2020 has been a difficult year for many people the world over. A global health pandemic, economic problems and even more people displaced than before were just some of the challenges we all faced. But to try and spread a bit of cheer as the year comes to a close, InfoMigrants decided to look back at some of the positive stories we featured. Here’s a few focusing on how migrants helped their communities pull through the dark times.
Germany's capital has approved plans to build new refugee homes as coronavirus and housing shortage bite. Some refugee homes are struggling to maintain hygiene guidelines.
Refugee home director Katie Griggs is one of many people whose jobs have been made extra challenging by the pandemic. How do you protect a diverse community when its members all share bathrooms and kitchens?
Some migrants evacuated from the Aubervilliers camp in Paris tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Nonetheless, they were accommodated in sporting halls and other large-surface facilities where social distancing is near impossible. Doctors without Borders (MSF) explained to InfoMigrants how is it is trying to help the most vulnerable during these times.
The Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum (LHIF), which comprises 51 international NGOs, has urged Lebanese authorities to stop demolishing refugee shelters. LHIF said demolitions carried out by troops are traumatic for refugees who have fled war.
With more than 70 million displaced people worldwide, working out how to provide them with shelter is a huge challenge. Designing a place that could become their home for decades is even harder, especially when there is little political will.
Lebanese security forces have destroyed 20 refugee homes for breaking building regulations that refugees have to abide by. Aid organizations have said they expect further demolitions to follow.
Thousands of migrants and refugees are stranded in Bosnia on their way to Western Europe. They are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. The international Red Cross says some have died while trying to find shelter.
Over the last 10 days, in four separate operations, French police have demolished make-shift migrant camps in northern Paris; the operations, say the city authorities, are part of their efforts to bring everyone indoors during the coldest months of the year. But some 800 migrants are thought to still be sleeping rough on the streets and many people are being missed, or ejected by the system.
A crowdfunding project wants to help those affected by the new security and migration decree in Italy. The goal: To provide shelter and services for families who have been forced to leave state accommodation.
The UN Migration Agency IOM wants Greece to set up more shelters for unaccompanied minor migrants as winter approaches. IOM staff teams have been deployed to eight facilities temporarily set up in hotels.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has announced that he will reduce the capacity of the Mineo migrant reception center in Sicily. The center is considered the largest in Europe, and has made headlines in recent years with episodes of serious violence and corruption scandals.