Refugees (worldwide)
Where can I find information about refugees around the world?
(Years 7-10)
Image: Displaced people try to return to northern Gaza Strip by Ashraf Amra on Wikimedia Commons. CC by 3.0 IGO. Image cropped.
Entry last updated: 20/05/26
Introduction
People who have to leave their own country to find safety (refuge) somewhere else are refugees. Things like war, famine or climate change can result in people becoming refugees. Other things include persecution based on ethnicity, religion, or political dissent.
General websites
These sites have information about how many refugees there are worldwide, where they come from and why, and where they resettle. Some recent examples are those from Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
Tips: These sites may have people's personal stories, information or pictures that could be upsetting for you. We suggest you look at them with a parent or other adult that you trust.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation that deals with issues such as human rights. The UN Refugee Agency has information on the 1951 Refugee Convention and current news.
Go to About UNHCR to find the The 1951 Refugee Convention that sets out the rights and responsibilities of refugees.
Look at the News and stories tab to find current information.
This site also has statistics about refugees around the world.
Open the What we do tab.
Select Data and publications.
Choose Population data and go down the page to find the Refugee population statistics database.
You can also look at Uprooted in their own land to find out who Internally Displaced People (IDP) are, and the challenges they face.
Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About page if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.
Britannica School is one of the EPIC databases — a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It’s put together especially for New Zealand school students.
Search for 'refugees'.
Select the article refugee to find information on refugees from early history to the postwar era.
You can get more information by selecting 3 from the Navigator on the left.
Global Issues (Gale in Context)
Global Issues in Context is another EPIC resource. It has a summary or overview about refugees that lists important facts, dates and statistics.
Go to Browse Issues.
Find Refugees.
Select Read Overview to read about the Palestinian Refugees and Climate Change Refugees.
Or browse the results on viewpoints, statistics, news, and more.
To use the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians. Your public library may have some EPIC databases too.
The Refugee Council of Australia supports refugees and people seeking asylum. It shares stories from refugees from many parts of the world.
Go to the About option at the top of the page.
Select Our Refugee Ambassadors.
Tips: Some websites have advertisements (or ads) which ask us to buy something or tell us to ‘click here’. It’s best to ignore these ads and focus on the information we’re looking for.
Aid organisations
This section the websites of some international aid organisations and outlines how they support refugees worldwide. This sort of work is called humanitarian, as it's focused on helping humans.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) works worldwide to protect and assist refugees and asylum seekers by providing emergency aid, shelter, healthcare, and support for resettlement in safe countries.
Use the tab About UNHCR to select Who we protect.
From the column on the left of the page, read about Asylum-seekers, refugees, internally displaced people, and stateless people, and how they are different.
Then select the What we do tab and go to Protect human rights.
Read Asylum and migration to learn about The 10-Point Plan in Action to help them.
UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) works in over 190 countries to protect the rights, health, and wellbeing of children, including migrant and refugee children.
Select the What We Do tab near the top left of the homepage.
Look for Migrant and refugee children from the drop-down menu.
From under the image at the top, select the links called Challenge, Solution andResources.
This tells us what turned children into refugees and how they are being helped by UNICEF.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
The IFRC is a worldwide network of Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations. They have volunteers who help people when there is a crisis like war or a natural disaster.
Choose the option at the top of the site called Our Work.
Select Migration and displacement.
Go down the page to find out about their aid programmes and read recent news articles.
World Vision is a Christian aid organisation that helps children, families and communities who live in poverty, including refugees.
Select the Our Work tab near the top of the page.
Go down the page to the Where we Work map and select a country from the drop-down list, like Syria.
Tips: Some websites have advertisements (or ads) which ask us to donate money, buy something or tell us to ‘click here’. It’s best to ignore these ads and focus on the information we’re looking for.
Books
You may also like to visit your school or public library and check out the books there. Some suggested titles are:
Children of war: voices of Iraqi refugees by Deborah Ellis
Refugees by Harriet Brundle
How dare the sun rise: of a war child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta
Refugees by Brian Bilston.
SCIS no: 1941075
Topics covered
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