This year, the United nations Human Rights Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is launching, on World Refugee Day, the ‘1 Campaign’.  The campaign will run until the end of the year, 2011.

The aim of the Campaign is to remind ourselves that even 1 refugee without hope, or 1 refugee forced to flee, is 1 too many.

UNHCR has designed 11 slogans around the theme. Two of which; ‘1 refugee without hope, is too many and 1 refugee longing for home, is too many,’ were selected for the Rwandan context.

The 1 Campaign is about the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of UNHCR and that of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

By focusing on the individuality of refugees, the Campaign highlights the core protection mandate of UNHCR. So often, refugees are seen as a mass group, and we can easily forget that each 1 of them has their own dreams and their own fears; each 1 of them has their own story to tell.

1 reminds us that 1 refugee who doesn’t enjoy his or her full rights, is 1 too many.  Therefore, in order to collectively improve the lives of refugees, any 1 contribution to assist a refugee is significant and singular.

It naturally flows that we can Do 1 thing, and thus become 1 Who Cares.

UNHCR, Kigali, Rwanda.

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