The horrifying ordeal of being a refugee is a daily reality for more than 82 million people, 26 million of whom are seeking sanctuary in other countries. Half of them are children. Today is World Refugee Day.

Thanks to you, we are doing a lot for these people. We do not forget about those fleeing rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whom we admit daily at the hospital in Ntamugenga. We support the Sisters of the Angels who dress their wounds, feed them and nurture the barely smouldering flame of remaining hope. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo was an additional blow to the people of eastern Congo. To the already huge number of refugees fleeing gangs raiding their villages in the equatorial jungle, the destructive element added tens of thousands of people from the capital city of Goma, who lost their homes.

We are taking care of the Rohingya people who fled the hell of ethnic cleansing four years ago, and today live in the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh. We are doing everything we can to give over a hundred kids at least a small taste of childhood. We are not giving up, even though our day care centre for these children was reduced to ashes in a gigantic fire in March this year. We are rebuilding it along with the homes of the most vulnerable families. This is not an easy project.

In Burkina Faso, we are fighting the effects of climate change and tackling the problem of migration so that hunger does not force villagers to leave their homes. We know that with the desertification of the surrounding areas, agriculture practiced with the use of hoes and watering cans will not survive. We are therefore growing a vegetable garden using modern solutions in order to give people work, the possibility to support their families, and not to have to make dramatic decisions to flee their homes and countries.

On the Greek island of Lesbos, we have been feeding the hungry and caring for young children every day for the past two years. We have assisted the most helpless families in surviving the winter, and now we are building an olive oil mill to give work and hope for a better future to the camp residents who have been stranded on the island for years.

We are doing all this because we have met these people, we have learned about their needs and spent enough time with them that we cannot forget about their needs when we return home.

We do all this because whether online or in reality, your and our paths have crossed

We do it because you want to do it with us. And just like us, you know that these people need us. Not only from time to time, on special occasions, but every day, until they get back on their own two feet. One wells up with tears at the sight of the sanitary conditions that the residents of the new camp on Lesbos now have, the children with malnutrition in Congo, the horrific memories and lack of prospects of the Rohingyas. But helping is never about our emotions, yet always about their needs.

Help us continue to support those who have escaped from hell. We don’t ask for much for them. 5 zloty donated regularly, once a week will not burden anyone too much. However, with this regularity, we CAN ALL HAVE AN IMPACT on making sure that there is more good in this world every day, not just on special occasions.

If you’re not already doing it, start now. High Five! If you are already with us, help get this message out to those who are still undecided. Share where you can and talk about us a lot.