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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Jillian Woodward.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Roger Bassic. Spotlight uses a special English method

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<v Speaker 2>of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no

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<v Speaker 2>matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 3>It was morning. I was out collecting water. Then I

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<v Speaker 3>heard the guns. I heard my family shout and cry

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<v Speaker 3>for help. But the soldiers were everywhere. I saw everything.

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<v Speaker 3>I ran for my life. Do not know where, but

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<v Speaker 3>I got away. I found a place to hide. I

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<v Speaker 3>was safe, But what about my family. Something told me

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<v Speaker 3>they were still alive, so I went back for them,

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<v Speaker 3>but they were gone. I had no home, no family.

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<v Speaker 3>There was no one to help me.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the story of a woman named Estelle. After

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<v Speaker 1>this experience, she was a refugee. She did not know

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<v Speaker 1>where her family was. She did not know how to

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<v Speaker 1>find them. However, in twenty twelve, she heard about Refugite

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<v Speaker 1>an ENNGI or non governmental organization Refunite, which stands for

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<v Speaker 1>Refugees United, a group that believes everyone has the right

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<v Speaker 1>to know where their family is. She used their free

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<v Speaker 1>online program. Soon, Estelle received an SMS text message from

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<v Speaker 1>her sister. Her sister was living only five kilometers away. Together,

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<v Speaker 1>they are now using the Refunite program to look for

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<v Speaker 1>other family members.

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<v Speaker 2>How does this program work to bring families back together.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's spotlight is on the organization Refunite.

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<v Speaker 1>The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR, says

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<v Speaker 1>that there are more than one hundred and twenty million

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<v Speaker 1>people who are forcibly displaced worldwide. These people have been

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<v Speaker 1>forced to leave their homes. UNHCR classifies forty two million

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<v Speaker 1>of them as refugees living outside their homeland. They have

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<v Speaker 1>experienced many difficult things like war and hunger. Nearly half

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<v Speaker 1>of the displaced are children below the age of eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>years old. Columbia, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and Uganda host over

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<v Speaker 1>one third of the world's refugees and other displaced people,

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<v Speaker 1>but refugees are found in over one hundred and one

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<v Speaker 1>different countries. The problem of refugees is a very large one.

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<v Speaker 1>It affects people all over the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Christopher and David Michelson are brothers from Denmark. In two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand and five, they met a young man named Mansour.

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<v Speaker 2>He was a refugee from Afghanistan. He had not seen

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<v Speaker 2>his family for five years. He did not know where

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<v Speaker 2>they were. He did not even know if they were

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<v Speaker 2>alive or dead. The Michelson brothers started to help Monsor.

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<v Speaker 2>They visited different refugee organizations. Some organizations, such as the

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<v Speaker 2>Red Cross, tried to reunite refugee families, but this process

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<v Speaker 2>can be long and difficult. No one was able to

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<v Speaker 2>help Monsur. Finally, without the help of other organizations, they

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<v Speaker 2>found Mansor's brother in Pakistan.

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<v Speaker 1>Later, David Michelson said that this experience gave him very

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<v Speaker 1>strong feelings. He thought about how he would feel if

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<v Speaker 1>he lost his brother. David and Christopher Mickelson then decided

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<v Speaker 1>that they wanted to help more people. They wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>use use technology to help refugee families, so they created

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<v Speaker 1>a space on the Internet where refugees could find each other.

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<v Speaker 1>They named their organization Refunite.

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<v Speaker 2>It is a very simple system. A person enters information

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<v Speaker 2>about herself. This is called creating a profile. Then other

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<v Speaker 2>people can easily find her and she can also search

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<v Speaker 2>for other people who have also made profiles. Refunite works

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<v Speaker 2>through the Internet. People can use a computer to get

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<v Speaker 2>the program, but.

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<v Speaker 1>The Mickelsons wanted everyone to be able to use this technology,

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<v Speaker 1>so they also made it possible to use the site

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<v Speaker 1>on a mobile phone. People can even enter their information

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<v Speaker 1>or search through text messages. In this way, most people

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<v Speaker 1>in the world can use the program on the Refunite website.

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<v Speaker 1>David Michelson explains how the program works.

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<v Speaker 4>Refunite is an online global tool. People can go in

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<v Speaker 4>and make a profile. They can search for lost loved ones.

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<v Speaker 4>They can do it online or they can do it

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<v Speaker 4>through their mobile phone. You only give out the information

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<v Speaker 4>that you are comfortable with. You can put in the

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<v Speaker 4>first letters of your name, your religious leader's name, or

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<v Speaker 4>or what tribe you are from. In most cases, as

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<v Speaker 4>a refugee, you are just sitting around waiting for nothing,

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<v Speaker 4>and here refugees can actually take charge of their own situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Some refugees come from very dangerous situations. They must be

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<v Speaker 1>careful to protect themselves. They cannot give too much personal

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<v Speaker 1>information online. That is why Refunite suggests people give information

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<v Speaker 1>that only family members will know. These are things such

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<v Speaker 1>as where a person was born, or what is a

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<v Speaker 1>person's favorite food or sport. Many people have had success

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<v Speaker 1>after making a profile was Refunite. One woman shares her

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<v Speaker 1>story on a video.

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<v Speaker 5>A priest from my country told me about Refunite. I

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<v Speaker 5>made my profile, I wrote my name, I wrote what

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<v Speaker 5>I did in my country, and after three days, my

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<v Speaker 5>sister Denise was there. Somebody tells you your sister is here.

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<v Speaker 5>I can help you to communicate, and it's free. It

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<v Speaker 5>means I am not alone anymore. Denise is not alone anymore.

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<v Speaker 5>Now I can sleep, I can sleep knowing Denise is there.

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<v Speaker 2>Like this woman, many refugees are lonely. They may live

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<v Speaker 2>in a foreign country, they may not know how to

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<v Speaker 2>make their situation better. Christopher Mickelson explains how Refunite helps

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<v Speaker 2>people work together.

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<v Speaker 6>The mission of Refunite is to help refugees to be

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<v Speaker 6>active players in the process of finding family. It is

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<v Speaker 6>about one thing. You cannot find your family. Let us

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<v Speaker 6>try and work on that. This is what we can do,

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<v Speaker 6>and this is how we can help you help yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Organizations that work with refugees can also use the search tool.

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<v Speaker 2>The Mickelsons have formed partnerships with businesses and organizations such

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<v Speaker 2>as Google, Ericsson, Haikeia, and the Red Cross. They hope

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<v Speaker 2>this will help them unite even more refugees with their families.

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<v Speaker 2>To visit the Refunite site, you may use this link

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<v Speaker 2>www that Refunite do rg.

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<v Speaker 1>The work of Refunite gives hope to people who cannot

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<v Speaker 1>find their families buy a hunger. Kissembo from the Congo

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<v Speaker 1>does not know where his father is. He is one

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<v Speaker 1>of thousands of people waiting for news, but Refunite has

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<v Speaker 1>given people an active way to wait. Kissembo told Refunite.

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<v Speaker 7>By myself alone, I am hopeless to find my dad,

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<v Speaker 7>but with Refvnite, I have some hope.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you know people in your community who have been refugees?

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<v Speaker 2>How did they stay connected to their family members in

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<v Speaker 2>other countries? How may you help them feel welcome and

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<v Speaker 2>at home in your community. You can leave a comment

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<v Speaker 2>on our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram,

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<v Speaker 1>The original writer of this program was Rina dam It

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<v Speaker 1>was revised and updated by Spotlight staff. The producer was

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<v Speaker 1>mitchio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United

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<v Speaker 1>States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and

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<v Speaker 1>voiced by Spotlight. No AI or artificial intelligence was used

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<v Speaker 1>in this program. Spotlight programs are written, voiced, and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by real people for real people, no matter where in

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<v Speaker 1>the world they live. You can listen to this program

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<v Speaker 1>again and read it on the internet at www dot

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight English dot org. The program is called Uniting Refugee

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<v Speaker 1>Families Again.

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<v Speaker 2>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 2>spot By program. Good Bye,