World (MNN) — Yesterday marked the fifth annual World Refugee Day. Countries around the world commemorated the plight of more than 20 million people worldwide who are displaced from their homes.
Begun in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly, World Refugee Day is honored to recognize and celebrate the contribution of refugees throughout the world. It’s meant to help draw people’s attention to the millions of refugees forced to flee their homes worldwide. This year’s focus is on the courage that refugees must have to overcome the difficulties, to have hope in the midst of hardship.
But for many refugees, the courage they need to survive is lost in hopeless and dire situations. That’s where Christian groups step in to provide not just hope for improved situations, but also the true hope found in Jesus Christ. World Vision offers that hope as they serve refugees in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Liberia, and other conflict-ridden areas in Africa and the Middle East. In providing crucial humanitarian aid to meet the specific needs of refugees, World Vision demonstrates God’s love through His people.
