European Commission @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu
Public

The forced displacement of people is at an all-time high.

🏳️ Over 120 million people have fled due to war, persecution, or disaster

🏳️ 73% come from 5 countries: Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Sudan.

The EU supports host communities, where refugees contribute by bringing their skills, starting businesses, and enriching cultural life.

Hope begins with support and solidarity.

Because everyone deserves a place to call home.

A caregiver smiling warmly while holding hands with an elderly woman in a wheelchair inside a cozy, cluttered room. A television is on in the background, and the words "Building belonging..." appear at the top. An EU flag is shown in the bottom right corner. Irena is 57 years old and came to Poland from Kherson after the rockets started falling on the city. "Who would want to leave their home? Nobody. Today everything is destroyed there, I have nothing to go back to," she says. In Ukraine, Irena was a nurse for 25 years and took care of children with cancer. She is currently completing her nursing studies so that her skills and vast experience can also be recognized in Poland. Since November 2023, she has been working in a nursing home for older people in Gdansk. "I have 12-hour shifts. It's hard and demanding work. It requires passion, but fortunately I will always have it," says Irena. A smiling woman in a black apron holds a tray of wrapped sandwiches in a busy, vibrant food market or deli. Behind her, people are preparing food and socializing. The text "...together." is written across the image, with an EU flag in the bottom right corner. Shaimaa, a refugee from Iraq, prepares falafel as well as other Arabic meals in her restaurant "Ustura" during the opening day in Thessaloniki. Shaimaa's journey from Iraq in 2018 was fraught with peril, as she made the trip alone with her three children in search of safety. Today, thanks to the support of UNHCR'S BRC Livelihoods programme, implemented by NGO SolidarityNow, Shaimaa has successfully opened her own restaurant in Thessaloniki, where she serves freshly cooked Arabic meals. The programme played a crucial role in her success, assisting her in developing a business plan, seeking microfinance resources, securing a loan, and finding the perfect location for the restaurant. She named the restaurant "Ustura", which means "myth" in Arabic. "The entire journey, from the moment I fled Iraq with my children because we were in danger, through our safe arrival in Greece, how my children grew up, and how I managed to open this restaurant - it's all like a myth", Shaimaa says.
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