#UNHCR

[starseneyes]

Heart-Warmed and Teary-Eyed: Kindness Matters

I have a P.O. Box that I check once a week. Right now, I mostly use it for letter correspondence with my friend @always-coffee—a tremendous published poet and beautiful human I met by chance online.

Monday she said she mailed her latest letter. So, I stopped by the Post Office on the way home from dropping the kids at school on the off-chance it made it through USPS faster than normal.

I found no letter inside, but a flyer from the Post Office saying they were holding something for me that wouldn't fit in the box. I wondered if Ali had sent a letter that was too tall (because she has such amazing stationary). I had no idea what was about to happen.

I glimpsed the package as they pulled it from a cabinet and wondered what on earth Ali sent me. That was not a letter.

Then I saw The Golden Notebook Bookstore label and knew it was something @neil-gaiman related.

For those who don't know (normal people who don't follow Neil on social media, for example), that is the local bookstore near Neil's home in New York. He periodically signs books for them that are sold with zero markup.

I am a fan of Neil as a writer, but also as a human. I don't follow many celebrities—a side effect of my set-kid youth—but I did follow Neil last year during the WGA Strike. Been a fan of his for ages, and Neverwhere is my favorite book.

Ali knows all this, and I just knew she had done something sneakily sweet.

I rushed home with a smile on my face, trying desperately not to set off the speed-trap on the road back. Let me tell you, driving speed limit when excited is not easy for me!

When I finally whipped into my driveway and sprinted into my house, I carefully opened the package (more excruciating slowness) and tried not to cry happy tears when I saw what was inside. Wrapped tenderly in bubble-wrap rested... a book.

What You Need to be Warm is a poem Neil wrote that features illustrations from some of the best artists in the industry. That in itself is wonderful. But the mission of this little book is what is so amazing.

See, the sale of every copy supports UNHCR—the UN Refugee Agency. This book literally helps people when you buy it.

I have wanted to buy a copy for ages, but you all know I thrift and buy books secondhand. I didn't want to do that with this book.

I wanted to buy it outright to ensure the maximum amount of money went to support the cause. So, I have been waiting until we were a little more stable so I could buy it full-price, outright.

Thanks to Ali, I have a copy that was purchased outright (so it helps people in need) and it is signed!

Yes, it's a signed copy with pen bleed on the opposite page, and all.

I would never do something like this for myself. You all know I am woefully practical and doing things for myself isn't second-nature. I’m working on it, but it is slow coming reprogramming a lifetime of behavior. So gifts like this... oh, they mean everything.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude that such a kind soul would do something like this for me. Thank you, Ali.

[mtonino]

Cate Blanchett sul red carpet di Cannes 2024 rende omaggio alla Palestina con l'eleganza che la contraddistingue.

[eretzyisrael]

[ohsalome]

It is especially insulting how ukrainians are constantly being accused by anti-ukrainian pundits for "stealing the military aid" - which there is 0 evidence of - while those very same "least corrupt countries in the world" are stealing from us.

[agentfascinateur]

From the steps of Cannes to Gaza, more reason to love UN refugee ambassador Cate Blanchett

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Livia Giuggioli Firth (@liviafirth)

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Source

[jojou2]

ليس من الضرورى تكون مسلما لتدعم فلسطين

🇵🇸 عليك فقط تكون انسانا

[kaapstadgirly]

Yesterday, here on tumblr, someone reached out to me, seeking help. And now I am here seeking yours. I don't care about your opinions and views. The matter of the fact is that everyone deserves to be treated as human beings, and they deserve the rights of human beings as we all do.

Right now, we have a violation of the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda after its government passed one of the harshest anti-gay laws, which includes punishment by death.

Here are two Al Jazeera articles on this:

1. Displaced twice: Gay Ugandans on the run face upheaval in Kenya

2. Ugandas anti lgbtq law causing wave of rights abuses activists say

Yesterday, @annoyingpaintertragedy (please take a look at their blog) reached out to me regarding this. They mentioned that many of Ugandas lgbtq civilians were forced to flee Uganda to neighboring Kenya. But situations are just as bad in Kenya. They spoke of the Kakuma refugee camps where they now live along with many other refugees.

I myself am just now learning of this. But if you have any information or links of organizations that may help regarding this situation, please send them to me or add them to the reblogs.

[drsonnet]

where to?

#Rafah #Gaza #Khanyunis #Palestine

د. علاء اللقطة

[millerdoc]

[littlequeenies]

Pattie Boyd was hired as a photographer for UNHCR campaign to make awareness about the refugees.

This is the information from UNHCR website:

"This November, celebrity photographer and author, Pattie Boyd and six incredible refugees came together to create a portrait series to remind everyone of the individual human stories that sit ‘Beyond the Headlines.’

Alexandra, Amany, Hamzeh, Najee, Maysara and Vera have all found safety in the UK after being forced to flee their homes in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine. They joined Pattie for a photoshoot with a difference – each photograph features genuine news headlines that relate to their personal story.

With conflicts and crises making headlines nearly every day, there’s a risk that society can forget the ordinary people affected, whose lives have been changed forever. Alongside each portrait, find out more about each person’s story – from memories of winter, to their passions and hopes for the future.

This winter, we’re asking you to look beyond the headlines."

[eretzyisrael]

From the Washington Post:

When Israel launched its war against Hamas, Cairo was adamant: It would not accept Palestinian refugees. Yet more than 115,000 Gazans have crossed into Egypt since October, the Palestinian Authority’s embassy here estimates. Most remain in limbo, with no legal status and nowhere else to go. ..Once in Egypt, nonmedical evacuees have largely been left to fend for themselves. Tens of thousands have illegally overstayed their 45-day tourist visas, making them ineligible for public education, health care and other services. The U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees doesn’t cover those in Egypt. And the United Nations’ broader refugee agency said it can’t help new arrivals because Cairo doesn’t recognize its mandate for Palestinians.

This means that Egypt does not recognize Palestinians as refugees because they are covered by UNRWA, and UNRWA is not allowed to have a presence Egypt. So the UNHCR has no ability to help them

This is one of those situations where Palestinians having their own refugee agency doesn't help them at all - in fact, it hurts them. Because UNRWA is only allowed to operate in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan and nowhere else. Refugees who are of Palestinian descent are treated differently and cannot get normal refugee services that every other refugee can.

In general, this works out well for them - as long as they stay in those five areas, they get much more than other refugees get. They get free food, free housing, free medical care, and the cost to maintain their permanent standard of living is far higher than for all other refugees worldwide. But once they leave, they have nothing, because very few of them are ever recognized as refugees.

Here we see Egypt refuses to give them refugee status, because UNRWA exists. UNHCR is not happy about it but this is a byproduct of treating Palestinians differently than other refugees. 

It's just another reason why UNRWA should be dismantled. And beyond that, this is another case where the world should be pressuring Egypt to accept the Gazans who desperately want to escape - but it doesn't. 

[patricia-tricia]

"I am not Syrian, I am not Ukrainian, I am not Yemeni, I am not Afghani. I am not from South Sudan. I am not from Israel or Palestine. I am not a politician. I am not even a pundit. But I am a witness. And having witnessed the human cost of war, violence and persecution visiting refugees from across the globe, I cannot look away. What sits at the core of my dual roles as actor and Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR is the human condition, the human story." - Cate Blanchett

[toscanoirriverente]

[archtroop]