World Refugee Day

I took a day off yesterday to decompress after an insane last week at work and in preparation for my new job on Monday. Instead of just chilling, I had prepared a lengthy 'To Do' list and raced around town for the best part of the day ticking off tasks (it's compulsive, what can I say!). One of my main priorities was to visit the Development Resources Centre, which is only open during work hours and which I consequently never get to. For ages now I've been wanting to find more information on UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and luckily there was plenty of reading material to borrow. My interest in refugee-related issues has obviously been sparked by the volunteerwork I'm doing for RMS Refugee Resettlement, but I still can't believe I never noticed before that June 20th is designated World Refugee Day. As UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie said in a short message yesterday: "The day will go unnoticed by the majority of the world. Even those for whom the day is for often have no access to newspapers to read the announcements or have no tv to see public service announcements on their behalf. Many are running for their lives or dying on this day. But whether it is noticed or not, today stands as one of the most important days of the year. It is a day of respect and remembrance for the most vulnerable people in the world". It made me think of the situation of the Iraqi family we've been helping out, and how much better they're doing now than 6 weeks ago. Their housing woes will soon be resolved, their twin girls are growing steadily in the neo natal unit, and the intimidating mountain of paperwork they have to deal with is slowly diminishing. Vaughan & I visited them on Wednesday evening and were treated to a veritable Iraqi culinary feast, complete with the traditional serving style (see photo). Choukran!