How do people become refugees?

Leaving behind the community, language, and culture they know is rarely anyone’s first choice. Some people may first become internally displaced, meaning they have fled the town or region they live in but not yet their country, before further threats force them to cross an international border.

Refugees are forced to leave their home countries for a number of reasons, including war, famine, or discrimination. At Concern, we support refugees across many areas of the world including Bangladesh, Chad, Lebanon and Türkiye. 

Once people do make the decision to seek safety, their journey is not easy. People may travel on foot if roads are blocked or fuel is ncot available, and it can take anywhere from a few days to multiple weeks to reach where they need to go. 

Refugees face multiple obstacles in their search for safety. For example, families who had little time or notice to prepare may have left their homes with little to nothing. They often lack access to food, water, medicine and shelter, and may not have more than a single change of clothes. In some cases, a person’s journey to a safe country might include travelling through a conflict zone or via the sea, where the risk of death is high. 

Threats to refugees’ safety increase depending on their age, gender, personal health, and whether they are travelling with young children. Women and children travelling alone are particularly vulnerable, with higher chances of experiencing physical violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking. 

Bahar* and Arafa* were raising three children and working as farmers and traders when conflict broke out in Sudan. They fled to a nearby town first, before crossing the border into Chad. The women and children in their village left on donkey carts, while the men followed on foot.  

Midway through their journey, Bahar made the difficult decision to leave his family and return to their home to collect essential belongings and food.  

“When my husband went back and I was left with my children, we faced challenges,” Arafa said. “There was no shade to sit in and rest while we were travelling. We were always under the sun, and it was very hot for the children. The other challenge was water.” 

Crossing the border was not easy, but luckily Arafa and Bahar were reunited in Chad. 

“During the escape, we would go at about one am, two am when people are sleeping. We moved silently trying to cross the border into Chad” Bahar recalled. “We tried to cross the border several times and on the third day is when we succeeded to cross with our belongings, and we went to look for our families.”  

Once people arrive in a new country, they often seek support and settle at refugee camps. These are temporary facilities built to provide assistance and shelter, so that refugees can have a place to stay and access food, water, and medical treatment while they begin the process of claiming asylum. People may spend anywhere from a few days to decades living in a refugee camp. 

Unfortunately, refugee camps are often overcrowded and there are not enough resources to go around. The shelters people stay in are often not weather-proofed adequately, and can be susceptible to leaks or drafts. Many family members have to share a small space with little privacy.  

Due to asylum laws in certain countries, many people in refugee camps are unable to work and children may not be able to attend school. 

Concern works in Cox’s Bazar, located in Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp, providing nutrition programming to prevent malnutrition in children. One of the ways Concern supports these families is through helping households grow vegetables and supporting small businesses.

Kaseem*, a father of five children who lives in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, received seeds, fertilizer and training from Concern to grow vegetables and meet the demand for nutritious food at the camp.  

"I have got much benefit from my homestead vegetable gardening. I have produced enough vegetables for my family. My garden enabled me to meet food demand every day for my children and family,” Kaseem said. “I have also earned some money by selling vegetables.” 

Concern works with refugees in emergency situations to provide essential support such as food, shelter and medical treatment. We also provide long-term support to refugees in the form of livelihoods training, education, and protection solutions.  

For example, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis, and Concern works with Syrians in Türkiye, Lebanon and Iraq, supporting both refugees and the communities who are hosting them.

Maria* is a Syrian refugee and a mother to four daughters. “When the war started in Syria we started moving around from area to area but we had no food, the bombing was intense and we had no security,” she said.  

She now shares a home in Lebanon with her husband and children, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and his family. Her home had open windows, no hot water, and was always cold. It was a stark contrast to the house and land she had in Syria, where she would grow vegetables.  

 Concern’s team assessed Maria’s home and negotiated with the landlord to provide renovations to make it more habitable. Glass was put into the windows, and a new larger water tank was installed. 

All refugees deserve to live in safety. By supporting Concern’s work, you can provide refugees with the resources they need today.