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of refugees are unable to achieve one of these durable solutions. In 2024, just 4.4 percent of refugees found a durable solution, and 67 percent were living in protracted situations of five years or more. RefugePoint is working to expand access to these solutions for refugees around the world.

RefugePoint’s Voluntary Return Monitoring in Türkiye

RefugePoint works on monitoring voluntary returns through a partnership with UNHCR. Our staff document the aspirations and experiences of returning families. In the second quarter of 2025, RefugePoint experts in Türkiye conducted comprehensive interviews with 230 Syrian families, totaling 566 individuals. Notably, 273 of these returning refugees (48 percent) were children, highlighting the significant impact of return decisions on younger generations.

Many of these families had been displaced in Türkiye for over a decade. Several children born in Türkiye were experiencing their first journey to Syria. The families were eager to return home following political changes in Syria that made it possible.

One Father’s Family Reunification

Among the many stories shared by refugees returning to Syria, one stood out: a story of resilience, hope, and family unity. A 28-year-old father arrived at the Türkiye side of the border gate with his two young children, ready to return to Syria. He was reuniting with his wife, who had been deported by the Türkish Migration Authority to Syria in August 2024 due to legal registration issues. On the day he and his children returned, she anxiously waited on the Syrian side to welcome them home.

For months, the father had balanced the demanding roles of caregiver and breadwinner in Türkiye, navigating the challenges of single parenthood while supporting his family. Despite the hardships, he remained steadfast in his commitment and hope for reunification with his wife.

The voluntary return process provided a clear path forward. His journey exemplifies the power of family unity and the human spirit’s perseverance amid adversity.

As he crossed the border, he expressed joy and relief, saying he was truly excited to return home and raise his children together with his wife. His return marked not just a physical journey but the start of a new chapter for him and his family.

A RefugePoint Child Protection Expert at the Karkamiş Border Gate in Kilis Province, Türkiye after the young father was able to voluntarily rerturn to Syria.

Challenges in Voluntary Return Implementation

While voluntary return represents an important durable solution, significant challenges persist:

Documentation and Legal Status: Many refugees face complications related to legal registration, identity documents, and administrative procedures that can complicate return processes.

Safety Assessments: Determining when conditions are sufficient for safe return requires ongoing monitoring and evaluation of political, security, and economic factors in countries of origin.

Reintegration Support: Successful voluntary return extends beyond border crossing to include access to housing, employment, education, and social services in home communities.

Family Separation: As demonstrated in RefugePoint’s monitoring, deportations and forced separations can create complex scenarios requiring careful case management.

The Need for Durable Solutions

The Syrian situation exists within a broader global displacement crisis. By the end of 2024, there were 42.7 million refugees globally, with 69 percent originating from just five countries (Syria being the second).

RefugePoint supports refugees as they seek to live lives of dignity and self-reliance where they are. For those who cannot remain safely in their host communities and also cannot return home, we provide casework support to help them access lasting solutions such as resettlement, labor mobility, family reunification, and, when possible, voluntary repatriation. In 2024, we helped more refugees access these life-changing pathways than ever before. Since 2005, RefugePoint staff have supported 184,719 people to access lasting solutions.

Moving Forward: The Importance of Monitoring and Support

Monitoring voluntary returns serves several critical functions. It documents the experiences of returning refugees, identifies challenges in return processes, and provides evidence for policy and program improvements.

This father’s reunion with his family demonstrates that when proper frameworks and political conditions align, voluntary return can offer meaningful solutions for families seeking to rebuild their lives.

As conditions evolve in Syria and other contexts globally, organizations like UNHCR, RefugePoint, and other NGOs play essential roles in responding to emerging needs and opportunities and contributing to evidence-based approaches to durable solutions. Each documented return provides insights for improving future programs and supporting families seeking safe, sustainable, and voluntary return.

To learn more about our work to increase pathways to safety for refugees, click here.

Mangok: A Family Reunited

| September 3, 2025

At just ten years old, Mangok was forced to flee his home in South Sudan due to violence and was separated from his family amongst the chaos. After years of unimaginable hardship and rebuilding his life in the U.S., tragedy struck again—his brother and sister-in-law were killed, and their young children were kidnapped.

Determined to reunite with his family, Mangok embarked on a nearly decade-long journey filled with heartbreak and hope to find his nieces and nephews, supported by RefugePoint.

In 1987, at ten years old, Mangok was forced to flee his home in South Sudan and became separated from his parents during a militia attack. He became one of the 20,000+ “Lost Boys,” walking hundreds of miles to safety.

After surviving 13 years in refugee camps, Mangok was resettled to the U.S. in 2001, where he rebuilt his life, earned multiple degrees, and started a career at Brandeis University.

But in 2014, tragedy struck again. A raid on his village claimed the lives of his brother and sister-in-law, and four of their seven children—Mangok’s nieces and nephews—were kidnapped.

Despite impossible odds, Mangok flew to South Sudan to find them. With help from RefugePoint and others, he located three of the children but faced a long, grueling process to reunite them.

In 2021, Mangok’s niece, Ajoh, and three nephews, Thon, Magot, and Makuei, were connected with RefugePoint in Nairobi, Kenya. Our resettlement team worked closely with them, guiding them through the U.S. resettlement process. After thorough interviews, assessments, and advocacy, the children received life-changing news in October 2023: their resettlement application was approved!

This September, Mangok was finally reunited with his family in Boston.

Today, his nieces and nephews are thriving, surrounded by opportunities to rebuild their lives. Yet, countless families like Mangok’s remain separated, waiting for their chance to reunite.

At any given time, RefugePoint’s Resettlement Experts are helping refugees in over 35 countries, giving thousands the opportunity to find safety and rebuild. Your support makes this work possible.

At just ten years old, Mangok was forced to flee his home in South Sudan due to violence and was separated from his family amongst the chaos. After years of unimaginable hardship and rebuilding his life in the U.S., tragedy struck again—his brother and sister-in-law were killed, and their young children were kidnapped.

Determined to reunite with his family, Mangok embarked on a nearly decade-long journey filled with heartbreak and hope to find his nieces and nephews, supported by RefugePoint.

In 1987, at ten years old, Mangok was forced to flee his home in South Sudan and became separated from his parents during a militia attack. He became one of the 20,000+ “Lost Boys,” walking hundreds of miles to safety.

After surviving 13 years in refugee camps, Mangok was resettled to the U.S. in 2001, where he rebuilt his life, earned multiple degrees, and started a career at Brandeis University.

But in 2014, tragedy struck again. A raid on his village claimed the lives of his brother and sister-in-law, and four of their seven children—Mangok’s nieces and nephews—were kidnapped.

Despite impossible odds, Mangok flew to South Sudan to find them. With help from RefugePoint and others, he located three of the children but faced a long, grueling process to reunite them.

In 2021, Mangok’s niece, Ajoh, and three nephews, Thon, Magot, and Makuei, were connected with RefugePoint in Nairobi, Kenya. Our resettlement team worked closely with them, guiding them through the U.S. resettlement process. After thorough interviews, assessments, and advocacy, the children received life-changing news in October 2023: their resettlement application was approved!

This September, Mangok was finally reunited with his family in Boston.

Today, his nieces and nephews are thriving, surrounded by opportunities to rebuild their lives. Yet, countless families like Mangok’s remain separated, waiting for their chance to reunite.

At any given time, RefugePoint’s Resettlement Experts are helping refugees in over 35 countries, giving thousands the opportunity to find safety and rebuild. Your support makes this work possible.

Jeanne

| September 3, 2025

My name is Jeanne, and I’m a widow. I’m a mother of five children, two boys and three girls. I’m a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Back in my home country, I was a farmer, and I also took care of my children. My husband reared livestock; we were all well because we had enough land for farming and cattle for our family.

I left my home country because of the war. We were attacked at night and had to escape. As we headed out, my husband told me to go ahead with the children. He went back to check on our cattle so that the attackers would not take them. Unfortunately, he never came back. I was informed by my fellow refugees that he was attacked and killed on the spot.

We kept moving from one place to another, and sometimes we would even return to our village when things were calm. After my husband was killed, I left my home village for Uvira, and then we proceeded to Nairobi. When I came to Nairobi for the first time, life was not easy because I had lost my husband, who was my family’s breadwinner. Upon arrival, I spent a few days in a church.

After staying there for a while, a woman who lived next to the church approached me and suggested that I join her in the market, where she was working. She had seen me struggling to support my family and offered to help. Together, we purchased food items for sale in the market and shared the same stall. We would each contribute to paying the monthly rent for the stall.

Unfortunately, I fell ill and was unable to continue with my work. During that period, I sought help from RefugePoint. By God’s grace, I was considered, and that’s when I started receiving help from RefugePoint.

Before I met RefugePoint, my life was so hard because I could not provide all of my children’s needs; I could not pay my house rent for three months. RefugePoint assisted our family with food for nine months, house rent for six months, and providing bedding for my children.

RefugePoint also trained me in running a business, and I was given a grant to start my own business. Immediately after I received the money, I started a business selling vitenge (African fabric) and soaps. I rented my own house, which was hard before, and I can now provide for my children’s needs.

I thank RefugePoint for their assistance to my family. I advise my fellow refugees to work hard with determination so that they may depend on themselves.

I’m now working for myself, selling vitenge and soaps on the street. One of the challenges I’m facing is that my clients want to know where my shop is located so that, in the future, they may not struggle to find me.

I usually provide my clients with my contact information so that when someone wants to purchase goods, they can call me, and I will deliver according to their requests. One thing that gives me joy is remembering where I was and where I am today. Back then, I couldn’t wake up without worrying about what I would feed my children, but nowadays, my children get food on time with little struggle.

Before the business training, I didn’t know how to separate capital, interest, expenses, and savings. I used to mix all my money, and in the end, I couldn’t tell if I was earning a profit or not. However, after the training, I can evaluate my business and even determine if it is doing well or not. Above all, as I have mentioned, I can manage my money effectively. I understand the importance of savings, and my records can track my progress.

According to my understanding, self-reliance means working hard until I can depend on myself and provide for my family. Before I met RefugePoint, I was unable to pay my house rent on time due to the challenges mentioned above. Several times, my house was locked because I lacked money, and my children would spend nights without food to eat. Now I can take my children to school; one of them attends boarding school, while the others attend day school.

What makes me happy is that I have food to feed my children, my family will never lack house rent, and I can pay school fees for my children. This gives me the courage to work hard. My hope for tomorrow is to own a shop so that people can find me without struggle.

My name is Jeanne, and I’m a widow. I’m a mother of five children, two boys and three girls. I’m a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Back in my home country, I was a farmer, and I also took care of my children. My husband reared livestock; we were all well because we had enough land for farming and cattle for our family.

I left my home country because of the war. We were attacked at night and had to escape. As we headed out, my husband told me to go ahead with the children. He went back to check on our cattle so that the attackers would not take them. Unfortunately, he never came back. I was informed by my fellow refugees that he was attacked and killed on the spot.

We kept moving from one place to another, and sometimes we would even return to our village when things were calm. After my husband was killed, I left my home village for Uvira, and then we proceeded to Nairobi. When I came to Nairobi for the first time, life was not easy because I had lost my husband, who was my family’s breadwinner. Upon arrival, I spent a few days in a church.

After staying there for a while, a woman who lived next to the church approached me and suggested that I join her in the market, where she was working. She had seen me struggling to support my family and offered to help. Together, we purchased food items for sale in the market and shared the same stall. We would each contribute to paying the monthly rent for the stall.

Unfortunately, I fell ill and was unable to continue with my work. During that period, I sought help from RefugePoint. By God’s grace, I was considered, and that’s when I started receiving help from RefugePoint.

Before I met RefugePoint, my life was so hard because I could not provide all of my children’s needs; I could not pay my house rent for three months. RefugePoint assisted our family with food for nine months, house rent for six months, and providing bedding for my children.

RefugePoint also trained me in running a business, and I was given a grant to start my own business. Immediately after I received the money, I started a business selling vitenge (African fabric) and soaps. I rented my own house, which was hard before, and I can now provide for my children’s needs.

I thank RefugePoint for their assistance to my family. I advise my fellow refugees to work hard with determination so that they may depend on themselves.

I’m now working for myself, selling vitenge and soaps on the street. One of the challenges I’m facing is that my clients want to know where my shop is located so that, in the future, they may not struggle to find me.

I usually provide my clients with my contact information so that when someone wants to purchase goods, they can call me, and I will deliver according to their requests. One thing that gives me joy is remembering where I was and where I am today. Back then, I couldn’t wake up without worrying about what I would feed my children, but nowadays, my children get food on time with little struggle.

Before the business training, I didn’t know how to separate capital, interest, expenses, and savings. I used to mix all my money, and in the end, I couldn’t tell if I was earning a profit or not. However, after the training, I can evaluate my business and even determine if it is doing well or not. Above all, as I have mentioned, I can manage my money effectively. I understand the importance of savings, and my records can track my progress.

According to my understanding, self-reliance means working hard until I can depend on myself and provide for my family. Before I met RefugePoint, I was unable to pay my house rent on time due to the challenges mentioned above. Several times, my house was locked because I lacked money, and my children would spend nights without food to eat. Now I can take my children to school; one of them attends boarding school, while the others attend day school.

What makes me happy is that I have food to feed my children, my family will never lack house rent, and I can pay school fees for my children. This gives me the courage to work hard. My hope for tomorrow is to own a shop so that people can find me without struggle.

Kavira

| August 20, 2025
Kavira and family

Just a few years ago, Kavira was fleeing for her life.

In Congo, running a business made her a target. “When you sell today, and they see you bringing food home, that night they visit your home, and if you are lucky, they can leave you alive, or if unlucky, they kill you.”

She fled with her children to Kenya, where they moved through refugee camps and reunited with her brother before settling in Nairobi. There, grief and illness followed—her brother died, and Kavira’s health collapsed.

While seeking medicine at a Nairobi hospital, Kavira met Anne-Marie, a former Community Navigator with RefugePoint. “She told me about RefugePoint and how they give medicine to sick refugees and how they could assist me,” Kavira said.

Anne-Marie followed up, and soon RefugePoint’s medical team visited Kavira at home. “They found me sleeping… My children would come home for lunch to give me medicine and porridge, then put me back to bed.”

Following that first visit, Kavira received medical care, food and rent assistance, and counseling. As her health stabilized, she also received a grant to restart her business.

“I was supported through that process until I felt hope in my life… RefugePoint stood with me as a parent does for a child. They never got tired of me.”

In October 2023, Kavira and her children began a new chapter: they were resettled to Canada.

Kavira’s health is now stable; the children are enrolled in school and activities, and they’ve found community. Neighbors check in regularly, offer rides, and local kids stop by to see if her children can come out and play.

“It’s a huge difference,” Kavira reflected. “Life in Nairobi was far from ideal. It was difficult to get an education, food, and a decent way of life. We lived in one room, a whole family. It was a life of survival. But I see a great difference in how life is here. I am very thankful. Truly, I have hope for tomorrow.”

Her children are hopeful, too. Rachel, now in high school, dreams of medical school. Paul loves math and wants to be an engineer. Daniel is thrilled to have his own bike—which he recently learned how to ride— and neighborhood friends to play with.

Refugees like Kavira are doing everything they can to rebuild their lives—but rebuilding takes more than determination. It takes community.

Your support helps ensure our programs are there when and where they’re needed most. Support refugees like Kavira today.

Kavira and family

Just a few years ago, Kavira was fleeing for her life.

In Congo, running a business made her a target. “When you sell today, and they see you bringing food home, that night they visit your home, and if you are lucky, they can leave you alive, or if unlucky, they kill you.”

She fled with her children to Kenya, where they moved through refugee camps and reunited with her brother before settling in Nairobi. There, grief and illness followed—her brother died, and Kavira’s health collapsed.

While seeking medicine at a Nairobi hospital, Kavira met Anne-Marie, a former Community Navigator with RefugePoint. “She told me about RefugePoint and how they give medicine to sick refugees and how they could assist me,” Kavira said.

Anne-Marie followed up, and soon RefugePoint’s medical team visited Kavira at home. “They found me sleeping… My children would come home for lunch to give me medicine and porridge, then put me back to bed.”

Following that first visit, Kavira received medical care, food and rent assistance, and counseling. As her health stabilized, she also received a grant to restart her business.

“I was supported through that process until I felt hope in my life… RefugePoint stood with me as a parent does for a child. They never got tired of me.”

In October 2023, Kavira and her children began a new chapter: they were resettled to Canada.

Kavira’s health is now stable; the children are enrolled in school and activities, and they’ve found community. Neighbors check in regularly, offer rides, and local kids stop by to see if her children can come out and play.

“It’s a huge difference,” Kavira reflected. “Life in Nairobi was far from ideal. It was difficult to get an education, food, and a decent way of life. We lived in one room, a whole family. It was a life of survival. But I see a great difference in how life is here. I am very thankful. Truly, I have hope for tomorrow.”

Her children are hopeful, too. Rachel, now in high school, dreams of medical school. Paul loves math and wants to be an engineer. Daniel is thrilled to have his own bike—which he recently learned how to ride— and neighborhood friends to play with.

Refugees like Kavira are doing everything they can to rebuild their lives—but rebuilding takes more than determination. It takes community.

Your support helps ensure our programs are there when and where they’re needed most. Support refugees like Kavira today.

Hope and Innovation Amid Global Setbacks: The Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways 2025

| July 14, 2025

Last month, RefugePoint joined hundreds of our partner organizations at the Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP), held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. Along with UNHCR, this year’s event was hosted by the government of Spain and its national NGO partner Accem, who deserve credit for the leadership they have shown during a challenging time.
 

Diminishing Global Support for Resettlement

This year’s consultations were set against a troubling backdrop for third country solutions for refugees, as multiple governments have cut funding and quotas for refugee resettlement and other pathways.

In 2024, 116,000 refugees were resettled to 21 destination countries, and 203,000 new resettlement submissions were made to 23 resettlement countries from 90 host countries globally. These numbers are expected to fall dramatically in 2025, with an estimated 17,000 refugees to be resettled to 21 destination countries and 30,000 new submissions to 18 resettlement countries from just 66 host countries.

After the first Trump administration began dismantling refugee resettlement in 2017, it took several years for the global resettlement system to recover. By 2024, it had finally returned to health. However, the second Trump administration has moved more aggressively, and unlike last time, few if any other states are stepping in to fill the gap. It is unlikely that resettlement numbers will rise again in the foreseeable future.
 

Adapting Through Partnership and Innovation

Still, RefugePoint and our partners are not resigned. We are working together—including with UNHCR, HIAS, and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), our partners in the Equitable Resettlement Access Consortium (ERAC)—to adapt our programming to ensure that those refugees who need resettlement the most continue to access it. This includes a likely expansion of the role NGOs play in identifying refugees in need of resettlement and making referrals to UNHCR and destination countries—a strategic objective RefugePoint has had since our founding twenty years ago.

Through ERAC, we have developed tools and systems to support local NGO partners in key global locations to identify and refer refugees, and we look forward to building on this foundation.

 

Speakers and attendees at the “Pre-departure prep: making the most of waiting” breakout session on the second day of the 2025 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. Jennifer Wilson, RefugePoint’s Director of Third Country Solutions, presenting during the session. Photo: UNHCR

 

Elevating Refugee Leadership and Expanding Pathways

There were other bright spots at the CRCP, including high-level engagement and participation from speakers with lived experience of forced displacement, made possible through funding support by RefugePoint and partners.

The consultations also highlighted our work on skills-based complementary pathways, such as labor mobility and family reunification. Our recent investments in direct case support and collaboration with local partners in host countries were recognized by UNHCR as necessary and promising developments in an increasingly constrained space for third country solutions.

 

Leading on Family Reunification Through the FRUN

As the Secretariat of the Global Family Reunification Network (FRUN) and a founding member of its Advisory Group (AG), RefugePoint conceptualized and co-organized three sessions focused on family reunification:

  • One on pro bono legal support for partners working on third country solutions, whether through casework, legal research, or administrative governance;
  • One on incorporating the principle of family unity into all third country solutions, to avoid or quickly resolve family separation;
  • And one on improving monitoring and evaluation of outcomes in sponsorship and family reunification, with a focus on refugee-led research.

The Global Family Reunification Network Advisory Group also presented a soft launch of its first annual multistakeholder pledge report, showing that pledge partners have built a strong foundation for their activities. We have good reason to believe we are on track to meet—or come close to meeting—our goal of helping one million refugees reunite with their families by 2030. Next year’s data will provide even deeper insights into our shared progress.

 

Live animation during the “Securing Solutions over time: 30 years of the CRCP and beyond” plenary session on the opening day of the 2025 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. Photo: UNHCR

 

Preparing Refugees During the Waiting Period

RefugePoint also co-led a session titled “Making the Most of Waiting,” alongside colleagues from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the CRCP Refugee Advisory Group. As the name suggests, the session explored ways to use the waiting period during immigration processes for cultural orientation and other preparatory activities that support settlement and integration.

The discussion generated rich dialogue on mental health support, expectation management, mentoring partnerships, language acquisition, and other essential skills.
 

Connecting Self-Reliance to Third Country Solutions

Finally, RefugePoint is at the center of emerging workstreams linking refugee self-reliance in host countries to access to third country solutions, particularly skills-based pathways.

The closing plenary session featured both RefugePoint and the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative—a strategic initiative of RefugePoint—and highlighted how our diverse programming forms a mutually reinforcing approach to supporting refugees in their pursuit of lasting solutions.

 

Jennifer Wilson, RefugePoint Director of Third Country Solutions, Mediatrix Akinyi Onyango, RefugePoint Deployment Program Coordinator, Stellah Nikuze, HODARI Foundation, Kari Diener, Executive Director Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, and Fashingabo Chocho, Youth Voices Community, in Geneva before the official events began at the CRCP.

 

By Martin Anderson, Chief of Policy & Practice, Geneva Representative

Cover Image: UNHCR

 

 

Last month, RefugePoint joined hundreds of our partner organizations at the Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways (CRCP), held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. Along with UNHCR, this year’s event was hosted by the government of Spain and its national NGO partner Accem, who deserve credit for the leadership they have shown during a challenging time.
 

Diminishing Global Support for Resettlement

This year’s consultations were set against a troubling backdrop for third country solutions for refugees, as multiple governments have cut funding and quotas for refugee resettlement and other pathways.

In 2024, 116,000 refugees were resettled to 21 destination countries, and 203,000 new resettlement submissions were made to 23 resettlement countries from 90 host countries globally. These numbers are expected to fall dramatically in 2025, with an estimated 17,000 refugees to be resettled to 21 destination countries and 30,000 new submissions to 18 resettlement countries from just 66 host countries.

After the first Trump administration began dismantling refugee resettlement in 2017, it took several years for the global resettlement system to recover. By 2024, it had finally returned to health. However, the second Trump administration has moved more aggressively, and unlike last time, few if any other states are stepping in to fill the gap. It is unlikely that resettlement numbers will rise again in the foreseeable future.
 

Adapting Through Partnership and Innovation

Still, RefugePoint and our partners are not resigned. We are working together—including with UNHCR, HIAS, and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), our partners in the Equitable Resettlement Access Consortium (ERAC)—to adapt our programming to ensure that those refugees who need resettlement the most continue to access it. This includes a likely expansion of the role NGOs play in identifying refugees in need of resettlement and making referrals to UNHCR and destination countries—a strategic objective RefugePoint has had since our founding twenty years ago.

Through ERAC, we have developed tools and systems to support local NGO partners in key global locations to identify and refer refugees, and we look forward to building on this foundation.

 

Speakers and attendees at the “Pre-departure prep: making the most of waiting” breakout session on the second day of the 2025 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. Jennifer Wilson, RefugePoint’s Director of Third Country Solutions, presenting during the session. Photo: UNHCR

 

Elevating Refugee Leadership and Expanding Pathways

There were other bright spots at the CRCP, including high-level engagement and participation from speakers with lived experience of forced displacement, made possible through funding support by RefugePoint and partners.

The consultations also highlighted our work on skills-based complementary pathways, such as labor mobility and family reunification. Our recent investments in direct case support and collaboration with local partners in host countries were recognized by UNHCR as necessary and promising developments in an increasingly constrained space for third country solutions.

 

Leading on Family Reunification Through the FRUN

As the Secretariat of the Global Family Reunification Network (FRUN) and a founding member of its Advisory Group (AG), RefugePoint conceptualized and co-organized three sessions focused on family reunification:

  • One on pro bono legal support for partners working on third country solutions, whether through casework, legal research, or administrative governance;
  • One on incorporating the principle of family unity into all third country solutions, to avoid or quickly resolve family separation;
  • And one on improving monitoring and evaluation of outcomes in sponsorship and family reunification, with a focus on refugee-led research.

The Global Family Reunification Network Advisory Group also presented a soft launch of its first annual multistakeholder pledge report, showing that pledge partners have built a strong foundation for their activities. We have good reason to believe we are on track to meet—or come close to meeting—our goal of helping one million refugees reunite with their families by 2030. Next year’s data will provide even deeper insights into our shared progress.

 

Live animation during the “Securing Solutions over time: 30 years of the CRCP and beyond” plenary session on the opening day of the 2025 Consultations on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. Photo: UNHCR

 

Preparing Refugees During the Waiting Period

RefugePoint also co-led a session titled “Making the Most of Waiting,” alongside colleagues from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the CRCP Refugee Advisory Group. As the name suggests, the session explored ways to use the waiting period during immigration processes for cultural orientation and other preparatory activities that support settlement and integration.

The discussion generated rich dialogue on mental health support, expectation management, mentoring partnerships, language acquisition, and other essential skills.
 

Connecting Self-Reliance to Third Country Solutions

Finally, RefugePoint is at the center of emerging workstreams linking refugee self-reliance in host countries to access to third country solutions, particularly skills-based pathways.

The closing plenary session featured both RefugePoint and the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative—a strategic initiative of RefugePoint—and highlighted how our diverse programming forms a mutually reinforcing approach to supporting refugees in their pursuit of lasting solutions.

 

Jennifer Wilson, RefugePoint Director of Third Country Solutions, Mediatrix Akinyi Onyango, RefugePoint Deployment Program Coordinator, Stellah Nikuze, HODARI Foundation, Kari Diener, Executive Director Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, and Fashingabo Chocho, Youth Voices Community, in Geneva before the official events began at the CRCP.

 

By Martin Anderson, Chief of Policy & Practice, Geneva Representative

Cover Image: UNHCR

 

 

Supporting Refugee Self-Reliance Amid a Changing Climate

| July 3, 2025

How we’re responding to new climate-driven challenges facing refugees.

By Paul Karanja, Amy Slaughter, and Patrick Guyer

 

“Refugees and displaced people are among those most exposed to the climate crisis; many are seeking safety in countries that have done the least to contribute to climate change and yet have the least resources to adapt.”

– Andrew Harper, UNHCR Special Advisor on Climate Action

 

Jean* (name changed for protection purposes) and his family had just begun getting back on their feet when the floods came and almost swept it all away. After fleeing political persecution in their home country, Jean and his family sought refuge in Kenya, settling in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi. With earnings from small-scale farming, the family managed to rent a modest house and plot of land, and to enroll their three children in local schools. Jean and his family were well on their way to self-reliance when heavy rains and flooding hit Nairobi in May 2024, damaging their crops and triggering flooding that carried away the family’s chickens and goats. The cost of the damage and loss of income from ruined crops and lost livestock threatened to reverse all the family’s progress since relocating to Kenya.

Jean and his family weren’t the only RefugePoint clients hit hard by the May 2024 floods. Water damage from rising floodwaters and leaking roofs damaged the houses and businesses of some RefugePoint clients so badly that relocation was their only option. For others, water damage ruined essential food, household items, and school books. Clients who earn money hawking goods on the street lost income due to being stuck indoors during the deluge and ensuing flooding of major streets.

Stories like Jean’s underscore how extreme weather driven by a changing climate can throw refugees off the path towards self-reliance. Although Nairobi occasionally experiences flooding during the annual heavy rain season, the May 2024 floods wrought unprecedented destruction. Nearly 300 people died across the country due to the flooding, with a further 55,000 households displaced, 11,000 cattle lost, and 65,000 acres of cropland damaged. The city and surroundings of Nairobi were hit particularly hard, especially the informal settlements where many refugee families and low-income Kenyans reside. The downpour was the immediate cause of hardship, but a combination of critical gaps in urban planning, weak drainage systems, informal construction close to waterways, and insufficient emergency response mechanisms made it a disaster.

 

Climate change: a new driver of forced displacement

 

Extreme weather events like these are becoming all too common, and not just in Kenya. Climate change is increasingly both a driver of displacement and an existential threat to those already displaced, along with the communities that host them. Whether experienced as rapid onset disasters such as storms, floods, wildfires, or extreme heat, or slow onset climate processes such as sea level rise, drought, and desertification, climate change is challenging human habitability in many areas and exacerbating poverty and insecurity in even more. The United Nations (UN) has documented a strong correlation between countries experiencing climate hazards, conflict, and displacement (see map below). The complex interplay of these forces makes it nearly impossible to disentangle the “push factors” that lead many to seek refuge across borders in neighboring countries.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that 84% of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide originate from 15 highly climate-vulnerable countries, and nearly 75% of all forcibly displaced people live in countries with high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards. Of the latter, nearly half also remain exposed to conflict, in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. In other words, most refugees are too often not finding safety in the countries to which they flee. Instead, they find themselves at ongoing risk of climate hazards, conflict, and repeated displacement.

 

Credit: UNHCR/Global Trends Report 2023

 

Climate-smart solutions for refugees

 

In response to this new reality, humanitarian actors are increasingly focused on policies and programs to mitigate and respond to climate impacts at all stages of the displacement cycle, from root causes, to life in exile, to eventual solutions (when available). Since RefugePoint assists refugees in host countries to become self-reliant and helps those who cannot remain safely access pathways to safety elsewhere, our climate actions center around these same activities. We’ve assisted refugees to access resettlement from 11 of the 22 countries identified by UNHCR as the highest priority for climate action, given extreme vulnerability. We also work with refugees from the most severely affected countries, including Somalia, South Sudan, the DRC, and Chad. And, we work with refugees like Jean in Kenya to stabilize their lives in exile and become self-reliant in the countries where they have sought refuge.

Refugee livelihoods are particularly vulnerable to climate change, complicating their path to self-reliance. Compared to members of their host communities, refugees have fewer adaptive measures available to them. They often lack formal work authorization and freedom of movement, circumscribing their options when their livelihoods are threatened by environmental disasters. Late last year, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, a strategic initiative of RefugePoint, convened a technical working group to focus precisely on this topic: climate risks to refugee self-reliance. Their work culminated in 10 key considerations for self-reliance programming, including building community-level resilience, integrating displaced people in national climate policies and early warning systems, expanding development of both “green livelihoods” and climate-adaptive livelihoods, and more.

Considerable work has been done on climate-adaptive livelihoods in rural, agricultural settings, such as the use of drought-resistant seeds, quick-growing crops, and innovative techniques for irrigation and water conservation. Less attention has been given to climate-adaptive livelihoods in urban areas, particularly for refugees, despite the fact that the majority of the world’s refugees live in urban or peri-urban areas. This is an increasing focus for RefugePoint moving forward and is an area in which we hope to make significant contributions to the policies and practices of the sector.

 

 

RefugePoint’s response

 

In the aftermath of the 2024 Nairobi floods, RefugePoint mobilized emergency support to rapidly respond to the damage, loss, and displacement that clients experienced. For Jean and his family, RefugePoint mobilized an emergency cash disbursement along with short-term food assistance to help them cope with flood damage and the resulting loss of farming income. Fortunately, Jean was also able to recover nine of his goats that were lost in the storm, which helped the family get back on track with their farming business. For other client households affected by the flooding, RefugePoint provided emergency cash grants to defray the costs of relocation and replacing lost or spoiled food, furniture, and household effects. We provided mental health support for those affected by flooding and distributed water purification tablets along with food assistance packages so clients could treat drinking water tainted with wastewater due to overwhelmed drains and sewers.

RefugePoint is working hard to improve our ability to respond to climate-driven events like flooding in the future, as well as working with clients to make their homes and businesses more resilient to climate change. We’re drafting new procedures for how we prepare and support our clients to respond to climate-driven events, and are exploring climate-smart entrepreneurship as part of an upcoming review of our support to refugee entrepreneurs. But this is just a small piece of a much bigger puzzle of how RefugePoint and the humanitarian sector must respond to climate change as both an emerging driver of displacement and as a roadblock to self-reliance for refugees in host countries. With climate change, protracted conflicts, displacement, and urbanization simultaneously on the rise, it is imperative that we improve – and include refugees meaningfully in – our efforts to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change.

Click here to find out how else RefugePoint is helping refugees reach a point of self-reliance.

 

References:

Briefing notes – UNHCR: Refugees and displaced people need seats at COP28 table

UNHCR Global Trends Report 2023

UNHCR Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024-2030

UNHCR Global Trends Report 2023

UNHCR Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024-2030

 

How we’re responding to new climate-driven challenges facing refugees.

By Paul Karanja, Amy Slaughter, and Patrick Guyer

 

“Refugees and displaced people are among those most exposed to the climate crisis; many are seeking safety in countries that have done the least to contribute to climate change and yet have the least resources to adapt.”

– Andrew Harper, UNHCR Special Advisor on Climate Action

 

Jean* (name changed for protection purposes) and his family had just begun getting back on their feet when the floods came and almost swept it all away. After fleeing political persecution in their home country, Jean and his family sought refuge in Kenya, settling in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi. With earnings from small-scale farming, the family managed to rent a modest house and plot of land, and to enroll their three children in local schools. Jean and his family were well on their way to self-reliance when heavy rains and flooding hit Nairobi in May 2024, damaging their crops and triggering flooding that carried away the family’s chickens and goats. The cost of the damage and loss of income from ruined crops and lost livestock threatened to reverse all the family’s progress since relocating to Kenya.

Jean and his family weren’t the only RefugePoint clients hit hard by the May 2024 floods. Water damage from rising floodwaters and leaking roofs damaged the houses and businesses of some RefugePoint clients so badly that relocation was their only option. For others, water damage ruined essential food, household items, and school books. Clients who earn money hawking goods on the street lost income due to being stuck indoors during the deluge and ensuing flooding of major streets.

Stories like Jean’s underscore how extreme weather driven by a changing climate can throw refugees off the path towards self-reliance. Although Nairobi occasionally experiences flooding during the annual heavy rain season, the May 2024 floods wrought unprecedented destruction. Nearly 300 people died across the country due to the flooding, with a further 55,000 households displaced, 11,000 cattle lost, and 65,000 acres of cropland damaged. The city and surroundings of Nairobi were hit particularly hard, especially the informal settlements where many refugee families and low-income Kenyans reside. The downpour was the immediate cause of hardship, but a combination of critical gaps in urban planning, weak drainage systems, informal construction close to waterways, and insufficient emergency response mechanisms made it a disaster.

 

Climate change: a new driver of forced displacement

 

Extreme weather events like these are becoming all too common, and not just in Kenya. Climate change is increasingly both a driver of displacement and an existential threat to those already displaced, along with the communities that host them. Whether experienced as rapid onset disasters such as storms, floods, wildfires, or extreme heat, or slow onset climate processes such as sea level rise, drought, and desertification, climate change is challenging human habitability in many areas and exacerbating poverty and insecurity in even more. The United Nations (UN) has documented a strong correlation between countries experiencing climate hazards, conflict, and displacement (see map below). The complex interplay of these forces makes it nearly impossible to disentangle the “push factors” that lead many to seek refuge across borders in neighboring countries.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that 84% of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide originate from 15 highly climate-vulnerable countries, and nearly 75% of all forcibly displaced people live in countries with high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards. Of the latter, nearly half also remain exposed to conflict, in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. In other words, most refugees are too often not finding safety in the countries to which they flee. Instead, they find themselves at ongoing risk of climate hazards, conflict, and repeated displacement.

 

Credit: UNHCR/Global Trends Report 2023

 

Climate-smart solutions for refugees

 

In response to this new reality, humanitarian actors are increasingly focused on policies and programs to mitigate and respond to climate impacts at all stages of the displacement cycle, from root causes, to life in exile, to eventual solutions (when available). Since RefugePoint assists refugees in host countries to become self-reliant and helps those who cannot remain safely access pathways to safety elsewhere, our climate actions center around these same activities. We’ve assisted refugees to access resettlement from 11 of the 22 countries identified by UNHCR as the highest priority for climate action, given extreme vulnerability. We also work with refugees from the most severely affected countries, including Somalia, South Sudan, the DRC, and Chad. And, we work with refugees like Jean in Kenya to stabilize their lives in exile and become self-reliant in the countries where they have sought refuge.

Refugee livelihoods are particularly vulnerable to climate change, complicating their path to self-reliance. Compared to members of their host communities, refugees have fewer adaptive measures available to them. They often lack formal work authorization and freedom of movement, circumscribing their options when their livelihoods are threatened by environmental disasters. Late last year, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, a strategic initiative of RefugePoint, convened a technical working group to focus precisely on this topic: climate risks to refugee self-reliance. Their work culminated in 10 key considerations for self-reliance programming, including building community-level resilience, integrating displaced people in national climate policies and early warning systems, expanding development of both “green livelihoods” and climate-adaptive livelihoods, and more.

Considerable work has been done on climate-adaptive livelihoods in rural, agricultural settings, such as the use of drought-resistant seeds, quick-growing crops, and innovative techniques for irrigation and water conservation. Less attention has been given to climate-adaptive livelihoods in urban areas, particularly for refugees, despite the fact that the majority of the world’s refugees live in urban or peri-urban areas. This is an increasing focus for RefugePoint moving forward and is an area in which we hope to make significant contributions to the policies and practices of the sector.

 

 

RefugePoint’s response

 

In the aftermath of the 2024 Nairobi floods, RefugePoint mobilized emergency support to rapidly respond to the damage, loss, and displacement that clients experienced. For Jean and his family, RefugePoint mobilized an emergency cash disbursement along with short-term food assistance to help them cope with flood damage and the resulting loss of farming income. Fortunately, Jean was also able to recover nine of his goats that were lost in the storm, which helped the family get back on track with their farming business. For other client households affected by the flooding, RefugePoint provided emergency cash grants to defray the costs of relocation and replacing lost or spoiled food, furniture, and household effects. We provided mental health support for those affected by flooding and distributed water purification tablets along with food assistance packages so clients could treat drinking water tainted with wastewater due to overwhelmed drains and sewers.

RefugePoint is working hard to improve our ability to respond to climate-driven events like flooding in the future, as well as working with clients to make their homes and businesses more resilient to climate change. We’re drafting new procedures for how we prepare and support our clients to respond to climate-driven events, and are exploring climate-smart entrepreneurship as part of an upcoming review of our support to refugee entrepreneurs. But this is just a small piece of a much bigger puzzle of how RefugePoint and the humanitarian sector must respond to climate change as both an emerging driver of displacement and as a roadblock to self-reliance for refugees in host countries. With climate change, protracted conflicts, displacement, and urbanization simultaneously on the rise, it is imperative that we improve – and include refugees meaningfully in – our efforts to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change.

Click here to find out how else RefugePoint is helping refugees reach a point of self-reliance.

 

References:

Briefing notes – UNHCR: Refugees and displaced people need seats at COP28 table

UNHCR Global Trends Report 2023

UNHCR Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024-2030

UNHCR Global Trends Report 2023

UNHCR Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024-2030

 

Jane*

| May 21, 2025

Jane was forced to flee her home in Burundi in 2000, when land grabbers invaded her village. Despite attempts to seek justice through the courts, death threats from the land grabbers left Jane and her family with no choice but to escape. Tragically, Jane was separated from her two sisters during this period, and to this day, she does not know their whereabouts.

Jane made her way to Uganda, where she found employment as a tailor. Unfortunately, her employer subjected her to harassment and attempted sexual assault. Fearing for her life, she gathered her savings and fled to Kenya, arriving at Kakuma refugee camp in 2013. In 2014, conflict broke out in Kakuma, forcing Jane and her husband to seek refuge at a local police station for safety. Eventually, they relocated to Nairobi. When her husband’s chronic illness left him unable to work, Jane began selling peanuts to support their family.

In 2022, a RefugePoint Community Navigator connected Jane with RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Protection Program (URPP), which assists refugees in regaining the ability to meet their own essential needs and become self-reliant. The URPP prioritizes supporting refugees using the Self-Reliance Runway Approach, which provides a concrete and measurable pathway for enhancing self-reliance. Through the URPP, RefugePoint identifies refugees experiencing extreme vulnerabilities, helps them stabilize and addresses their social protection needs, giving them a ‘runway’ to reach the point when they are ready to engage in economic pursuits and achieve a degree of self-reliance–that is, to earn sufficient income to cover their essential needs and improve their quality of life.

RefugePoint initially provided Jane and her family with essential stabilizing services, including food assistance and rent support. Jane’s husband also received medical support and counseling. Jane enrolled in RefugePoint’s business training, a crucial next step aimed at helping her achieve financial independence, where she received a business grant. Jane used the grant to start a small business selling chips (french fries).

RefugePoint taught me how to rely on myself by saving my profits, running a business, talking to customers, and other skills,” Jane shared.

Unfortunately, Jane’s first business collapsed due to circumstances beyond her control. When Jane shared her situation, RefugePoint offered additional grant support, enabling her to start another business selling peanuts. Jane’s second business supported her and her family to meet their basic needs and pay their monthly rent.

With this second business, I could pay the house rent, which made me completely happy. There was a time when we were living on the streets. Now, I know how to work and manage myself. I am very grateful for the business lessons,” Jane shared.

The stability she achieved brought Jane immense joy—no longer struggling with rent, she found security in her daily life.

Carol, Jane’s RefugePoint’s case manager, shared, “When I met Jane and her husband, the initial challenges were immense. But as Jane’s business grew, so did her confidence. She found solace and self-reliance through the business, transforming her trauma into a source of strength and independence.”

Due to security concerns in Nairobi and the husband’s medical needs, RefugePoint referred Jane and her family for resettlement to Canada. In March 2025, they were resettled to British Columbia, Canada.

“Going to Canada makes me happy because I will get a job and work without fear. My six children will also learn, and my family will be well,” Jane shared with us during her last visit to RefugePoint’s Nairobi office.

Jane was forced to flee her home in Burundi in 2000, when land grabbers invaded her village. Despite attempts to seek justice through the courts, death threats from the land grabbers left Jane and her family with no choice but to escape. Tragically, Jane was separated from her two sisters during this period, and to this day, she does not know their whereabouts.

Jane made her way to Uganda, where she found employment as a tailor. Unfortunately, her employer subjected her to harassment and attempted sexual assault. Fearing for her life, she gathered her savings and fled to Kenya, arriving at Kakuma refugee camp in 2013. In 2014, conflict broke out in Kakuma, forcing Jane and her husband to seek refuge at a local police station for safety. Eventually, they relocated to Nairobi. When her husband’s chronic illness left him unable to work, Jane began selling peanuts to support their family.

In 2022, a RefugePoint Community Navigator connected Jane with RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Protection Program (URPP), which assists refugees in regaining the ability to meet their own essential needs and become self-reliant. The URPP prioritizes supporting refugees using the Self-Reliance Runway Approach, which provides a concrete and measurable pathway for enhancing self-reliance. Through the URPP, RefugePoint identifies refugees experiencing extreme vulnerabilities, helps them stabilize and addresses their social protection needs, giving them a ‘runway’ to reach the point when they are ready to engage in economic pursuits and achieve a degree of self-reliance–that is, to earn sufficient income to cover their essential needs and improve their quality of life.

RefugePoint initially provided Jane and her family with essential stabilizing services, including food assistance and rent support. Jane’s husband also received medical support and counseling. Jane enrolled in RefugePoint’s business training, a crucial next step aimed at helping her achieve financial independence, where she received a business grant. Jane used the grant to start a small business selling chips (french fries).

RefugePoint taught me how to rely on myself by saving my profits, running a business, talking to customers, and other skills,” Jane shared.

Unfortunately, Jane’s first business collapsed due to circumstances beyond her control. When Jane shared her situation, RefugePoint offered additional grant support, enabling her to start another business selling peanuts. Jane’s second business supported her and her family to meet their basic needs and pay their monthly rent.

With this second business, I could pay the house rent, which made me completely happy. There was a time when we were living on the streets. Now, I know how to work and manage myself. I am very grateful for the business lessons,” Jane shared.

The stability she achieved brought Jane immense joy—no longer struggling with rent, she found security in her daily life.

Carol, Jane’s RefugePoint’s case manager, shared, “When I met Jane and her husband, the initial challenges were immense. But as Jane’s business grew, so did her confidence. She found solace and self-reliance through the business, transforming her trauma into a source of strength and independence.”

Due to security concerns in Nairobi and the husband’s medical needs, RefugePoint referred Jane and her family for resettlement to Canada. In March 2025, they were resettled to British Columbia, Canada.

“Going to Canada makes me happy because I will get a job and work without fear. My six children will also learn, and my family will be well,” Jane shared with us during her last visit to RefugePoint’s Nairobi office.

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