Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe most useful help starts with a question, not a shopping list: ask refugees or a trusted local refugee-serving organization what is needed now, then offer money, time, skills, advocacy or goods through the channel they identify. People who have been displaced are the best experts on their own circumstances. A well-intended donation can be wasteful, intrusive or even risky when it is based on guesses.
Start with listening, not a package of supplies
Refugees are not a single group with one set of needs. A person who has just arrived may need help navigating registration, housing or transport. Someone who has been in a community for months may be focused on language learning, work, school, health care, childcare or social connection. Needs also change as laws, prices, family circumstances and local services change.
UNHCR’s volunteer guidance puts the sequence plainly: “Identify specific issues in your community. Try not to make assumptions and talk to refugees directly if you can, to better understand their needs. Then, create a plan or idea for how you can support!” That sequence—identify, ask, plan—protects people’s agency and helps supporters avoid duplicating work that an established service already provides.
Who to ask
- The person or family concerned: Ask what would be useful, what is not needed and how they prefer to receive help. Do not treat a personal conversation as permission to share their story publicly.
- A local refugee-serving organization: A settlement agency, community group, legal-aid project, school liaison or other established service can explain current requests, volunteer openings, safeguarding rules and referral boundaries.
- Community leaders and interpreters: They can help with language and access, but they should not be expected to speak for every refugee or reveal private information.
Ask an open, practical question: “What would make the next few weeks easier, and is there a safe way I can help?” If an organization is coordinating support, ask for its current priority rather than proposing a program of your own.
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Choose help that matches an identified need
There is no universally correct form of assistance. Compare an option by five questions:
- Was it requested by refugees or by a trusted organization working with them?
- Does it fit an existing program, referral route or safeguarding process?
- Do you have the time, skills and reliability to follow through?
- Can it be provided safely without exposing personal information?
- Does it preserve people’s ability to make their own choices?
| Option | When it can help | What to check first | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money | When a reputable organization can direct funds to current priorities, or a cash program has assessed that local markets and delivery channels are safe. | Whether the donation is unrestricted or tied to a specific appeal; the organization’s legitimacy; local tax rules. | Assuming cash is suitable everywhere, or attaching conditions that limit useful spending. |
| Volunteering | When a local group has a defined role such as language practice, administration, activities, logistics or communications. | Training, background checks, supervision, confidentiality and the time commitment. | Arriving without an appointment, making promises the service cannot keep or giving advice outside your competence. |
| Goods | When a local organization or recipient has made a current, specific request and can receive, store and distribute the item. | Exact size, condition, quantity, delivery time and whether purchasing locally is more useful. | Collecting random clothing, blankets, food or toys that create sorting, storage and transport work. |
| Advocacy and welcoming | When supporters can improve access to work, services, education, social networks or fair public discussion. | What the organization wants supporters to do and what consent is required before telling personal stories. | Speaking for refugees, publicizing individual cases or turning a person’s experience into a campaign without permission. |
When donating money is the better choice
Money can give people flexibility to address the need that matters most to them. UNHCR explains that cash assistance allows displaced people to prioritize their needs, but programs use it only when local markets are functioning and there is a safe way to deliver cash or vouchers. Those conditions are assessed locally; cash is not automatically appropriate in every emergency or community.
Unrestricted versus directed donations
An unrestricted donation lets an established organization move funds to its most urgent work. UNHCR encourages donors who cannot verify a particular local need to consider unrestricted giving, while also offering specific appeals. A directed appeal may be appropriate when its purpose matches what you want to support, but read the terms so you understand whether the organization can redirect funds if circumstances change.
Before paying, verify the organization through its official site or a regulator in your country, check that the payment page is secure, and keep the receipt. Tax deductibility for direct donations varies by country and by the organization’s legal status; do not assume a donation qualifies for a deduction.
Direct cash to an individual
Giving directly can be appropriate in a relationship where the person has asked for it and both sides understand the arrangement. Keep the choice with the recipient, avoid demanding proof of hardship, and never make help conditional on photos, public thanks, political views or continued contact. If you are unsure how to transfer money safely, ask a local organization for a referral rather than improvising.
Why unsolicited goods often cause problems
UNHCR says it does not accept small-scale in-kind donations such as clothes, blankets, food or toys because collecting and shipping items from many locations is inefficient. The same practical issue can affect local groups: volunteers may have to inspect, sort, store, transport and dispose of unsuitable items instead of delivering requested assistance.
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This does not mean goods are never useful. It means the request should come first. A local organization may need a particular size of winter coat, a specified hygiene item, school materials for a named program or furniture for a new apartment. It may instead prefer to buy locally, where products fit local standards and money supports nearby businesses.
A responsible goods-offer checklist
- Contact the organization before buying anything.
- Ask for the exact item, quantity, condition, sizes, brands or safety standards, and deadline.
- Confirm where and when it can be delivered and who will handle it.
- Ask whether a cash contribution would be more useful if the request changes.
- Do not send unrequested parcels or leave bags at an office, shelter or place of worship.
If a person asks for an item, confirm the details privately. A public “wish list” can disclose names, locations or sensitive circumstances.
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Volunteer without taking over
Volunteer opportunities depend on local circumstances. UNHCR identifies language teaching, administrative help, social activities, and NGO logistics or communications among possible roles, and recommends contacting local partner organizations. Start by offering a concrete skill and a realistic schedule rather than saying you can do “anything.”
Before your first shift
- Ask who supervises the role and how referrals are handled.
- Complete required training, screening or background checks.
- Learn the organization’s rules on confidentiality, photography, gifts, transport and one-to-one contact.
- Clarify what you must do if someone discloses abuse, urgent medical needs, homelessness or a legal problem.
- Agree on a start date, end date and way to cancel so the service can plan around your availability.
Use your skills within the role
A language volunteer can practise everyday conversation without presenting themselves as a certified interpreter. An administrator can enter data using the organization’s system instead of creating a parallel spreadsheet. A professional can offer a skills workshop only when the organization has identified a need and can manage participant safety. If a question falls outside your expertise, say so and refer it through the approved channel.
Do not promise employment, housing, immigration outcomes, medical treatment or legal results. You can help someone find the correct service; you cannot guarantee what that service will decide.
Protect privacy, dignity and safety
Refugees may face risks connected to family members, former authorities, trafficking, discrimination or online exposure. UNHCR warns: “Whenever you are working with refugees, remember not to post pictures or information without permission, because it could put someone at risk.” Treat that as a minimum standard, not merely a social-media preference.
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Consent is specific and voluntary
Ask before taking a photograph, recording a voice, publishing a name, sharing a location or describing a personal history. Explain where the material will appear, who may see it and whether it can be removed. Consent to a private organizational record is not consent to a public post. A person may change their mind, and declining must not affect access to help.
Children require particular care. Follow the organization’s child-safeguarding rules and never arrange private contact, transport or online communication with a child outside the approved process. Do not ask people to retell traumatic events for your project.
Keep information to the minimum necessary
- Use the organization’s secure systems instead of personal messaging apps when possible.
- Do not copy identity documents, immigration details or medical information unless an authorized process requires it.
- Do not identify a shelter, school, clinic or family’s home in a public post.
- Use blind-copy or approved mailing tools when contacting multiple recipients.
- Delete notes and photographs according to the organization’s retention rules.
Support integration without demanding gratitude
UNHCR lists advocacy, helping refugees get work and welcoming activities as ways to help. Effective integration support is practical and reciprocal: a conversation group that follows participants’ goals, a referral to a verified employer, help understanding a public service, or an invitation that does not require someone to disclose their history.
Ask how the local organization wants supporters to participate. Some groups need people to contact elected representatives, challenge misinformation, accompany newcomers to appointments or build relationships with schools and employers. Others may already have enough volunteers in those roles and need behind-the-scenes administration instead.
Do not frame participation as a test of gratitude or cultural conformity. A person can decline an event, keep their own traditions, or disagree with your political views and still deserve respectful support.
How to ask questions respectfully
Good questions give control to the person answering. Try:
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- “What would be most useful today?”
- “Would you prefer information, practical help or space to decide?”
- “Is there a service you already trust that I should contact with you?”
- “Would you like me to share this request with the organization, or keep it between us?”
- “What is the safest way and time to contact you?”
Avoid questions that demand a traumatic narrative, assume a person’s legal status, or imply that one refugee represents an entire nationality, religion or language group. If communication is difficult, arrange a qualified interpreter through the organization rather than relying on a child or guessing at meaning.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common failure modes and better alternatives
“I bought what I thought people would need.”
Why it fails: The items may not fit local weather, housing, culture, storage capacity or safety requirements. Better: Ask for a current list or donate funds that let the organization buy locally.
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Why it fails: It can create dependency, duplicate professional services or expose private information. Better: Coordinate with the family’s chosen organization and agree on a narrow, reliable role.
“I will share a compelling story to raise money.”
Why it fails: Public exposure can create safety risks and reduce a person’s identity to hardship. Better: Fundraise through an established channel using approved, consented material—or keep the appeal general.
“I can translate, give legal advice and find a job.”
Why it fails: Good intentions do not replace qualifications, confidentiality or regulated processes. Better: Offer the skill you actually have and refer other needs to qualified providers.
“I volunteered once, so I know what everyone needs.”
Why it fails: Needs differ by person, location and time. Better: Recheck priorities with the organization before each new activity.
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A simple decision path for your next action
- Define your capacity. Decide whether you can give money, a recurring number of hours, a specific skill, advocacy or a requested item.
- Find a trusted local channel. Contact an established refugee-serving organization or a person’s chosen service rather than posting a vague offer that others must manage.
- Ask for the current need. Confirm the purpose, timing, eligibility and any safety or safeguarding requirements.
- Make a precise offer. State what you can do, how often and for how long. Let the organization decline or reshape it.
- Obtain consent. Confirm privacy, communication and publicity boundaries before collecting or sharing information.
- Follow through and review. Deliver what was agreed, report problems through the supervisor, and ask whether the help should continue, change or stop.
What “helpful” looks like in practice
If you have money but little time
Choose a reputable organization, consider an unrestricted donation, and check whether it operates a cash or voucher program in the relevant location. If you want a specific purpose, select an appeal that names it and allows for changing conditions. Keep the receipt and review the organization’s reporting and privacy information.
If you have time and a practical skill
Contact a local group, describe the skill and offer a dependable schedule. Accept its screening and training requirements. Work within the assigned role, protect confidential information and use the referral process for needs you cannot handle.
If you have goods already
Do not assume that unused items are wanted. Send a short inventory to a local organization and ask whether any item matches a current request. If not, donate or recycle it through an appropriate channel and offer money or time instead.
If you want to speak out
Ask the organization which policy or public action would help, use accurate general information, and avoid identifying individuals without explicit, informed consent. Advocacy should increase safety and access—not pressure refugees to perform their experiences for an audience.
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Verify local details before you act
Volunteer intake, safeguarding rules, requested goods, donation methods and tax treatment change by organization and country. Check the organization’s current official information and confirm details directly before travelling, collecting items, transferring money or sharing a request. If you cannot verify a safe, current channel, pause rather than sending unsolicited assistance.
The central principle is straightforward: people affected by displacement should help define the help. Asking first is not a delay or a lack of generosity; it is how generosity becomes useful, safe and respectful.
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