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World Refugee Day 2025
On June 20, 2025, World Refugee Day, La Chaîne de l'Espoir is mobilizing to pay tribute to the millions of people forced to flee their homelands, uprooted by war, persecution or natural disaster. This day is a reminder that every refugee has the right to safety, dignity and hope.
What is World Refugee Day?
Established by the United Nations in 2001, World Refugee Day aims to raise public awareness of the plight of millions of displaced people around the world. It highlights the reasons for their exile (armed conflict, violence, persecution or human rights abuses), but also their courage, resilience and determination to rebuild their lives.
World Refugee Day 2025: Solidarity with refugees.
This year’s World Refugee Day carries a strong message: “Solidarity with Refugees”.
But what does solidarity actually mean?
It means going beyond rhetoric to defend the fundamental rights of refugees. It means giving them a real hearing, making their voices heard, and supporting sustainable solutions to the crises they face, such as :
- Promote their inclusion in host societies,
- Support host countries with the necessary resources,
- Working for peace, so that a safe return is possible.
Above all, solidarity means asserting loud and clear that refugees are not alone.
123.2 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2024.
Source : UNHCR
Solidarity with refugees: La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s action
This year, to mark World Refugee Day, La Chaîne de l’Espoir would like to highlight its work in Lebanon. Lebanon with the local population and Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a neighboring country to Syria which, since the start of the civil war in 2011, has been hosting large numbers of refugees.
In 2024, Lebanon is now home to almost 1.5 million Syrian refugees (source: World Vision France) , half of whom are minors, in a particularly difficult context. Lebanon is going through a major economic, political and social crisis that is undermining access to basic services, particularly healthcare. Many families, both Lebanese and Syrian, can no longer afford to pay for essential medical treatment. In this context, La Chaîne de l’Espoir provides comprehensive care for children suffering from orthopaedic malformations:
- Raising awareness among local populations and refugees,
- Early detection of pathologies,
- Specialized surgical management,
- Post-treatment follow-up and appropriate psychosocial support.
Among the beneficiaries was Lynn, a three-year-old Syrian girl born with a severe malformation of the left hand, who could neither grasp nor hold objects. Having fled to Lebanon with her destitute parents, she risked permanent disability. Thanks to the help of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, Lynn was operated on at the Hôtel-Dieu de France in Beirut. Within a year, she benefited from a complete follow-up: two operations, plaster casts, regular consultations and the fitting of a specialized orthopaedic device.
Our work with internally displaced persons in Afghanistan
At the same time, La Chaîne de l’Espoir is continuing its work with internally displaced women in Afghanistan, forced to flee against a backdrop of increasing repression. Unlike refugees, IDPs have not crossed an international border. They are forced to flee their homes while remaining within their own country, as a result of conflict, human rights violations or natural disasters… They thus remain under the responsibility of their government, even when this is the cause of their displacement.
Since 2021, the resumption of power by the Taliban has marked a dramatic decline in women’s rights in Afghanistan. Forbidden to study, work or even move freely, they live under systemic oppression.
In 2022, there were 3.25 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan, over 80% of whom were women and children.
Source : UNHCR
In response to this crisis, La Chaîne de l’Espoir is working with local associations to target the most vulnerable women. In particular, our teams are working in camps for displaced persons and in the only women’s shelter still open in Kabul, as well as in partner community centers.
On site, we carry out medical consultations to identify women in need of urgent gynecological care. We also run awareness-raising sessions on the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth, in a context where many women give birth at home without appropriate medical assistance. These conditions often lead to serious complications, with lasting effects on their health and daily lives.
“I was on the verge of despair. The operation was essential for me, but our finances didn’t allow it. Today, I feel free from suffering”.
Zohra, 35, mother of six, operated on in Kabul
Like Zohra, nearly 600 women received free gynecological care from La Chaîne de l’Espoir at the Institut Médical pour la Mère et l’Enfant (IMFE) in Kabul in 2023.
On this World Refugee Day, it is more important than ever to remember that millions of displaced people around the world have no access to essential healthcare. In Lebanon in particular, La Chaîne de l’Espoir is committed to working alongside these vulnerable populations.
Thanks to the mobilization of our partners and the generosity of our donors, it is possible to take concrete action: providing care, rebuilding lives, restoring hope.
Find out more about World Refugee Day.
Photo credit: La Chaîne de l’Espoir / Jacob Russell / Oriane Zerah
