Dzaleka refugee camp was established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1994 in response to a wave of forcibly displaced people fleeing genocide, violence and wars in Burundi, Rwanda and the D.R. Congo. Prior to becoming a refugee camp, the Dzaleka facility had served as a political prison.

Since our 2010 visit, the refugee camp population has grown from 11,000 to 18,000 refugees, most of whom are women and children. Many of them spent years in refugee camps in the D.R. Congo, Zambia and Tanzania before arriving in Dzaleka. Some have lived their entire lives in UN refugee camps.

Dzaleka is also host to refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. It gives me great pleasure to make these brief remarks today to remember people who are often forgotten but who remain part of us, and who are in dire need of our support and compassion. June 20th marks World Refugee Day. It is a day in which we commemorate the plight of refugees worldwide and remind ourselves that refugees require:

• Shelter
• Food
• Clothing
• Clean water
• Medical attention, and
• Education

These are basic human needs that all of us share. Please help those in need. Your donation will help special the children and youth in Dzaleka camp who have lost everything. And we ensure children get vital medical care, blankets , clothes , safe spaces where children can play, and help them get back to education.