In times of crisis, fleeing home is only the beginning of a much longer journey. For refugees around the world, rebuilding a life requires more than immediate relief. It demands sustained support, access to resources, and opportunities to heal and thrive over time. From securing healthcare and stable housing to restoring livelihoods and mental wellbeing, long-term rehabilitation is essential for displaced families to regain independence and dignity.
Across the globe, our Charity Alliance partners are stepping in to meet these ongoing needs. Through innovative programs, community partnerships, and compassionate care, they are helping refugees not just survive, but rebuild meaningful, hopeful futures. Below we highlight several organizations making a powerful difference in long-term refugee rehabilitation and share the stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by their work.
Anera
Hussein, a professional musician, greets us with a serene classical melody from his weathered violin. The music embodies both his artistic spirit and his journey of struggle against illness. Hussein’s story intertwines with the Critical Access for Refugees to Medicine and Health Services (CARMAH) project, which serves vulnerable refugee and Lebanese populations. One of Anera’s biggest projects in Lebanon, CARMAH is responding to the nation’s medical and pharmaceutical crisis by providing crucial chronic illness medications free of charge on a monthly basis. Serving as a vital lifeline for those most affected by the country’s socio-economic challenges, CARMAH has partnerships with more than 50 local primary health centers from all across Lebanon that act as dispensaries for patients.
Hussein is a cardiac and diabetic patient who lives in Bebnine, Akkar, an area that is often overlooked and marginalized. Hussein is an artist — a professional musician who plays the violin beautifully; makes colorful, eco-friendly art projects using upcycled Styrofoam; and enjoys making other people happy through his work.
“Sometimes,” Hussein says, “when I’m working outside my house on a Styrofoam artwork, a child passes by and compliments what they see, so I give it to them.” Hussein suffered from a cardiac arrest in 2014 and has been relying on chronic medications since then. Despite his talents for music and art projects, Hussein has grappled with the harsh reality of chronic illness, exacerbated by the economic collapse in Lebanon. “My entire income buys me two packs of medication,” he says.
As a provider for his family of five, including three daughters and a son excelling in school, Hussein sheds light on the hard choices created by the price of medications. In this predicament, Hussein turned to the Ikram Dispensary in Bebnine and began to receive the medication he needs for his heart condition and diabetes through CARMAH that he otherwise would not have been able to afford. “Being a musician is hard work. It is both physically and mentally stressful,” Hussein says. “Since I started to take all my medications through CARMAH and Ikram Dispensary, my health stabilized and I was able to pursue my art and music more often.”
Hussein’s story is but one among 11,050 lives touched by CARMAH in Lebanon’s North and Akkar governorates, and one of over 50,000 across Lebanon. Each individual, with their unique challenges, interests, and contributions, forms an integral part of the Lebanese community fabric and deserves access to the medications that enable them to maintain their health. In the partnership between CARMAH and local dispensaries all over Lebanon, stories such as Hussein’s emphasize the tangible impact of collaborative support. Through CARMAH’s intervention, lives are not only sustained but empowered to thrive, underscoring the project’s significance in fostering resilience and hope in the face of adversity.
International Rescue Committee
Windyellé had to flee northern Burkina Faso with his family due to ongoing conflicts. Supported by the PARIC project from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Solidarités International, he received cash assistance to meet his family’s urgent food needs. In Pabré, where he found refuge, he was helped by Solidarités International to restart an agricultural activity, including poultry farming. He is also part of a village savings and loan association, which allows him to save money and access small loans to grow his resources without relying on traditional banks.
In collaboration with its local partners, IRC has set up the PARIC project in Burkina Faso and Mali, a program to strengthen community resilience and inclusion. The project aims to support vulnerable populations in pastoral areas of Mali and Burkina Faso in the Mopti zone and the Soum province, which have been badly affected by armed conflict, and to meet their needs in terms of survival, health, and nutrition.
Through the economic recovery and development component of the project, IRC is helping families from these regions, some of whom have been displaced to urban areas, to develop or restart their professional activities. In Pabré, a town close to the capital of Burkina Faso, Solidarités International, a partner under the supervision of IRC, provides cash assistance and a professional support service to families. This support enables displaced people, like Ramata, to access new opportunities, such as new agricultural land or access to local markets and generate income once again.
Project HOPE
Kristina and her two children are Ukrainian refugees living at an accommodation center in Criuleni, Moldova. Kristina and her family were forced to flee their home in Odesa, Ukraine, as the war escalated. They arrived in Moldova in 2022, where they have worked to rebuild their lives in a community center supported by Project HOPE and their local partner, The Moldova Project.
After attending extensive trainings, Kristina now leads sessions to help other parents navigate the stress and uncertainty of their lives and provides them tools to handle challenging situations. “At the sessions, we teach parents how to respond to stress in healthy ways,” she says.
At a center supported by Project HOPE, she also participates in art therapy sessions and works closely with a psychologist — an experience that has been transformative. “I used to suffer from severe panic attacks,” she says. “But with the psychologist’s help, I’ve learned to manage them. These sessions help me reset and feel calmer.”
After nearly three years in Moldova, Kristina has formed deep bonds with other residents. “We’ve become like one big family,” she says. Today, she dreams of peace and the chance to return home while working toward her goal of completing a hairdressing course and one day opening her own salon. “I love watching how stylists work, creating something beautiful,” she says.
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
Diana fled her home in Haiti with her husband, Marlon, and their son, Carlo, to seek asylum from the dangerous crisis in their home country. The family eventually traveled to the U.S. southern border, but moments after crossing, Diana fainted and was rushed to the border hospital. Because of her condition, she was immediately airlifted to Tucson. In a matter of hours, Diana found herself in the hospital for an early high-risk pregnancy and multiple potentially life-threatening diagnoses.
The family was referred to CVT’s Proyecto Mariposa case management staff to ensure Diana’s medical needs would be met in Tucson upon discharge, including specialist and pre-natal care. However, more disruption was ahead of them: The family’s sponsors in the U.S. realized they could no longer receive them. This caused the family to worry about becoming homeless.
However, Diana and the family continued moving forward, working with the CVT case manager, and bringing their strong sense of optimism to their situation. CVT’s case manager helped the family start by defining their primary goals: accessing long-term complete and complex medical care, stable housing, education for their child, and legal aid. As they worked through this process, a Catholic church was identified to formally sponsor, house, and assist the family in their transition.
Once this important step was established, they also focused on Marlon’s strong desire to obtain his work permit and begin working as soon as possible, and both parents’ wishes to learn about U.S. systems and culture.
The family moved to their new home, and their lives began to improve steadily. When they arrived, Carlo asked his mother to put the case manager on the phone so he could tell her about his “new, big bed with a superhero Avengers blanket” and his cool new Legos. It was the first time in months that Diana and Marlon were able to cook their favorite foods from Haiti, food that they missed and that reminded them of home and their own kitchen.
Diana was assisted in connecting to local medical specialists and found out she would be having a baby boy. Marlon enrolled in local English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and Carlo completed his first school year. His summer was soon busy with a full schedule of activities, camps, and tutoring. Although the family has challenges to come with their ongoing asylum case, they are feeling good about their first months in the U.S.
World Relief
When Amani’s family fled the war in Syria in 2011, they lost everything — their careers, connections to family and friends, and their sense of home.
The family first sought safety as refugees in Egypt. But the country struggles to provide enough opportunities for families like Amani’s due to the high number of refugees. So they patiently waited for the opportunity to resettle in another country.
After nine long years, they received the news they had hoped for: They would be resettled in the United States! But when the couple and their two children arrived in 2022, they discovered that affordable housing was scarce in California.
Thankfully, Amani was able to get additional housing support from World Relief Southern California’s Host Home program, which is how she met Julie. Julie always saw her home as a blessing, one that she felt called to share after her adult children moved out.
World Relief connected the two. At first, Amani remembers feeling nervous about living with a stranger.
But soon, laughter and the joy of new friendships filled Julie’s empty rooms — and the hospitality flowed in both directions.
“[Amani’s family was] gracious to me. [She] would fix dinner sometimes and say, ‘please eat with us.’ They were very hospitable themselves, living in my home,” Julie explained.
In June 2022, Amani’s family found an apartment they could afford. World Relief, local churches, and the local mosque all pitched in to provide furniture and household goods. Amani cleaned and decorated and made the apartment into a beautiful home. Now with a restored sense of belonging and home, Amani’s children are enrolled in school, her husband is working on his English and pursuing a degree in graphic design, and Amani is taking steps to get her cosmetology license. We are confident that a bright future lies ahead for them and the community that welcomed them!
The stories of Hussein, Windyellé, Kristina, Diana, and Amani each illustrate a vital truth: Long-term support can change the trajectory of a life. Whether it’s access to essential medication, the chance to earn an income again, psychosocial care, stable housing, or a welcoming community, these services empower refugees to move beyond survival and toward stability and growth.
As global displacement continues to affect millions, investing in long-term rehabilitation efforts remains critical. By making a donation through your workplace to Anera, International Rescue Committee, Project HOPE, The Center for Victims of Torture, and World Relief, you can contribute to a world where refugees are given the opportunity not just to recover, but to flourish, rebuild their futures, and strengthen the communities they call home once again.
Thank you Anera, International Rescue Committee, Project HOPE, The Center for Victims of Torture, and World Relief for providing content for this blog.