| Type | International non-governmental organization (NGO). Registered as a 501 (c)(3)non-profit organization in the United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | Copenhagen, Denmark 2005 |
| Founder(s) | Christopher Mikkelsen & David Mikkelsen |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark (HQ). Sao paolo, Brazil. New York, USA. |
| Website | Refunite.org |
Refugees United is an independent, international non-governmental organization (NGO). It is registered as a 501 (c)(3)non-profit organization in the United States. Refugees United aims to assist refugees with an anonymous and safe internet search engine to find and reconnect with missing family members. Refugees are able to register on-line with nicknames, descriptions of scars, locations and other markers only known and identifiable to closest family members and friends. All refugees are welcome, regardless of conflict, place or time. Refugees United does not however assist with physical reunifications.[1]
Refugees United's search engine cuts away the barricades between the seeker and the sought, to allow refugees direct access to each other through a powerful and simple system. There are no difficult forms to fill in, no language barriers, the service is free of charge and there is no government or other authority involved. It is entirely up to the individual wishing to search for his or her family to decide how much - or little - information to disclose on their profile. Everyone has the possibility to register with a large variety of personal markers which will only be known to family and close friends, if an individual refugee feels unsafe to reveal their full name or location.
Particular emphasis is placed on the security aspects of the Refugees United server. The application runs on dedicated, secured servers placed behind top level firewalls. These servers can only be serviced using a secured protocol narrowed down by specific IP addresses. The server containing the database is not connected to the Internet and only certified personnel have access to it for maximum security. All servers and systems are SSL encrypted. All traffic log files are deleted for security reasons.
Refugees United was founded in 2005 by the Danish brothers David and Christopher Mikkelsen. Award-winning actor Mads Mikkelsen serves as Goodwill Ambassador for Refugees United. Some of the major sponsors of Refugees United include SAS, SAP, Ketchum, Google grants,Fed Ex Express,Matter Design Studio and MYC4.
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According to its mission statement, Refugees United exists to help refugees[2][3] in their search to trace for lost loved ones around the world. This unique internet search engine provides refugees with a global, anonymous and dedicated network, to end the pain and uncertainty of not knowing where relatives are located following separation.
Every day families are torn apart in their escape from war, persecution or natural disasters - they end up in different parts of the world, afraid, alienated and alone.[4] Spouses are parted. Siblings are parted. Parents and children are parted. Locating lost family members is often a lonely, overwhelmingly difficult task.
Refugees United's search engine cuts away the barricades between the seeker and the sought, to allow refugees direct access to each other through a powerful and simple system. There are no difficult forms to fill in, no language barriers, the service is free of charge and there is no government or other authority involved. It is entirely up to the individual wishing to search for his or her family to decide how much - or little - information to disclose on their profile. Everyone has the possibility to register with a large variety of personal markers which will only be known to family and close friends, if an individual refugee feels unsafe to reveal their full name or location.
Particular emphasis is placed on the security aspects of the Refugees United server. The application runs on dedicated, secured servers placed behind top level firewalls. These servers can only be serviced using a secured protocol narrowed down by specific IP addresses. The server containing the database is not connected to the Internet and only certified personnel have access to it for maximum security. All servers and systems are SSL encrypted. All traffic log files are deleted for security reasons.