Refugees United was founded in 2005 by the two brothers, David and Christopher T. Mikkelsen.
David and Christopher developed the idea of a refugee search engine after meeting Mansour and travelling with him to relocate his missing family. They both left their jobs to found and develop
Refugees United and they still work full-time with the administration and furthering of the organization.
David was born in 1974 and Christopher in 1978 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Refugees United
Refugees United - creating a network of hope for refugees
"With Refugees United we strive to help the countless people across the world suffering from not knowing the whereabouts of their family.
We are dedicated to bringing knowledge of the database to more and more refugees to help them relocate loved ones"
We are dedicated to bringing knowledge of the database to more and more refugees to help them relocate loved ones"
David T. Mikkelsen, co-founder of Refugees United
Background - Refugees United
The origin of Refugees United
Refugees United was born in 2005 after the founders met a young Afghan refugee named Mansour; a man desperately seeking his siblings and parents lost to him at the age of 12.
No government organization was able to unearth any information on Mansour's family, and only after traveling back to Pakistan, bribing his way, did he learn that his entire family had been split up and scattered across the globe: An almost impossible mission of gathering information and traces began - without the slightest knowledge of the family's whereabouts.
Brothers reunited
To this day, only one of Mansour's brothers has been located. We found him in Russia after extraordinary efforts were made; to reunite these brothers after 4 years apart was beyond words. In light of this overwhelming journey, the hardships refugees had to endure in search of family became crystal-clear.
Refugees United was born in 2005 after the founders met a young Afghan refugee named Mansour; a man desperately seeking his siblings and parents lost to him at the age of 12.
No government organization was able to unearth any information on Mansour's family, and only after traveling back to Pakistan, bribing his way, did he learn that his entire family had been split up and scattered across the globe: An almost impossible mission of gathering information and traces began - without the slightest knowledge of the family's whereabouts.
Brothers reunited
To this day, only one of Mansour's brothers has been located. We found him in Russia after extraordinary efforts were made; to reunite these brothers after 4 years apart was beyond words. In light of this overwhelming journey, the hardships refugees had to endure in search of family became crystal-clear.
Refugees United Infrastructure
Refugees United has been established as both a foundation and an organization. The foundation, as a set-in-stone structure adhering to non-changeable statutes, safeguards the primary mandate of Refugees United; that of facilitating contact between refugees that have lost contact with family members and friends. Please click here to see the board of directors for the Refugees United Foundation.
Refugees United is incorporated in New York as a not-for-profit. 501(c)(3) with tax-exempt status.
Initial funding
The Refugees United Foundation was initially financed by the Bitten and Mads Clausen Foundation and The Way Forward; non-political, non-religious foundations supporting many charitable causes. We are continuously dependent on the support of foundations, volunteers and corporations wishing to contribute to the cause of helping families reconnect.