Loading ...The refugee crisis has been around for decades now, with political instability taking a toll on the lives of people in the Arab world. From Iraq to Yemen to Syria to Palestine to Libya, millions of lives have been affected because of this.
The ongoing Syrian crisis has left an estimated 4.6 million Syrians as refugees, of which half are children, according to World Vision. The 1948 Palestinian war left 700,000 Palestinians without a home, forcing them to take refuge in neighboring countries and reside there because the conflict has seen no end since.
These 6 TED talks will leave you inspired to build a better world for the refugees.
1. Asem Hasna: Rebuilding our lives. Rebuilding our countries
Asem Hasna, a former student at the University of Damascus turned paramedic, joined the “revolution by saving lives, rather than taking them” in 2012. In the process, he lost his left leg. That’s when he turned to technology, learned how to program a microchip and 3D printed prosthetic limbs.
2. Alexander Betts: Our refugee system is failing. Here’s how we can fix it
Over a million refugees arrived in Europe this year and “our response, frankly, has been pathetic,” says Alexander Betts. As director of the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford, Betts highlights the importance of treating refugees with respect and dignity, allowing them to live in a safe environment.
3. Melissa Fleming: A Boat Carrying 500 Refugees Sunk at Sea. The Story of Two Survivors
On a ship carrying more than 500 refugees, a young woman turns into a heroine. Melissa Fleming, from the UN’s refugee agency, sheds light on the devastating plight and remarkable resilience of two survivors.
4. António Guterres: Refugees have the right to be protected
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres offers solutions to the global refugee crisis in a conversation with TED’s Bruno Giussani. Talking about the historical causes of the current crisis, Guterres calls for a “multilateral turn” to defy the anti-refugee propaganda of groups like ISIS.
5. Carina Hoang: Being a refugee is not a choice
Author and former refugee, Carina Hoang talks about her personal experience as a “boat person” during the Vietnamese crisis.
6. Melissa Fleming: Let’s Help Refugees Thrive, Not Just Survive
Melissa Fleming wants us all to rethink the way refugee camps are built nowadays. She advises people to build the camps in a way that helps the refugees develop the skills needed to rebuild their hometowns.