#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.

#Gratitude #Acts of Kindness #What You Need to be Warm #UNHCR #Good People Still Exist #And Ali is one of the brightest stars shining in the dark

[intersectionalpraxis]

I want Islam Mubarak to be able to go back to school, to travel, and to see BTS perform. To be able to meet her fellow Army's (BTS's fandom name -for clarity). Like so many of these Sudanese kids and young teens and adults. Their dreams, ambitions, safety, and happiness matter. The RSF must be stopped and Sudan must be free.

#feminist #social justice #free sudan #sudan war #eyes on sudan #sudan #keep eyes on sudan #current events #current news #khartoum #united nations #unhcr #kpop #bts #bts army

[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.

#ukraine #russia #war in ukraine #russian invasion of ukraine #russo ukrainian war #unhcr #un #united nations #corruption

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Source

#unhcr #unrwa #palestinian refugees

[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.

#uganda #homophobia #lgbtq #gay rights #lgbtq rights #same sex relationships #human rights #social justice #refugees #kakuma refugee camp #unhcr #united nations #kenya #african union #african nations #africa #south africa #important #signal boost #boost #lgbtqia

[drsonnet]

where to?

#Rafah #Gaza #Khanyunis #Palestine

د. علاء اللقطة

#gaza #free gaza #gaza genocide #gaza strip #free palestine #palestine #genocide #freedom #i stand with palestine #palestine genocide #palestinians #palestinian genocide #palestinian art #support palestine #artist #media #cartoon #caricature #refugee #unhcr #un #dimension 20 fantasy high fantasy high junior year fhjy d20 #fhjy #d20 #FANTASY #DIMENSION #ART #ARTISTS #NEWS #UPDATE

[peacefullyraging]

#unhcr #unrwa #palestine #gaza #free palestine #free gaza #isreal #colonization #isreal wants to steal all the land #Seattlers #ethnic cleansing #ethnostate #ethno state #resettlement #analysis of isreal

[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."

#Pattie Boyd #2023 Pattie #photographer #Pattie photographer #model #muse #author #boutique owner #fashion designer #writer #beatlegirl #charity #UNHCR #Refugees #helping refugees #awareness #one world #peace #Beyond the Headlines

[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

#cate blanchett #roberta metsola #european parliament #unhcr #stop war

[toscanoirriverente]

#UNRWA #UNHCR #united nations #gaza #palestine #hamas #antisemitism

[millerdoc]

#peter capaldi #unhcr

[sedlex]

Imagine being the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and standing for a photo op with a guy who's got a whole Instagram account and terabytes over terabytes of pics and videos of an actual genocide still happening, then turning to his face and saying UNHCR needs proof documented by their offices but unfortunately Israel kicked their staff out of Palestine so... uh... sowwy?

#unhcr #tell me your office is useless without telling me your office us useless #it seems like the whole UN is useless #just another place for politicians to stand around blabbering and doing nothing #motaz azaiza #volker turk #free palestine #ceasefire now #Instagram

[vyorei]

Qatar is pledging financial support for displaced Gazans and also 100 scholarships

#free gaza #free palestine #gaza strip #irish solidarity with palestine #palestine #gaza #news on gaza #al jazeera #boycott israel #israel #Qatar #Aid #UNHCR #Global Refugee Forum

[weneedtotalkaboutcate]

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett just got back from a trip meeting Syrian refugees in Jordan. This week we’ll share some of their stories - the uplifting and the painful.

Read More | Video Below.

#cate blanchett #unhcr #refugees #ambassador #photography #middle aged actresses #lgbtq #empower women #pray for syria

[drsonnet]

RAFAH, GAZA - DECEMBER 28: Citizens queue for food that is cooked in large pots and distributed for free during war-time on December 28, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza. More than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the 7 Oct. Whilst 93 per cent of 2.3 million Gazans are "acutely food insecure," according to the World Food Program. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

مواطنون يصطفون للحصول على طعام يطهى في أواني كبيرة وتوزيعه في 28 كانون الأول/ديسمبر 2023 في #رفح، #غزة

#food #fdp #gaza #christmas #happy holidays #gettyimages #getty images #rafah #free gaza #palestine #FDP #UNHCR #REFUGEE #genocide #humanrights #humanitarian #crimes against humanity #FAMINE #HUNGER #united nations #UNRWA #FUNNY #LOL #ART #artist #tumblr #MEME #HUMOR

[eretzyisrael]

In early 2018, President Donald Trump froze a large portion of the funding that the United States provides annually for UNRWA (the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees a in the Near East). Prior to imposing the $125 million freeze, Trump tweeted: "[W]e pay the Palestinians HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect."

The president's move came in response to the fact that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his henchmen yet again were rejectingAmerican and Israeli peace overtures. Yet it was both welcome and necessary for reasons well beyond Palestinian intransigence. UNRWA not only has an abominable record of ties to terrorism, which makes a mockery of its mandate to " provide relief, human development and protection services;" but its entire existence is based on a false premise -- a special UN definition of "refugee" for Palestinians that sets them apart from other people in the world categorized as such. It thus has been able for decades to keep cash flowing freely into its coffers, providing "humanitarian services" for millions of Palestinians who are not refugees by any measure. As the ZOA's Morton Klein and Daniel Mandel recently wrote:

"All this stands in stark contrast to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the international body that deals with all refugee problems other than the Palestinian Arabs. UNHRC observes a universal definition of refugee status, one that applies solely to those who actually fled their country during hostilities, civil war, natural disaster, or other disturbances. UNHCR works to resettle refugees quickly and dismantle the temporary refugee camps housing them. Nor does it count descendants as refugees. "This has immense practical ramifications: in literally all other cases other than the Palestinian Arabs, the number of refugees shrinks over time — chiefly through successful resettlement. In contrast, in the Palestinian Arab case, their numbers continue to expand ceaselessly. "Thus, instead of the living original refugees officially numbering 30,000, UNRWA now services some 5.3 million Palestinian Arabs."

The actual number of Palestinian refugees is likely even lower than that cited by the authors: a classified State Department report, delivered to Congress in 2015, reveals it to be closer to 20,000. The report showed that billions of taxpayer dollars have been funneled over the years into an organization that seems to have been perpetuating a fraud. It is no wonder, then, that the Obama administration kept the report's contents a secret from the American public. More surprising is the fact that, since the report was first submitted to Congress in 2015 -- and subsequently exposed by the Washington Free Beacon in January, 2018 -- it has yet to be made public. To rectify this situation, fifty-one members of the House of Representatives signed a letter on April 18 -- spurred by the Middle East Forum -- calling on Trump to declassify the report.

The letter reads, in part:

"We commend your leadership in guiding the U.S.-Israel relationship to its best years in recent history, and also for finally recognizing that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel...an important step in reaching a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We have tremendous confidence that you will continue taking such steps to resolve the conflict, and encourage you to next address the so-called 'Palestinian refugee' population "America has provided $1 billion to ...UNRWA over the last four fiscal years, and nearly $6 billion since UNRWA's inception in 1950. We are concerned that American taxpayer dollars are not being used properly. Your withholding of funds from UNRWA in January on the condition that they reform was a tremendous first step. American taxpayers deserve to know how they tax dollars are spent on Palestinian refugees and their descendants. "In order to investigate the matter, the Senate Report 112-172 to the Department of State, Foreign Operations, And Related Programs Appropriations bill in 2012 directed the Department of State to issue a report to Congress detailing 'the approximate number of people who, in the past year, have received UNRWA services: (1) whose place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who were displaces as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict; and (2) who are [their] descendants... "...Finally, in 2015, the Obama State Department delivered the mandated report to Congress in classified form despite no apparent national security threat or known historical precedent...We believe this classification was inappropriate and a deliberate attempt to conceal information from American taxpayers... "We respectfully request that you instruct the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to declassify this report. The issue of the so-called Palestinian 'right of return' of 5.3 million refugees to Israel as part of any 'peace deal' is an unrealistic demand, and we do not believe it accurately reflects the number of actual Palestinian refugees..."

Pictured: Ann Dismorr (right), the Director of UNRWA in Lebanon, poses with a map that erases the State of Israel and presents all of it as "Palestine." (Image source: Palestinian Authority TV via Palestinian Media Watch)

Ruthie Blum is the author of "To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the 'Arab Spring.'"

#unrwa #donald trump #mahmoud abbas #unhcr #palestinian refugees