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Cape Town recognises refugee brain gain
22 Jun 2005 Refugees in South Africa often lament that their professional skills are wasted on menial work. This could change after the City of Cape Town announced on World Refugee Day that it would help complete an audit of refugees' skills and engage refugees in the areas of health, culture and sports. -
Spain grants asylum to battered woman
9 Jun 2005 In a landmark decision, a woman has for the first time been granted asylum in Spain because she could not obtain protection from the authorities in her country of origin against the severe and constant abuse inflicted on her by her husband and his family. -
Sudanese refugee struggles against xenophobia in South Africa
15 Dec 2004 Godwin Ale Willow feels that he has been repeatedly detained on anti-crime raids in South Africa because of his dark skin. He recently took part in the country's first-ever public hearings on xenophobia, and has also participated actively in the UNHCR-sponsored Roll Back Xenophobia campaign. -
South Africa's social workers learn to work with refugees
28 Oct 2004 UNHCR has been conducting training sessions to help social workers respond to refugee-related rights and issues as South Africa goes from producing refugees to receiving them. The workshops tackle practical problems and explore the emotional aspects of being a refugee. -
Photo exhibition of Darfur's forsaken children opens in Madrid
2 Sep 2004 Spanish photographer Álvaro Ybarra Zavala portrays the human drama in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region and in neighbouring Chad through photos of the empty villages, the child soldiers, the displaced people and the refugees. -
Refugees lobby for identity in South Africa
1 Apr 2004 UNHCR and NGOs have joined refugees in South Africa to lobby for refugee identification that is non-discriminating and more widely-recognised. The government has agreed in principle to issue standard IDs to refugees, who will also get to test a pilot "smart card" system. -
Congolese refugee reaches out to South Africa's underprivileged
22 Mar 2004 Mufumbe Mateso Felix, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has set up a non-governmental organisation to help women and children in Johannesburg's Tshepisong Township. Projects range from computer, catering and sewing classes, to a centre for AIDS orphans. -
Caregivers help sick refugees leave in dignity
8 Jan 2004 The UN refugee agency is co-funding a home-based care project for terminally-ill refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa, where many of them have no access to health care. The caregivers are themselves refugees who want to help their counterparts die in peace and dignity. -
New agreement paves way for Angolans to return from South Africa
15 Dec 2003 The governments of South Africa, Angola and UNHCR have signed a tripartite agreement to help some 13,000 Angolans return home from South Africa. As one of the best-educated refugee groups in South Africa, the Angolans are expected to contribute to their country's rehabilitation.