The Bird's Nest

What Is a Refugee? A refugee is a person who is forced to leave his or her country to seek safety in another country. The term comes from the word refuge, which means a safe place-the very thing that refugees are in search of. Refugees flee their country to escape danger, natural disaster, or trouble that they face because of their ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs. Refugees usually leave behind their family and friends, homes and communities, and even their culture. In the case of Rima and her mother, they left Syria because of civil war. Since 2011, millions of Syrian families have fled their country and become refugees all over the world.