Our hearts are with the more than four million Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their country - Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Sadly, they are now part of the 82.4 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order.* This is the highest number on record to date.

They include:

Over 6 million Syrians - the world’s largest population of refugees
5.9 million refugees from Venezuela
2.6 million refugees from Afghanistan
2.3 million refugees from South Sudan
1.1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar

Riverside has spent the last forty years welcoming refugees and asylum seekers from around the world. They come to us with a multitude of identities and beliefs. Sometimes in direct opposition to one another. What they find at Riverside is a space that facilitates communication, fosters mutual respect, and builds community across differences.

In this moment of escalating political strife, persecution, and displacement, we urge our community to do everything in their power to ensure that all refugees and asylum seekers are supported and treated with dignity and equality.

*UNHCR Statistic - As of 2020