Refugees and asylum seekers

Since its founding, The Salvation Army has sought to alleviate human suffering without discrimination.

We work internationally to meet the needs of people fleeing conflict, violence, persecution, natural disasters and poverty by providing food, shelter and counselling, and attending to many other basic needs. We also support international efforts to eliminate persecution and displacement through the promotion of peace, tolerance, understanding and respect for human life and dignity.

Biblical principles

God’s hospitable loving concern for the stranger and foreigner are evident in Scripture.

The Salvation Army contends that individuals and governments should act compassionately and humanely towards people seeking asylum or refuge or displaced people.

Around the world

Some of the major displacement locations around the world today include Sudan, the State of Palestine, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Haiti, Syria and Venezuela. 

Stories of impact

Three women, two wearing Salvation Army clothing, hold flower bouquets
Eastern Europe
Refugees
United Kingdom and Ireland

Three years of war: healing the mental health scars

The Salvation Army is providing emotional support for people impacted by the continued war in Ukraine

Caribbean
Refugees

Supporting displaced people in Haiti

In Haiti, families from Solino, Fort National, Delmas 24, Nazon and Lalue in Port-au-Prince fled their homes due to attacks by the gang coalition ‘

A woman and a man in Salvation Army uniform hold a Ukrainian flag and a map of the region
Refugees
United Kingdom and Ireland

Ukrainian refugees in Ramsgate, UK

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, six million Ukrainians have been forced to flee overseas as refugees.

Refugees
Rwanda

Congolese refugees in Rwanda

The Salvation Army has played a crucial role in supporting Congolese refugees at the Nkamira Transit Centre in Rwanda, primarily through the distri

Displaced

Displaced is a 50-minute documentary filmed on location in Roraima, Santa Catarina and São Paulo states in Brazil, and incorporates experiences of migrants from around the world.

Much of the programme concentrates on the journey undertaken by Venezuelan migrants leaving behind economic and political turmoil in search of a better life in Brazil. The film includes footage from the Venezuelan border and the military-led multi-agency reception centre on the Brazilian side in Pacaraima – appropriately named Operação Acolida (Project Welcome). Passing across the border, viewers are able hear the stories of migrants from all sectors of society – their reasons for leaving their own country and their hopes and dreams for the future.

The documentary also follows the story of one Venezuelan family encountered by the film crew on the arduous 200 kilometre journey, on foot, through tracts of Amazonian rainforest from the border post to the first sizable city, Boa Vista. With four children, including one with a disability, how will they fare in their first few days in a new country?