Recognizing World Refugee Day: How Dropbox Foundation supports human rights
Today marks the 18th anniversary of World Refugee Day — a day to commemorate the strength, courage, and resilience of refugees. A refugee is someone who’s been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. Currently, more than 68.5 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide.
War, conflict, and natural disasters are all-too-common occurrences in many parts of the world. That’s why organizations like GOAL and War Child UK — both Dropbox Foundation partners — are more vital than ever. We sat down with Courtenay Pollard, GOAL’s Trusts and Foundations Manager, and Jessica Ridgewell, War Child UK’s Partnerships Manager, to understand more about their programs and what the support from the Dropbox Foundation has meant to them.
War Child UK is an international charity that works to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war. As part of the organization, Jessica raises funds for their life-changing work War Child and its partners deliver in 15 countries, including Yemen, Uganda, and Afghanistan.
Last September, I went to the largest refugee camp in Jordan, Za’atari, which homes around 80,000 people,” says Jessica. “It’s less than 10 miles from the Syrian border, and many of the families who fled the Syrian war are still living in the camp seven years on. Thankfully, War Child has been running educational programs in the camp, which are a lifeline for the families there. We have curricula for all children, from nursery age right up to teenage years. The center provides a safe place for the children to be kids again. It was inspiring to see such happiness and hope and the amazing resilience and strength these families display in such a tough situation. The Dropbox Foundation grant has been vital in funding projects to help families rebuild their lives and overcome the traumas of war.”
Courtenay first joined GOAL in 2010 to help them process donations after the Haiti earthquake and has been with the organization ever since, helping to support some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
“We’re really well known for being first responders in quick onset emergencies,” says Courtenay. “But we also work in emergencies with much longer timelines, such as the ongoing conflict in Syria. Right now, the Dropbox Foundation grant plays a big part in supporting our work in Gambella, Ethiopia, where we run nutrition programs in two refugee camps. These support more than 126,000 South Sudanese refugees. We have a screening system to help prevent illness and treat malnutrition. This is — quite literally — saving lives, and we’re hopeful it will be scaled up by the Ethiopian government to other regions.”
Adrienne Gormley, our VP of Global CX, also joined GOAL in a site visit to Ethiopia this year. From a squalid internally displaced people (IDP) camp just beginning to receive health services and toilets, to a program for orphaned and abused street children called ChildSPACE, she was blown away by GOAL’s capacity to quickly provide these critical services to the communities in need.
“One of the most moving experiences was listening to nine young women tell their story at the Hawassa center — women is really the wrong word, because they were just girls,” says Adrienne. “Two thirds of them had babies, some were very ill, others weren’t sure what age they were. They had all ended up as sex workers as a means to provide for themselves. But the center offers them respite, a place where they can be safe, develop new skills, and learn their worth. They can also have health checks and get referrals to medical units when needed. I was totally humbled by this project — it’s helping thousands of Ethiopian children each year.”
Jessica, Courtenay, and Adrienne hope that everyone can learn from the Foundation’s stories and make greater strides toward personally helping charitable causes like GOAL and War Child UK. Want to learn more about the foundation? Visit https://dropbox.foundation/.
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