What is life like in a refugee camp?

30/06/09

The life of a person in a refugee camp could be brought closer to home if plans to stream live footage from various UNHCR camps are continued.

As part of World Refugee Day, UNHCR piloted a web project into camps in Eastern Chad and Columbia and captured around 8 hours of live footage.

Greg Millar from UNHCR in Washington said: “It was an empowering opportunity which allowed people to see refugees as real people and not just someone you see on a BBC or CNN clip.

“Usually NGOs are the mouth pieces for these people but now they are able to tell their own story,” he said.

At one point, a group of refugees in Djabal refugee camp in Chad were part of the audience during a video conference in Washington D.C.    

“It’s only the beginning and we are looking to see if we can continue the project in other camps as well,” he said.   

UNHCR work with more than 180 NGOs worldwide and are currently participating in its annual forum in Geneva to discuss the plight of refugees around the world.

The forum, which started yesterday in Geneva, will highlight issues like the re-settlement of refugees in urban environments.

Click here to watch the UNHCR footage.