Our new and redesigned website

After 6 months of hard work we are happy (and quite proud) to present version 2 of the Refugees United search engine. We’ve taken everything we’ve learned from more than a year of running an online forum that helps empower refugees to directly reconnect with missing loved ones, and poured it into this improved version.

Today we feel it’s ready for public viewing. It’s still, in some ways, a beta version, and unfortunately at the moment it is only available in English. Another 20 or so languages will be added during the month of April, and we will end up having even more languages than we’ve had until now.

We hope you like the new site, and that you’ll be patient with any small quirks you might find. Please let us know if there are questions or issues that need addressing, by writing us an e-mail (support@refunite.org).

Click here to visit our new site. If the link doesn’t take you to our brand-new site, please be patient, and come back in a few hours. Enjoy!

Brazilian law for refugees is considered remarkable

Deutsche Welle published an article on DW-World.com website about the Brazilian law for refugees and mentioned the work carried out by Refugees United Brasil’s team.

We have translated the story that was originally published in Portuguese (http://www.dw-world.com/dw/article/0,,5167314,00.html) and Spanish (http://www.dw-world.com/dw/article/0,,5168793,00.html).

Good reading!

Refugees United

Brazilian law for refugees is considered remarkable

Most of the refugees in Brazil come from Angola

They come from Angola, Congo, Liberia, and Uganda and not always arrive in Brazil in a planned manner. With closed doors in Europe, refugees are going to Brazilian cities to start a new life.

She prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons. As one of the many African women, Maria (not her real name) had to leave her country to preserve her life. Born in Uganda, at 43 years with four children, the social worker has abandoned her country accused by the government of being a “rebel.”

Maria chose Brazil as a shelter. “I knew I had a hard time being accepted in Europe. Brazil, for me it was safer.” For seven months she waits her case to be decided by the Brazilian government. Maria traveled alone, left the children in Uganda, in the age of 20, 17, 16 and 11 years.

The image of African men and women in overcrowded boats that roam the sea and try to reach a different continent is not part of the history of the refugees who arrive in Brazil. The dramatic scene, so common in countries bordering the Mediterranean, is far from the Brazilian imaginary.

Africans seeking a fresh start arriving in Brazil by conventional means, for commercial flights, among other passengers, as was the Mary’s case. And the Africans are the first in the list with a total number of 4,240 refugees in Brazil: they account for 64.8% of the total.

Instead of crowding boats, most of the refugees arriving by plane

An Option for Refugees
Today, Brazil has an estimated population of 192 million people – slightly more than 4 thousand are legal refugees. “This ratio follows the Brazilian geographical disposition. It is hard to come here illegally, either by sea or by the dry border, stresses Renato Zerbini, ahead of the National Commission for Refugees, CONARE.

Moreover, Brazil has received more Africans over the years: “The borders in Europe were closed. It is almost impossible for Africans to land there … And there are countries that grant quotas for refugees, such as Italy. In Brazil we do not have it”, examines the specialist.

Currently, refugees from 75 different nationalities live as Brazilian citizens: most of them come from Angola. The list points secondly refugees from Colombia, followed by natives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. “Some of them choose to live in Brazil. Young people, for example, are influenced by the football or the music. Because this is a Brazilian image reflected in Africa,” says Renato Zerbini.

The road to legality
According to Brazilian law, a foreigner entering the country with false documents is not precluded from asking for refuge. The National Committee for Refugees, established in 1997, provides that any person who is outside the country of nationality and has a well-founded fear of persecution can seek refuge in Brazil. “Many flee undocumented cross territories, do not even know where they are going,” says Zerbini.

When identified, the fugitives from the country of origin, provides information for the Federal Police of Brazil. CONARE’s officials interview the applicant, who is also accompanied by the UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees.

Until the case is decided, the candidate for the refuge receives financial assistance of up to one minimum wage. Typically, the refugees are in shelters and receive public assistance of Caritas, a Catholic Church organization.

The trial of the case takes on average six months and the acceptance of the refuge ranges from 35% to 55% in Brazil. “It’s a generous average compared with other countries, which is approximately 30%, compared Zerbini.

Supported the guidelines of the United Nations, Brazil did not accept those who have committed crimes against peace or crimes against humanity, war crime or offense, who has participated in terrorist acts or is involved in drug trafficking.

In assessing the UN agency for refugees in Brazil, the Brazilian law and reflects the UN Convention of 1951 that takes care of the matter. It is even regarded as broader than the Convention itself and it is highlighted because considers the violation of human rights a factor that excludes the right to refuge.

Angolan refugees in Brazil fled from the civil war of the 1990s

Dramatic stories in Brazilian territory
The CONARE’s file also keeps dramatic stories. Amongst them, two Cubans who, aboard a small boat, arrived in Santos – on the south coast of São Paulo state – thinking they were arriving in Miami, the United States.

There are also cases of Africans arriving in Brazilian ports in illegality: some are found in high seas. Two years ago, fishermen in Natal, northeastern Brazil, rescued at sea refugees tied to barrels. There were three fugitives who traveled from Africa to Brazil in the hold of a ship and, when discovered, were thrown overboard by sailors.

“When the ship calls, companies are responsible for the foreigners who are on board. And when crew members are found illegal, the sailors get rid of them for not having to pay to the government of where they land,” said Zerbini .

Reunion tentative
“When a refugee feels safe, the first thing he does is try to find who he lefts behind.” The story of Alexandra Aparício is based on her family history and professional experience: her mother took refuge in Brazil to escape communism in China in 1954. After growing up watching the anguish of grandparents in search of information from relatives, Alexandra decided to work for an agency that provides services to refugees.

Refugee United (RU) was founded in 2005 in Denmark and has offices in the United States and Brazil. The organization seeks to unite family with the help of the Internet: in Sao Paulo, there are two rooms with computers available for refugees to make inquiries on the RU’s website.

Alexandra says that there appear exciting stories: Iona, from Ethiopia managed to find his wife through the RU. She was in England, after having passed through Zimbabwe and Botswana.”Many who come here are Africans from Ethiopia, Uganda, Guinea, and Ivory Coast,” says Alexandra.

“They also come here to feel welcomed, to talk, to tell the story of the mother, father, and children left behind,” says Alexandra.

According to Renato Zerbini, refugees are welcomed by the population. “They come here thinking they will be mistreated, after all, is usually the case in European countries. But most can integrate well, they take jobs, study and make their life here,” he concludes.

Response to the Haiti Earthquake

In the wake of the Haiti Earthquake, Refugees United has been in contact with partner organizations involved in efforts to track missing people, and reconnect them with friends and family. We have offered our help in any way possible, and the refunite.org platform as a longer term solution for those individuals who have not been able to reconnect with family in the coming weeks.

Rather than push yet another missing person platform onto the scene, and with the RU platform specifically minded for refugees, we continue to promote the excellent efforts of organizations specializing in emergency response, and disaster management.

On Thursday January 14, we were in contact with the US State Department, and following that, with friends and partners from organizations such as INSTEDD, Ushahidi, Sahana Foundation and others. We have stayed in contact with these organizations over the past days, and have offered whatever help we could.

We cannot begin to express how impressive we find the quick responses offered by these efforts, the dedication of the engineers and programmers, and the usefulness of the resulting web services.

To play our small part in these efforts, we have offered the refunite.org platform as a possible base for those missing persons registrations that cannot be resolved in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. We also hope this effort can be the starting point of a effective collaboration between the many organizations that deal with missing persons records amongst refugees, internally displaced, stateless persons and victims of large scale natural disasters.

To see live updates from the ground in Haiti, reported via e-mail and SMS, take a look at http://haiti.ushahidi.com

For people looking for missing family in Haiti, we refer to Googles aggregated database at http://haiticrisis.appspot.com/ or ICRC Family Links at http://ow.ly/XGKC

Refugees United

Amnesty to illegal aliens fulfills Brazilian government’s expectations

We translated the article published on the Brazilian Ministry of Justice website. The original version could be read through this link (http://www.mj.gov.br/data/Pages/MJA5F550A5ITEMIDBA915BD3AC384F6C81A1AC4AF88BE2D0PTBRIE.htm).

Refugees United

Amnesty to illegal aliens fulfills Brazilian government’s expectations

Around 43 thousand foreigners regularized their situation from July 02 to December 30 last year, during the last amnesty granted by the Brazilian government. That balance has been disclosed this Wednesday (06) by the interim minister of Justice, Mr. Luis Paulo Barreto, confirming official expectations. Bolivians head the list of the measure’s greatest beneficiaries, with around 17 thousand registered persons, the majority of them – around 16.3 thousand – in the state of Sao Paulo alone.

The registration was done by the Federal Police (FP) and its purpose was to show that Brazil follows an opposite course if compared to other nations, without discriminating immigrants and allowing them to have henceforth a dignified life, with the right to health, education, housing, employment and justice. Such an attitude has a humanitarian character and avoids, for example, that a considerable part of those foreigners becomes explored workforce under slavery-like labor regimes.

That is exactly the case of Bolivians. Many of them, by fear of deportation, were obliged to work in unhealthy facilities, without decent wages and under extenuating conditions. Following Bolivians in the number of regularization requests are the Chinese (5.5 thousand), Peruvians (4.6 thousand), Paraguayans (4.1 thousand) and Koreans (1.1 thousand). And a surprise: approximately 2.4 thousand Europeans contacted the FP.

In the case of Europeans, they have a different profile from remaining foreigners. They usually are entrepreneurs. A considerable part of them have benefited from a pension allowance or from money saved in Euros to open small businesses, such as restaurants and beach inns in the Brazilian northeastern region – but registered in the name of third parties. With the amnesty, they will be able to act freely, to extend their investments and even to obtain bank loans.

This has been the third amnesty granted by the government (the other ones were held in 1998 and 1988) and the most expressive in terms of results. One of the reasons was the value to be paid for the benefit – four to five times lower than in the previous amnesty programs – and the political will so that Brazil outstands in the global scenario as a country without prejudice against immigrants.

“Here we defend migratory regularization as a social inclusion instrument. It is a “no” to criminalization”, said Mr. Luis Paulo Barreto. “Brazil, historically, has been formed by foreigners. The newcomers are able to profess their faith, and to keep their own costumes. Brazilians absorb and live very well with such differences”.

According to the new amnesty, all foreigners facing an illegal migratory situation who had entered Brazil until February 1, 2009, could request a provisory residence permit for two years, provided they fulfilled some requirements, such as moral standing. Ninety days before the end of that two-year period, the temporary residence right might become a permanent one. The beneficiaries will hold the same rights and duties as Brazilians do, with the exception of those inherent to people born in the country, such as the possibility of running for elected offices.

Today, around one million people, from many different nationalities, legally live in Brazil, among them: Portuguese (270 thousand); Japanese (92 thousand); Italians (69 thousand); Spanish (58 thousand); Argentineans (39 thousand); Bolivians (33 thousand); German (28 thousand); Uruguayans (28 thousand); North-American (28 thousand); Chinese (27 thousand), Koreans (16 thousand); French (16 thousand); Lebanese (13 thousand) and Peruvians (10 thousand). Nonetheless, that is a lower figure than the number of Brazilians living abroad, which might amount to 4 million people.

Source: Ministério da Justiça

Christmas of the stateless people

We translated an article about Casa do Migrante, a Refugees United’s partner, which offers shelter to the refugees that arrive in Brazil.

This is the original link (in Portuguese) of the article published in O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper. (http://www.estadao.com.br/estadaodehoje/20091227/not_imp487390,0.php)

Good reading!

Refugees United

Christmas of the stateless men

In a shelter located in São Paulo city, they celebrate this date far away from their origins, their cultures and their relatives

Along with the holiday memories that the Sierra Leonese Alimamy Mohames, age 25, carries, lies one of a large party throughout the streets of the city of Masiaka. “During this time of the year, all you see is joy over there”, he remembers, with nostalgia in his eyes. “The national soccer tournament is over, everyone celebrates and, on Christmas day, there is an enormous show for the people. Despite being a Muslim, I like to give out presents and have a drink with my mates.”

The last December 25th, however, was different for him. Mohames could not celebrate with his friends and relatives. Living in Brazil since October 19th, he spent Christmas in Paraná, with refugees from Ghana and Senegal, in search of a job. Mohames says he fled from his country, “in order not to die”. Estado spoke with him on the last December 22nd, at the Casa do Migrante, an institution supported by the Catholic Church in downtown São Paulo. At that time, Mohames was already packing for Paraná.

Threatening notes
There are currently 80 men and 20 women living at the Casa do Migrante’s 30 bedrooms. They are mostly individuals who have sought asylum in Brazil due to racial, social or religious persecution in their homelands. Other have suffered severe human rights violations. For having been attacked, raped, rejected, offended and faced with death threats, they are considered refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Mohames’ story is a living example of that. In the 90s, when a civil war overtook the African country, his family did not accept to join the rebels who were taking the president down. In 1997, the same year in which the coup took place, his mother and father were killed by soldiers. “The rebels attacked my house on my birthday”, he recalls, with tears in his eyes. “Look at what they did”, he says, showing a picture of his mother with her throat cut – her head separated from her body. “They used to send copies of this photo to me, alongside a note which said: ‘you were lucky’”.

Indeed he was. Mohames only escaped the massacre because on that night he was sleeping over at a friend’s house. He had just turned 12. After becoming an orphan, he was raised by an uncle and two older brothers (one of them does not have his arms, cut down during the war). “Even after the peacekeeping troops entered Sierra Leone and ended the conflict, they continued to persecute me”, says Mohames. He also expresses a certain pride of the fact that the rebels hated his father for having been a notorious oppositionist to them, and especially because of the success he had achieved in his city. “I am a professor, graduated in Linguistics and currently studying Sociology, I speak eight languages and was elected the second best student in my country. This irritated them”.

As time went by, the threats became more frequent. “I would find threatening notes on top of my bed when coming back home”, he says. In August, a friend of his father gave him airline tickets to come to Brazil and imposed on him: “go and make your life longer”. Mohames first traveled to Senegal, where he waited for his flight over here. He has arrived around three months ago, in Sao Paulo, and with only USD 100 in his pockets, he started living at the Casa do Migrante, from where he left, alongside other refugees, in hope of finding a job in a meat producer industry at the southern State of Paraná.

Christmas
The Sierra Leonese is one of the 4.2 thousand refugees in Brazil who will spend the holidays away from their home countries. “I won’t even celebrate, because I don’t have enough happiness for that”, he indicates. “I am in a land in which I cannot communicate, because I don’t speak Portuguese. I can’t find a job, I can’t share the knowledge I acquired in the university, and I live without my friends and siblings”.

Not everyone who is facing the same situation as Mohames looks at this time of the year with sadness, though. The Sudanese Yvon Paka, who arrived at the Casa do Migrante on October 3rd, is filled with joy. Smiling, he feels very happy for celebrating Christmas with his roommates. “I love Brazil”, he says in a poor and accent-heavy Portuguese. “Over here there are no dead children on the streets and I can walk around fearless”. A Christian, Paka was persecuted by Muslims, the predominant religion in Sudan. “They will curse, rape, beat and kill those who are not like themselves”, he reports. “I hate them”, he says, while helping his friend Mohames, a Muslim, to pack his bags. “But the ones who are here at this house are nice”, he highlights.

Paka celebrated Christmas’ Eve with a supper alongside his colleagues from Casa do Migrante. Four cooks prepared ten kilos of rice, seven of potatoes, 20 of manioc flour, two turkeys and seven hams. For dessert, 200 stick-ice creams were served. “This is a much fuller dinner than most of them would have had in their home countries”, says the priest Mario Geremia, vice-director of the house and coordinator of the Pastoral do Migrante. The table was set by a group of refugees and immigrants. “They need to feel at home here and, by consequence, take care of this space as if they were in their own homes”. The priest believes that organizing a Christmas supper is a way of showing them that they have found shelter, and that they are now protected and among friends.

The Nepalese Kamal Galltam loved the food. In poor English, he defined: “good”. Galltam arrived in Brazil a year ago. He says he lost his house in Nepal in 2007, when an avalanche hit his house and killed his parents. He came to this country illegally, down at ship’s basement. When he arrived here, he lived in the streets of Sao Paulo, without any money or food, and speaking no Portuguese. Police officers found him in these conditions and took him to the Casa do Migrante. Underfed, he spent two months having only milk. Today, he says he still has severe headaches everytime he is hungry. At the table, besides his refugee colleagues, Galltam ate two plates full of ham, rice and manioc flour. And even if not being able to speak his colleagues’ languages, hugged everyone, wishing them Merry Christmas.

“This is a true Babel Tower. With only one difference: despite the language barrier, everyone understands each other”, defines the priest Geremia. “They take this institution as their true home”, says the social worker Marcia Lourdes de Araujo, who works there with 30 other employees from the most diversified areas. “Because of that, they create strong ties with the other refugees and employees. The social worker becomes a mother, the doorman becomes a brother, the roommate suddenly is a best friend…”

Lives at a crossroad
Born in Eritrea, Rahwa Micael, age 28, has been in Brazil for a year – with her son Natan, age 2. She was a radio operator for the Armed Forces in her country, but turned the job down in order to work as a waitress in the neighbouring Sudan. “The military came looking for me at my parents’ house and, as they did not know where I was, they ended up being arrested”, she recalls. From Sudan, she managed to get a ticket to Brazil. “I miss my parents and my husband, who is living as a refugee in Egypt”, she says, right after making a call on the public phone installed at the Casa do Migrante.

Eric Nawike, age 19, from Ghana, still does not know everyone at the house, where he arrived only a few days ago. His father was killed at the civil war. He decided to flee from his country in order not to have the same destiny. “I boarded a ship, hiding. I did not even know where it was going to”, he reveals. “I spent two weeks aboard, as a clandestine”. In Santos, where he disembarked, he begged for money in order to buy his bus ticket to Sao Paulo. His dream is to find a job. In Ghana, Nawike was a carpenter. About Brazil I only knew two things: one, it is the land of soccer, and two, there are many Catholics here”, he says – himself being a Catholic.

Also from Ghana, Inusah Abubakar, age 29, arrived in Brazil two months ago. “I came here in order to make my life longer”, he summarizes. As his fellow country man, he’s lost his father in the civil war. There, his family has a rural property with cattle. “They sold some cows in order to pay for my airline ticket. If we had enough money, the entire family would have come”.

Antonio Roldan Gomez, age 31, came from Cuba. “I belong to a party which is oppositionist to the government”, he explains. A political prisoner, he managed to flee and start a life in Paraguay. After that, he spent one year hiding in Foz do Iguaçu, in Parana, until he could come to São Paulo, hitchhiking, a month ago. “I haven’t seen my young son, my wife and my parents in four years”, he says. “I can’t go to Cuba, or else I will be arrested. And they do not give permission for my family to leave from there either”. He complements: “One day, if I can, I will bring my entire family here and live in Brazil for the rest of my life”.

According to the UNHCR, most of the 4.2 thousand refugees from 75 nationalities currently living in Brazil are from Africa. In second place is South America. The largest group of refugees is from Angola: 1,688 have found shelter here. After them are the Colombians (598) and Congolese (392). Around half of all refugees are in the State of Sao Paulo.

“They flee especially from nations in a state of civil war, and they choose to come here because it is a welcoming country, with fragile borders. They arrive penniless”, explains the philosopher and lawyer Guilherme Assis de Almeida, coordinator at the State Committee for Refugees of São Paulo, which accounts for State offices and institutions who give assistance to this sector. “And they are happy here due to the fact that they do not face constant threats and are not under death risk as in their home lands. So, in my opinion, they end up spending much merrier holidays”.

Source: O Estado de S.Paulo

Refugees United in Kenya II

Nairobi Nov. 24th 2009.

The night has slowly crept up on the Nairobi mish-mash of high rises and animals drawn in from the wild, and, with it, the cold has tagged along. Darkness reigns complete as cars disappear and people vanish, leaving the before so hustling and bustling streets reminiscent of a quaint village’s arteries, all void of life after daylights disappearance.

Under the glare of a naked light bulb I’m sitting in my hotel room, an acrid smell of paint thinner mixed with car fumes lingering as I think of the day’s work. And a tremendous day it has been, full of African hospitality and a far greater sense of common purpose shared among the NGOs we’ve spent the day with than I have experienced most other places. The towering problems leaning against the doorstep of every organization here are so prominent one cannot escape the shadows they cast. And this, fortunately, brings out the best in people. Refugees United has been welcomed with open arms, enthusiasm and wonderful possibilities I am much looking forward to share with you all as we return home.

Come morning we will journey to the heart of the Nairobi slum in a part of town called Asili, to meet with refugees in search of missing family, families reconnected through Refugees United, and the wonderful people we work with in these outreach programs aimed at helping some of the most information-deprived people among us.

My hands and heart are trembling with excitement and slight apprehension as we’re venturing into territory unknown, to uncover human tragedy and moments of triumph, with stories of separation and reunification laid bare before us. Wish me courage and luck.

I will keep you updated. Christopher

Refugees United

Brazil stands out in the report of the U.S. Committee for Refugees

The country is among those that best shelter refugees in the world

By Carolina Montenegro*

Brazil, Ecuador and Costa Rica were named as the best countries for refugees in the world, according to the 2009 Refugee World Survey of the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).

On the opposite side, there are Thailand, South Africa, Gaza, Malaysia, Kenya, Egypt and Turkey – places where human rights violations prevail, alongside lack of adequate care for refugees.

The organization, which for about 100 years has been one of the most active voices in defense of international rights of refugees, publishes the study annually. The countries listed in the research are assessed according to criteria such as physical protection, detention, access to justice, freedom of movement and right to employment.

Quoting figures from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the report indicates that, in Brazil, there were 21,400 registered refugees and asylum seekers in 2008. Most of them came from Colombia and Angola.

The text notes that “refugees receive documents that ensure their right to stay in Brazil, have the right to have IDs, as any foreigner residing legally in the country”.

Other positive points highlighted are the rights of “asylum seekers arrested for a felony charge to have access to a state lawyer” and “the lack of refugee camps in the country, there is freedom of movement and refugees can settle wherever they want”. The exception is the resettlement program of the Brazilian government with the UNHCR, which serves only Colombians and a group of 117 Palestinians who came to the country in 2007 and provides pre-determined cities to receive refugees, according to assistance and adaptation inquiries.

Most refugees sheltered in Brazil choose to live in urban areas and those who want to go on international travels can make a request to CONARE (Brazilian National Council for Refugees), if they can pay for their own travel expenses. The Brazilian nationality, however, can only be acquired after almost 10 years of residence in Brazil.

Regarding the access to the labor market, the research shows that refugees also enjoy the same labor rights as Brazilian citizens. They are allowed to have bank accounts and to own properties.

On the other hand, economic sectors barred to foreigners in general, such as mining, media and transportation, are also restricted to refugees. “And the delay in receiving the identity documents in the states of Amazonas and São Paulo made it difficult for refugees to have access to credit”.

Such difficulties are far from the harsh reality that refugees face in other countries. Last year, Thailand’s navy returned dozens of boats full of refugees from Myanmar to the sea. In South Africa, xenophobic attacks killed dozens of foreigners and led thousands to flee their homes.

In Gaza, an Israeli offensive group killed 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. In Malaysia, refugees deported are sold as slaves. In Kenya, the overcrowding in refugee camps remains, kept for decades to shelter Somali and cases of forced deportation, violence and corruption at the border between the countries are increasingly often.

In Egypt, police shot and killed over 30 African immigrants who were trying to cross the border into Israel. While Turkey has maintained the policy of deporting hundreds of asylum seekers back to their countries of origin, without any guarantee of protection. There was an episode in which four people drowned when they were forced to swim across a river back to Iraq.

To read the report, visit: http://www.refugees.org/FTP/WRS09PDFS/BestandWorst.pdf

* Refugees United Special Reporter

SAP to provide technology to help global NGO Refugees United run more efficiently

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) has made a commitment to provide software and expert assistance to Refugees United, an “NGO 2.0” organization making innovative use of technology to help people in need.

Refugees United offers the more than 42 million refugees worldwide a free, anonymous, Web-based database and search engine designed to help displaced family members reconnect with each other. As a first step SAP has provided Refugees United with an SAP on-demand solution for small businesses that will help the organization run its daily operations more efficiently. SAP’s solutions will allow Refugees United to more efficiently scale its operation and mission, and to become an even faster and more agile organization.

“We are both proud and thankful that SAP has chosen to partner with Refugees United,” said Refugees United Chairman of the Board Vibeke Windelov. “With SAP’s support we will be able to increase our aim of real-time collaboration between refugee support groups and NGOs, and, importantly, work to expand the network designed to facilitate participation by refugees themselves in the quest to relocate missing loved ones.”

“Information Technology has fundamentally changed the way our society interacts on a global scale, and offers new ways to even aid the non-privileged,” said SAP Executive Board member Jim Hagemann Snabe. “Refugees United’s innovative idea to use technology to reunite refugees excited me from the first moment., and I look forward to working with them as the expand their abilities to help the millions of displaced persons around the world.”

System Innovation Consult will assist Refugees United in implementing the SAP solution.

Refugees United to receive 10% of album sales from indie-pop band múm

Until September 21st Refugees United, an NGO working to establish a global, anonymous tracing network between refugee families separated, will receive 10% of all sales of acclaimed band múm’s new record Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know through the social music marketplace gogoyoko.com.

David Troensegaard from Refugees United says: “We’re very pleased with this unusual fundraising possibility, which sheds light on our quest to further family-finding knowledge and technology to some of the least fortunate among us: refugees. A new possibility for a new non-profit.”

Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know, the fifth full-length studio album by the Icelandic group múm, will be released exclusively on gogoyoko.com, before the physical release via Morr Music in Europe and Euphone

About múm
múm was formed in 1997 and was originally a duo of Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason, but has in its 12 years of existence expanded and contracted in an irregular pulse, like a jittery mammalian heart. They have recorded and released five studio albums and an endless catalog of smaller releases and side projects off the beaten track. www.mum.is

About Refugees United
Refugees United was formed in 2005 to provide refugees who have lost contact with loved ones during escape from conflict with a global, online and anonymous network to reconnect. The organization works with NGOs and private corporations worldwide in pursuit of its mission. www.refunite.org

About gogoyoko
gogoyoko is a social music marketplace, where you can buy your music directly from the artists.
gogoyoko provides signed and unsigned artists with the opportunity to access the worldwide music market – without having to go through a middleman. www.gogoyoko.com

“arguably a career peak.” **** Mojo Magazine

Buy the album online at http://www.gogoyoko.com/exclusive/mum

Brazil .. described by a Malaysian woman

A Malaysian woman, who always visits us at Refugees United Brasil’s office is returning to Malaysia, her homeland. I hope I could see her again some day …

She wrote a thankful poem to Brazil and the Brazilians for the warm welcome they gave to her. And she gave us a copy, printed in a beautiful poster to be fixed on our wall! We’re reproducing the text here.

Thank you Noraina!

Alexandra
Refugees United Brasil

Especially to venerable President
With his Government
Thank you
Accolade to the Brazilian people

Thank you
For the dream has turn into reality
To stay in this beautiful country
As a second home upon the affection

Golden heart
People of this marvelous country
Brazil country, seated so far in America Latina
With many races, many colours, nationalities from all nations

Welcome the foreigners with an open heart
Give them a shelter, when there is no home
Trying to give a second chance
To be grateful in this beautiful life

The Malaysian lady, walked along the street
Incapable to speak their beautiful language
Very fascinating, they understood her signs
Amenable to give hand where is needed

The Malaysian lady
Trust the existing of the foreigners
For them not to misuse the second opportunity
Our existing brings glory, not misery, she said
Or the opportunity to be wealth by mean and greed
In the eyes of God and humanity

Create a vision that bring glory
To be shared among the Brazilian people
For the foreigners can do better by the rise of their history root
Followed the story legend from their country

Pre-eminent … The beauty colour person … on the seat of America throne
That break the history … first ever
The Brazilian gave the foreigners the opportunities,
To share their family, country, jobs
The benefits of the society …

As an aid to ease the foreigners in their tough journey…
The Malaysian lady was amazed by the intellectual,
the abilities, the people of this country
Especially in the field of
Health, education and agricultural

Unselfishness to themselves
Willingly … sharing their knowledge and experience
With educated foreigners
To be someone in the future of time

Let us hand in hand together with the lovely Brazilian people
To glorify … America Latina
A well known country because of…
The beautiful hospitality and their bountiful generosity
With greatest community pride, cultural and racial diversity

Especially to all Brazilian people
In the world, wherever you may be…
Thank you… for embrace us with your generosity
Warmth hospitality and abundant generosities
May God returned your good deeds with your family
As huge as the ocean … infinity

Masya allaah, Glory be to you, Yaa allaah
Laa hawla wala quwwata illaa bilaahil ‘aliyyil ‘azhiim
Allaahuma Sali ‘alaa saiyidina Muhammad wa ‘alaa aaliji
Wa shahbihi wa salam wal hamdulillaahi rabbil ‘aalamin

By Noraini da Malaysia