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"There are certain images that will stay with me for a very long time. Because those are the images that cannot be forgotten overnight." Sajjad Malik witnessed terrible suffering during the Syrian crisis. As UNHCR’s former representative in the country, he oversaw one of the UN Refugee Agency’s toughest and most dangerous operations.

Since the war in Syria started in 2011 more than 5.7 million people have fled the country. Another 6.9 million are internally displaced. In this special bitesize episode, Sajjad Malik reflected on the catastrophic conditions he witnessed there and the lasting impact of those memories.

"You have to maintain your mental strength and courage. It’s fine to say it and reflect and cry if need be."

A hidden crisis is enveloping neighbouring Ituri Province, in North Kivu, where civilians face extreme daily violence that has forced 1.5 million to flee their homes. and its partners in Ituri are providing emergency shelters, distributions of household items, and vital services including psychosocial and legal support to survivors of violence.

brings us the story of the many migrants caught between uncertainty and hope, who continue to risk their lives in the Darien Gap, an infamously perilous trek, seeking to reach North America.

With the onset of the cold weather, people in Ukraine would not leave their land and started preparing for the worst – teams supported 109 families in the Kyiv Region with renovation works.

Ghazzal -  a ninth-grade student from the Beit Surik Girls School in the West Bank – invented a device that opens windows automatically as soon as it senses gas, with the potential to save countless lives across the West Bank and beyond.

brings us the story of Yash, 17, who writes to his refugee grandfather, now deceased. His grandad fled as a teenager in 1947 during the partition of India, leaving everything behind.

Due to his complicated upbringing, Ievhen has never been able to get a passport or access many of his rights: to have an education, get a decent job, officially marry his partner Marharyta, open a bank account, or receive state benefits – which he should now be entitled to as an internally displaced person. He reached out to ’s partner NGO Caritas who referred the family to IOM’s tailored protection services. Legal identity is central to enabling regular migration and to protecting the rights of migrants throughout their migration journeys.

As the war in Ukraine continues, psychotherapists are concerned for the mental health and well-being of refugees. A partner provides stress relief from therapists and a support dog named Noir.

Most people are familiar with the phenomenon of refugees, those forced to flee their country of origin, because of fear of persecution or because of armed conflict or natural disaster. Internally displaced persons don’t cross international boundaries but find it necessary to relocate to a different region of their country. On , Conor Lennon met with Cecilia Jimenez-Damary – the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons – on the link between conflict and the climate crisis, which is increasingly causing people to search for safety.

brings us the story of Ana Marvez, who found a home in Chile, after finding the Music Foundation for Integration, a group composed mostly of musician refugees and migrants from Venezuela.

Ornella Banam escaped the civil war in Central African Republic in 2014, fleeing to Burkina Faso. She managed to continue her studies there but dropped out after her father died when she could no longer afford the fees. Last year, Banam was selected for the DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship programme, allowing her to return to higher education. The  programme – funded by the and partners is crucial to achieving the 15by30 goal, achieving 15 per cent higher education enrolment of refugees by 2030.

Dr. Angela Merkel, the former Federal Chancellor of Germany, accepted the 2022 at a special ceremony in Geneva, saying the prize was in honour of “the countless people who lent a hand” when large numbers of refugees arrived in Europe in 2015 and 2016. “In reality, people’s lives happen locally, in cities and communities,” she told the audience. “And that is why I would like to thank the local politicians and employees in the municipalities in particular, as well as the many volunteers in organisations or those who provide individual assistance.” 

The Mbera Fire Brigade in Mauritania, is one of the winners of the 2022 Nansen Refugee Award, for their courage and tenacity in safeguarding lives, livelihoods and a local environment.

Aryan Sanghrajka, 18, (Ba), who fled Uganda in 1972 due to the forced expulsion of Asian residents.

Sometimes, we might unintentionally trigger a harmful narrative on migration. In this episode of the podcast, #, we focus on how migration is not one-dimensional and why telling individual stories of migration, which reflect all dimensions of people, can help avoid perpetuating harmful narratives.

who uses the power of music, harmonizing his saxophone jazz melodies with a recording of his mother’s own story of migration, to accentuate the emotions of her story.

“I had to share my mother's story and just to give people that perspective of that side of life and how real it is for many people to this day,” he said. “It was very important to me and also just the gratitude that I have for her and her journey.”