Unaccompanied Refugee Children

Unaccompanied Refugee Children

War has begun. Refugees are seeking emergency assistance from UNHCR.

Alone and Afraid

Amongst the 26 million refugees in the world, nearly half of them are children. More and more children are fleeing from conflict torn countries on their own. Others are becoming orphaned, lost or separated from their families while searching for safe refuge.

UNHCR is often the first to spot these children as they come across borders or arrive alone in refugee camps. Our protection officers listen to their stories and ensure that they have safe accommodation, trained staff to care for them, nutritious food, health checks, counselling, education and ongoing care. We share information across the region and around the globe to help trace missing relatives and arrange for family reunion.

Look at Mahmoud, Hamid, Nyakong, Abu's "Story of Home"

Mahmoud’s Tent

As bombs rained down on the Syrian city of Aleppo, Mahmoud and his family took what they could carry and travelled via Turkey to Europe by boat.

“People from UNHCR have been very helpful. At different points, we have been given food, water, blankets, sleeping bags. It has been a great help.” Now, they finally have a sturdy tent, to stop and rest and to call 'home'.

Hamid’s Refugee Housing Unit

Hamid and his family fled the Iraqi city of Fallujah when ISIS forces attached. UNHCR helped them move from a tent to a longer lasting prefabricated ‘Refugee Housing Unit’ (RHU).

“The RHU is a blessing from God for us in the desert,” says Hamid. “The tent was very hot during the summer. And it is very small, and we can hardly move in it. The RHU must be our present from God.”

Nyakong’s Traditional ‘Tukul’ Hut

Single mother, Nyakong Loung Louy, fled to Ethiopia from South Sudan with her children. After months under canvas, UNHCR supports the family to build themselves a traditional hut, or ‘tukul’, of bamboo, mud brick and a thatched roof. Inside, Nyakong has created a welcoming family home.

“Having a house has helped other family members find us,” says Nyakong who was recently reunited with her missing daughter. “It is almost like the ‘home’ we had in South Sudan.”

Abu’s Urban Housing

Abu Abhoud, his twins Inas and Baylasan and their family fled to Tyre, Lebanon in 2013 from Syria. The cash assistance they receive from UNHCR helps them cover the cost of rent, heating and food.

“Shelter is the most important thing,” says their father, Abu Abhoud. “It means safety, security and comfort. What I care about the most is to keep my family under one roof, where the children can be warm, where they can eat, where they can study and be safe.”