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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Lifestyles of the Poor and Displaced (Photo Essay)

Happy World Refugee Day. How shall we celebrate the 10 million global refugees? They don't make a Hallmark card for today. So instead let's go visit some refugee camps, featuring the #1 and #2 sources of refugees: Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iraqi Refugees

Mujahed Mohammed/AFP/Getty
Mosul, IRAQ: An Iraqi boy walks through erected tents at a camp for displaced people in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, 06 April 2007.

Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty
Baghdad, IRAQ: An elderly Iraqi displaced woman weeps inside her tent at a camp for displaced people in Baghdad, 14 January 2007.


Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty
Baghdad, IRAQ: Iraqi displaced children play outside a camp for displaced people in Baghdad's al-Karrada neighbourhood, 25 March 2007.
From IraqSlogger

Afghan Refugees

The tents of the camp are crowded together, increasing the likelihood of epidemics of communicable diseases.

Crowded living conditions also prevent the proper drainage of water. Stagnant pools form which can further the spread of communicable diseases.

This picture was taken by a 19 year-old girl who lives at Jalozai with her mother, father and siblings. She was unable to work or study in Jalalabad and thus fled with her family to Pakistan.

This boy and his family spin yarn. He, like many of the people of Jalozai, show strong personal initiative.

This picture was taken by a 26-year-old man who, along with his family, fled the war in Kabul.
From Médecins Sans Frontières

Other large groups of refugees include Sudanese, Somalis, Congolese and Burundians. The 10 Million figure doesn't include Palestinian refugees for some reason, which alone now count over 4 million. They also don't include the 24.5 million internally displaced people.

Who takes in these refugees? Not the wealthy countries, mostly. Map from Worldmapper.

Details

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice piece! definetly taboo for mainstream press.

Dâi said...

see the first time
page beautiful
greeting

Dâi said...

see the first time
page beautiful
greeting

TomCat said...

RJ, you won't find these people welcomed in the US, because Bush knows that that have more reason to hate this country than others.

two crows said...

isn't it interesting that the US is the smallest country on the map?
we can be counted on to sit down in a crisis.
what happened to our melting pot? it's a great talking-point--and that's about all.

Red Jenny said...

Compare the map above with this one - the wealth of the world. Visually powerful representation of how the global North is bloated on wealth.