Refugees & Fragile States

Refugees are people who had to flee their home country due to war, violence, or persecution, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Refugees are different from immigrants because refugees cannot go home, or are afraid that it is not safe to return. Displaced people have had to leave their homes for the same reason as a refugee, but they are still living within their home country. World Vision works with both refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the most fragile places, including Syria, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We go where humanitarian and development needs are high. If estimates hold true, by 2030, around 80% of the world’s extreme poor will live in fragile states. What’s more alarming is that extreme poverty has a child’s face: the majority of people in fragile contexts are young. As a child-focused organization, we have a clear call to help the most vulnerable children — those who live in fragile states and who are increasingly forced to flee instability within and across borders as refugees.

Programs that provide basic necessities while boosting a community’s resilience and self-reliance in the face of disasters and destitution are most effective.  Direct assistance for children, households, and communities make a big impact in fragile states, since their governments are often unable to provide basic services. To be most effective, programs need to empower communities and work through local organizations, including churches, mothers’ groups, and farmers’ associations, so that they build local capacity while providing assistance. Programs should also help governments assume responsibility, over time, for service delivery and social protection.

We have worked in the majority of the world’s fragile states for more than 30 years. We know what types of programs work in these contexts, and more importantly, we have longstanding relationships and trust with the communities we serve. Our big focus in fragile states is on developing new approaches to enable transition out of fragility, especially in program areas where we are strong: water, sanitation, and hygiene; health; livelihoods and food assistance; and child protection, and education. By integrating all these programs, we help to provide communities with what they need most. But no single group or organization can tackle fragility alone, so we partner with churches, donor governments, corporations, and individual supporters across the globe, in addition to local communities, faith bodies, civil society, and public institutions where we work.

Ultimately, our successful programs empower refugees and displaced people and cultivate ingenuity and resilience, so that communities have the know-how, the confidence, and the ability to help themselves and care for their children.

The journey can take decades, but we don’t have to wait that long to help change children’s lives. We are seeing communities achieve better health, education, livelihoods, nutrition, and gender equality. And while the road is long, sustained donor support is making a difference in the most fragile places.