What is a refugee?

Forced to Flee

Today, more than 122 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Mothers. Fathers. Children. Uprooted from everything they’ve ever known. Among them, nearly 38 million have fled to another country in search of safety — as refugees. People like Maryolga , who fled from Venezuela to Colombia with her young daughter and elderly mother.

Refugee Stories

Each month, the question “What is a refugee?” is typed into search engines about 9,900 times. In answering this question, we're also trying to move the needle from “what” (the label) to “who” (the person). “Who is a refugee?” Let’s follow the journeys of:

Nadiwa

A Sudanese refugee who lost the baby slung on her back to gunfire as she and her family fled Darfur.

Karungu

A Congolese refugee who fled to Uganda as a teenager and was recently resettled in the U.S. with his wife and infant twins.

Mahasen

A Syrian single mother who was resettled in the U.S. with her five children, the youngest just 18-months old, days before refugee resettlement was suspended.

Did you know?

Two million children were born as refugees between 2018 and 2023, according to UNHCR.

Experience the journey of a refugee seeking safety

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Will you stand with people who have been uprooted from their homes?

Help Refugees Today

Bold Engaging Crisis

At World Relief, we stand with those who have been forced to flee, walking alongside them at each step of the journey — from surviving to thriving. We are a Christian humanitarian aid organization that was born out of a heartfelt response to the displacement crisis in Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Our mission is to boldly engage in the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church, which takes us to hot spots of displacement like conflict-affected Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East. We provide emergency humanitarian aid, training and services that help communities become resilient to displacement, and, in the U.S., help refugees rebuild their lives.

The Refugee Act

Forty five years ago, President Jimmy Carter signed the Refugee Act of 1980 into law. A nationwide movement of welcoming churches and communities had started five years prior, following the end of the Vietnam War. Former missionaries, like Connie Fairchild's parents, Grady and Evelyn Mangham, helped lead the effort to welcome Vietnamese refugees. That swell of support paved the way for the bipartisan supported Refugee Act of 1980, establishing a process for admitting vulnerable refugees and creating pathways to permanent legal status for asylum seekers. World Relief was the first evangelical Christian organization to formally partner with the U.S. government to resettle refugees admitted through the Refugee Act of 1980. Early in 2025, the national U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was suspended. Today, there is an urgent need for the church to stand in the gap — to advocate for refugees, to support those already here and to pray for those who have been forced to flee for their lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers on frequently raised topics and questions.

What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant?

A refugee is someone who leaves their country because it's dangerous or unsafe for them to stay, often due to war or persecution. They seek safety in another country, like Souza from Iran did.

An immigrant is a person who moves from one country to live permanently in another country. While an immigrant may be a refugee, like Souzan, not all immigrants are refugees as not everyone who moves to another nation has been forced to flee their home country.

What is the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker?

A refugee is someone who seeks safety in another country because it's dangerous or unsafe for them to stay in their own country, often because of war or persecution.

On the other hand, an asylum seeker is someone who has fled their home due to threats of harm or persecution and is seeking protection in another country, awaiting a decision on their asylum claim. Follow the story of Yousif, an Afghan Charitian, who had to seek asylum for his young family.

What is a refugee camp?

How to Help Refugees

Today, the needs are staggering — and urgent. The cuts to federal funding and infrastructure to support humanitarian work around the world mean that there are more global needs than were anticipated even a few months ago. You can help refugees by:

Giving

Your generosity will enable World Relief to continue providing essential aid and services for families in crisis. This includes lifesaving aid abroad and, for refugees who are already in the U.S., English language education, job readiness training, immigration legal services and building relationships through churches and communities. This is a glimpse of what your generosity can achieve:

$35/month can equip 4 refugee children in the U.S. with school uniforms, backpacks and supplies for an entire academic year, offering them a fresh start.

$100/month can provide food packages to 30 vulnerable families in disaster zones.

$300 can provide a month of utilities for a refugee household in the U.S.

$1,200 can provide one month of lifesaving support like emergency food, clean water and shelter to 170 Congolese refugee families in Burundi.

Advocating

Praying

Pray for provision, protection and peace for refugees. Join us in this prayer penned by Rev. Tish Harrison Warren for refugees. You can also download a PDF of the prayer.

A Prayer for Refugees
by Rev. Tish Harrison Warren

Lord Jesus, who loves the refugee and whose family on earth sought refuge in a far off land to flee the violence of Herod, and who calls all nations and people from all nations to yourself, we pray for those men and women and vulnerable children in danger and trouble who need refuge.

Would you protect those experiencing religious persecution and violence? Would you protect the vulnerable? Would you turn the hearts of your church and America's leaders to compassion and righteousness and justice?

Help us love our refugee neighbors as we would want us and our children to be loved. Grant wisdom and grace to government leaders and to leaders in so many local churches that serve refugees, asylum-seekers and other immigrants.

Would you bring hope? Would you bring rescue? Would you bring justice?

In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray.

Amen.