Save Fragile Lives Fund

Help children who have fled their homes because of war and violence to find a place where they can feel safe.

For refugees, there is no way home

Sara is nine years old. She was only one-year-old when her family escaped from Syria to Iraq. Sara now lives with her three siblings and her parents in a refugee camp. She is in the fourth grade of primary school. She thinks education is very important and dreams of being a teacher one day.

Her mother shares: “We never thought of how long we would stay here. I hope the future is good; not for me but for my children. I hope that my children live in a nice place, and that wherever they go it will be better for them than it is now. The most important thing is the children. That we are safe and sound. We don’t have hope to return to Syria.”

For millions of refugees around the world, home is a place they ran from as bombs fell. A place buried under rubble and the remains of their friends and neighbours. A place too dangerous to ever set foot in again.

Most refugees are in a land not their own, trying to live a normal life in a deeply abnormal situation. For most of them, there is no way home.

They say home is where the heart is. A place where you can be safe. A place that you can always return to. As we observe World Refugee Day on 20 June, let’s remember the struggles of children fleeing conflict, and help them build a new home, wherever they may be.

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Living in Dangerous Places

There are places in the world that are far too dangerous or unstable for us to set up Child Sponsorship Programmes. Known as fragile contexts, these are areas where governments cannot (or will not) act to protect the rights of their people. For children and families living in these places, basic necessities like food, clean water, education, security and protection from abuse and exploitation seem hopelessly out of reach.

Being born in a country that is a fragile context means that you may wake up one day not in the comfort of your bed, but crammed into a small tent with your family. Living in these countries means that you might not have schools, because they are either closed or destroyed. Most of your basic rights have been violated, but you don’t know it because this is the norm for you. All of this is made worse by natural disasters such as famines, floods and pandemics like COVID-19.

Syria

Since 2011, the war in Syria has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, including 55,000 children. Nearly 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes and are displaced within Syria or seeking safety in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond.

Read Shaima’s Story

South Sudan

Due to the ongoing civil conflict, about 4.3 million people from South Sudan are currently displaced, including refugees, internally-displaced people and asylum-seekers. There are now over 2 million South Sudan refugees, making it the largest refugee crisis in Africa.

Read Agnes’s Story

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Lasting violence in DRC has forced millions from their homes, and many displaced people face major health risks. The most vulnerable are women and children as displacement increases the risk of sexual and gender-based violence.

Read Marie’s Story

Rebuild Their World with Us

Due to the volatility and fragility of countries like Syria, our work in fragile contexts varies. We need to be flexible and adaptable, working together with partners to provide positive outcomes for children like Shaima, Agnes and Marie.

Our goal is to provide life-saving supplies like food, shelter and hygiene kits, and lasting interventions to help communities recover such as establishing Child-Friendly Spaces that help children deal with trauma, access counselling and catch up on education.

How can you partner with us in this life-saving work?

DONATE in support of World Vision’s work in fragile contexts. Every ringgit given is stretched to help children and families survive, recover and build for a brighter future.

Donors who sign up for a recurring monthly donation of RM50 will receive a special edition handwoven Wristband of Hope (while stocks last). In refugee camps around the world, child refugees are often given a token or wristband upon registration. When a child wears a wristband, it means they are safe – their rights as refugees are now recognised and protected. It is a symbol of hope, connecting you to the children whose future is now brighter with your support.