Did you look this up, Email?

Each month, the question “What is a refugee?” is typed into search engines about 9,900 times.

On the surface, that seems like a simple request — a refugee is someone forced to flee their country because of war, violence or persecution. 

But, behind that word lies something far more complex and far more human. Today, it describes the reality of more than 36.4 million people worldwide.

So what does it actually mean to be a refugee and who are the people behind the label?

Right now, that understanding has never mattered more.

Changes to U.S. immigration policies and cuts to foreign aid are worsening the world’s largest displacement crisis. In recent months, refugee resettlement has largely halted, some families have lost access to basic benefits like food assistance and critical international aid has been sharply reduced.

This is a crucial moment in history. 

Perhaps you’ve felt it too — the sense that the world is at a turning point. That the choices we make today will shape the kind of communities our children inherit tomorrow. 

In moments like these, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. But refugees remind us of something powerful: courage doesn’t require certainty. Every day, families forced from their homes choose courage for the sake of those they love. They step into an unknown future believing something better is still possible. Believing in more.

As we approach World Refugee Day on June 20, World Relief is calling on people like you to be part of that response. Your generosity may feel small, measured against the scale of global need. But to one family, it means everything.

Standing with all those who are suffering, 

World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church.