In photos: The refugee women breaking barriers
In photos: The refugee women breaking barriers
Today, more than 60 million women and girls remain forcibly displaced or stateless across the globe. After having fled conflict, violence and human rights abuses, many continue to live on the frontlines of crises, separated from loved ones and exposed to increased risks of poverty, exploitation and further violence. They face huge barriers as they try to continue their education, find ways to support themselves and get access to healthcare and other critical services.
But despite these challenges, they are more than refugees and survivors of displacement; they are mothers, students, business owners, leaders and skilled professionals. Given the chance, their knowledge and lived experiences can help to bring solutions to their communities. UNHCR is working to ensure that displaced women’s voices are heard in decision-making processes which affect their lives. To do this, we are partnering with refugee-led organizations, particularly those led by women, and helping refugee women to access higher education and employment.
This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the strength and talents of displaced women around the world, as well as some of the stark realities they face.
Cover image: Joséphine, Dorcas, Murielle and Grace (from left to right) are refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and representatives of the DAFI Women Power Club in Burundi, which uses mentoring to prepare young female DAFI scholars for leadership roles. ｜ © UNHCR/Antoine Tardy
Slovakia
Varvara, 18, is a first year Dance Arts student at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia. When the full-scale war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, she was studying at an arts college in Bakhmut, chasing her dream of a life on stage. Forced to flee the conflict, Varvara secured a scholarship to continue pursuing her passion through UNHCR’s DAFI programme, which has supported thousands of young refugees to enrol in higher education since 1992.
“In our situation, we do not have any stability in our lives ... DAFI meant stability…like a safety net, something I am going to have no matter what.”
© UNHCR/Antoine Tardy
Kenya
Radio Gargar is the only radio station in Dadaab, a sprawling refugee complex in north-eastern Kenya. The station is exclusively run by refugees and keeps the camp’s residents informed about issues affecting them. Fardosa Sirat Gelle joined Radio Gargar in 2021 and is passionate about using her show to give other women refugees a platform to talk about the challenges they face.
“I like to empower women through my work, especially with this being the only radio station providing information to refugees."
© UNHCR/Charity Nzomo
Mexico
Stephanny, a 28-year-old refugee from Venezuela, fled to Mexico when she was just 19. She now lives with her sister and 4-year-old son, Daniel, and studies medicine at Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. She successfully applied for a DAFI scholarship through Casa Refugiados, one of UNHCR’s civil society partners in Mexico. The scholarship allows her to juggle her education and motherhood without the additional stress of a full-time job.
“By working as a doctor, you can save lives, you make people feel better... I continue to believe that humanity can be better. That is what I fight for, what I believe in.”
© UNHCR/Antoine Tardy
Bangladesh
A group of Rohingya refugee girls attend an Adolescents’ Club in the Kutupalong settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The clubs offer young girls in the settlement access to safe spaces where they can process trauma and build positive relationships with each other. They also learn basic literacy, numeracy, and other skills, helping to bridge the education gap for girls who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh before they could complete primary school.
© UNHCR/Kamrul Hasan
Chad
Refugee entrepreneur Gambra fled conflict in Sudan before the current crisis and now lives in the Farchana settlement in Chad. After training in bread-making at Farchana Women’s Centre, she started her own successful bakery and now earns enough money to support her five children and employ other refugee women. She gives back to her community by training other women in bread-making.
© UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Bulgaria
An expert entomologist from Ukraine, Yulia, 36, works as a supervisor for the Bulgarian company Nasekomo, which is working to improve the industrial cultivation of the black soldier fly for the production of proteins and oil. The position at Nasekomo has allowed her and her mother to start over in Bulgaria after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
© UNHCR/Dobrin Kashavelov
Jordan
Manal Jumaa, 42, fled Syria with her family in 2013, taking refuge in Jordan’s Za’atari camp. Although her husband works as a painter in the camp, his income alone was not enough to provide for their six children. Manal decided to join a UNHCR mobile phone repair course to help support her family and became the camp’s first female mobile phone technician.
“I can fix any mobile device easily ... I encourage every woman to step outside the box.”
© UNHCR/Shawkat Alharfoush
United Kingdom
At just seven years old, Kismat Arab, resettled in Bradford with her family from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The eldest of four sisters, she taught herself English to take on the role of translator for her parents. In 2023, she graduated from university with a degree in Child Nursing and now works as a Staff Nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary’s Children’s Ward.
“I’ve got all the support that I need to become who I want to be.”
© UNHCR/Andrew Testa
Colombia
Esneda Saavedra is an indigenous leader and a powerful activist for land and human rights. As the first female governor of the Yukpa people, who reside in a mountainous region between Colombia and Venezuela, she has dedicated her life to protecting her community and home from forced displacement and extreme weather. Despite being targeted for speaking out, she continues to advocate for the rights of indigenous people. She works with the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia and last year was appointed as the spokesperson for indigenous women victims of Colombia’s armed conflict.
“I became a leader because it was necessary…I was born to defend our land and people.”
© UNHCR/Marina Calderon
Afghanistan
Yasamin, 33, is a tailor and the main breadwinner for her family living in the northern Afghanistan city of Kunduz. Her small business received a boost recently from a UNHCR grant that allowed her to buy new sewing machines, fabrics and thread. She has managed to increase her sales, start a new product line and is training 20 women in tailoring skills.
“Now, I have a lot of hope for the future. I would like to open a centre for tailoring to train more women, expand this work and invest in new equipment.”
© UNHCR/Faramarz Barzin
