Refugee Week 2019

Refugee Week 2019: You, Me and Those Who Came Before

Refugee Week is a global event which takes place every year around World Refugee Day on 20 June. In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide celebration of arts, cultural and educational events celebrating the contribution of refugees to the UK.


As part of our celebrations, we collected stories from individuals who have personal connections to the issue. You can learn more from Mary, Mike and Wafaa here.

Some commonly asked questions

What is a refugee?
Refugees are people fleeing conflict or persecution. They are protected under international law and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their lives or freedoms are at risk. There are 25.4 million refugees in the world at this time.

Where do most refugees come from?
57% of refugees worldwide came from three countries – 6.3 million from Syria, 2.6 million from Afghanistan and 2.4 million from South Sudan.

Does the UK have more asylum seekers than in other countries?
No, it does not. Around 85% of all refugees are hosted in developing countries, not in wealthy, industrialised countries. The UK hosts less than 1% of refugees worldwide.

More information is available on the UNHCR website or in the video below

Inspired to join the cause? Drop us an email to see what we’re currently working on.