GRMR, community
Chanelle Rahbany
The True Meaning of GRMR

If someone were to ask me on the spot what Gators for Refugee Medical Relief (GRMR) is all about, I'd say we support refugee families through donations, tutoring, workshops, and by making a difference in Gainesville and beyond. But if you were to ask me what GRMR truly means to me, it would go much deeper—it's a community, a family. Joining GRMR as a freshman was more than just a step toward helping refugee families; it was becoming part of a team where every single person, especially the board of directors, is so genuinely passionate about making an impact. We’re not just volunteers—we're teammates and leaders, all driven by the same mission. 

Current Events, Refugee Issues
Emma Martin
Haitian Refugees and their Mistreatment in the ...

Haitian refugees have been forced to seek asylum from frequent natural disasters, political insecurity and government corruption since the 1960s. There is little financial and medical support for earthquake victims, furthermore, the nation fails to enforce proper safety standards on buildings. The US is home to “852,000 Haitian immigrants…more than triple [the amount from] 1990 and double the number in 2000,” (Carabota, Feb. 2024). Since the assassination of President Jovenal Moise in 2021, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has placed Haiti on a high-risk emergency watchlist (2024). Half the population has since required severe humanitarian aid, with 90% impoverished from sudden earthquakes (IRC, 2024). Despite international support efforts, namely UNICEF and the UN, many of these agencies fail to raise appropriate funds for disaster relief. Haiti’s government is influenced majorly by gang authority/affiliation, but not in the way that Latin American countries are subject to cartel influence.

Education, Refugee Issues, Healthcare
Krishna Kakani
Refugees and Disease: Forced Displacement and ...

Access to proper healthcare and medical treatment has become a hot topic in the past few years. Prices to visit a doctor have skyrocketed, certain medical procedures and become politicized, and the Covid-19 pandemic has many in fear about future outbreaks and what that could mean for the healthcare system. According to the UNHRC, the top three leading causes of morbidity among refugees are malaria, upper, and lower respiratory tract infections (Rabat). The importance of healthcare in forcefully displaced populations must become a higher priority as they not only impact communities of refugees but can also have lasting global impacts.

Refugee Issues, Education, Music
Katie Natour
Seeking Refuge in Music

For people all over the world, music is a commonality that brings comfort, unites communities, helps keep cultural identities alive, and promotes advocacy. In the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, music can serve as a constant source of hope and familiarity for displaced people.

Current Events, Refugee Issues
Chanelle Rahbany
Tragedy in Gaza: Advocacy and Aid for ...

Gators for Refugee Medical Relief (GRMR) aims to inform and educate its members, the University of Florida, and the greater community concerning refugees and advocacy for their struggles and hardships. With the looming conflict and war in the Gaza Strip, we aim to detail the number of Palestinian refugees in the area, the many difficulties they face, and ways for others to assist.

Natural Disasters

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Climate Change and Disaster Displacement

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Climate Change and Disaster Displacement

What do you imagine when you hear the term “refugees?” Many people immediately think of the displaced people fleeing their home country to escape persecution, war, and conflict. However, an invisible but just as troubling adversary can be why refugees need to flee their homes to find refuge: climate change. Climate change is defined as the change in global or regional climate patterns. In particular, these changes were made apparent from the mid to late 20th century and onwards as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the technological advances that have been made. As a result, this led to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. The consequences of climate change affect everybody around the world. However, not many people consider one of the most disproportionately affected populations of climate change: refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and the stateless…

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Climate Change and the Displacement of Populations: Climate Refugees?

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Climate Change and the Displacement of Populations: Climate Refugees?

The global challenge that is climate change poses detrimental threats to communities everywhere. Research even shows that Earth’s climate is changing at rates greater than forecasted by scientists- signaling a more drastic issue than previously predicted. Having recorded 6 of the warmest years on record since 2014, the rate of sea-level rise doubling in the last two decades, and the highest levels of carbon dioxide concentration being recorded in 2020, it is clear we are already in times in which climate change affects us all. But for some, especially those who live in the most vulnerable of areas, climate change has already begun to alter livelihoods in ways we might have not thought of. The existence of “climate refugees” is a reality that must be recognized; and their existence appears to only multiply in the future.

Extreme weather events are intensified with climate change, which includes events such as droughts, forest fires, hurricanes, cyclones, and flooding- these accounted for about 23 million people being forcibly displaced in 2017. Climate change further contributes to…