And I was a stranger, and you...
From Bhutan to America, a family finds freedom
A recent article (7/20/10) from Pioneer Press tells the story of a Bhutanese family settling in the Twin Cities. Learn more about our newest neighbors – there’s approximately 300 Bhutanese already in the metro area.
A good source of info is the Nirvana Center of Minnesota website.
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Are We Abandoning Refugees Upon Arrival in the U.S.?
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar recently released a report urging the Administration to better match federal resources with refugee admissions so that the costs associated with operating the U.S. resettlement program do not unfairly burden local communities.
The report, “Abandoned Upon Arrival: Implications for refugees and local communities burdened by a resettlement system that is not working,” highlights the significant challenges local communities in Indiana and across the country are confronting as a result of a U.S. resettlement program that is under-funded and over-stretched. While offering safe-haven to refugees who face persecution should remain a humanitarian imperative for our nation, we must acknowledge the significant costs associated with this activity and find an appropriate policy remedy at the federal level,” Lugar said. “I urge the Administrations to reform the U.S. resettlement program so that it continues to be perceived as a benefit to local communities, not a burden.”
This press release suggests that refugees can be perceived asa burden on the resources of local communities. Is this perception accurate?
How can we change the perception to one that says “refugees are a benefit to the local community?” I think part of the answer is related to how we view the role of the public domain (local and state governments) in the care of vulnerable populations. Is it the sole responsibility of government to provide services? From a biblical perspective, the Church has a role in caring for downtrodden and the poor. Members of faith communities can reflect the grace and compassion of God to these persecuted peoples from around the world. Beyond that, through relationships, we can bridge the gap between social service programs and self-sufficiency and integration. Talk with refugees that have been befriended and mentored by Americans and you’ll hear stories of gratitude, gradual assimilation, and the realization that refugees themselves have a place in our culture.
World Relief has seen local churches come along side refugee families in communities throughout the United States. Often long-term relationships are formed that benefit both the refugee family and the church.
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43.3 million: The Number of Forcibly Displaced People
Refugee News
from International Association for Refugees
Number of Refugees Grows to 43.3 million
Highest number of refugees in the world since the mid-1990s
The Refugee Highway – 16 June 2010
According to the latest statistics published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of forcibly displaced people in the world has increased by more than 1 million in the past year.
Here are some FAQ concerning the Refugee Highway today…
Q. How many forcibly displaced people (FDP) are in the world?
A. 43.3 million. The number includes internally displaced people (IDP), refugees, asylum-seekers and Palestinian refugees receiving support from the UN’s UNRWA program.
Q. How many of the world’s FDP are internally displaced (IDP)?
A. 27.1 million. “Internally displaced persons are people or groups of individuals who have been forced to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of, or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural- or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an international border.” -UNHCR
Q. How many refugees are in the world?
A. 15.2 million. Who is a refugee?
- Refugees have to be outside their country of origin;
- The reason for their flight has to be a fear of persecution;
- The fear of persecution has to be well-founded
- The persecution has to result from one or more of the 5 grounds listed in the definition, that is race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion;
- They have to be unwilling or unable to seek the protection of their country.
Source: UNHCR
Q. How many Palestinian refugees are in the world?
A. 4.8 million. This is the number of Palestinian refugees receiving care from UNRWA.
Q. How many asylum-seekers are in the world?
A. 983,000. “Asylum-seekers are individuals who have sought international protection and whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined.” -UNHCR
Q. How many stateless people are in the world?
A. Between 6.6 million and 12 million. “Stateless persons are individuals not considered as citizens of any State under national laws.” -UNHCR
Q. What can you tell me about the average refugee in the world today?
- 49% of the world’s refugees are women.
- 45% of the world’s FDP are under 18 years old.
- 41% of the world’s FDP
Q. What country is producing the greatest number of refugees?
A. 25% of the world’s refugees come from Afghanistan (2.9 million).
Q. What are other leading refugee-producing countries in the world?
- 2.9 million refugees from Afghanistan
- 1.8 million refugees from Iraq
- 678,300 refugees from Somalia
- 455,900 refugees from D.R. Congo
- 406,700 refugees from Myanmar
- 389,800 refugees from Colombia
- 368,200 refugees from Sudan
- 209,200 refugees from Eritrea
- 195,600 refugees from Serbia
Q. What part of the world hosts the most refugees?
A. 37% of the world’s refugees are hosted in the Asia/Pacific region of the world. 80% of the world’s refugees are hosted by developing nations. Over half are living in urban areas.
Q. What countries host the largest number of refugees?
A. Pakistan (1.7 million), Iran (1 million) and Syria (1 million) host the largest number of refugees in the world. Taken together, these countries plus Germany and Jordan host 47% of the world’s refugees.
Q. What country received the most claims for asylum in 2009?
A. South Africa received 222,000 claims for asylum in 2009.
Q. What country received the most resettled refugees in 2009?
A. 80,000 refugees were resettled to the United States in 2009. Canada resettled 12,500 refugees in 2009. There are only 19 countries in the world that receive resettled refugees.
Q. What does the Bible have to say about refugees and forcibly displaced people (FDP)?
A. Click here to watch a 3 minute online video to begin exploring the answer. Click on the “Orphan, Widow, Alien” video option in the list.
Source: UNHCR, 2009 Global Trends, published 15 June 2010.
Refugee News is a free service from International Association for Refugees (IAFR).
Learn more at www.iafr.org.
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Empowering Refugees
John Trotter, pastor of International Village Church in St. Paul, and his wife Charity greeted arriving Karen refugees at the airport this week. John and Charity brought a friend – a Karen women that came to Minnesota as a refugee in February – with them to the airport. Listen to John talk about this experience.
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Sojourners article … what do you think?
photo from NY Times
The article is entitled, U.S. Citizen arrested for ‘Driving while Latino’ in Arizona. It seems those fearing that racial profiling could occur as a result of Arizona’s new anti-immigration law were justified. The events happening in Arizona may provide the needed momentum for Congress to address the immigration issue – or they may not (as it is an election year).
If you’re interested in learning more about immigration reform see some of these links:
Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Immigrant_Sabbath_Toolkit_final (pdf)
Bible as the ultimate immigration handbook (Word)
Democrats conceptual proposal for immigration reform (… Republicans want to delay this discussion until 2011 or later)
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Welcoming up to 100 Somali refugees
Join World Relief Minnesota in Welcoming Somali Refugees
World Relief Minnesota will be resettling 100 Somali refugees in the Twin Cities between May and September 2010.
Continued need to resettle Somali refugees.
The three camps in Dadaab, Kenya, are home to more than 160,000 refugees and have housed refugees for over 15 years starting with the flight of refugees from Somalia in 1991. Many of the people living in the camps have lived in Dadaab for over a decade, unable to return to homes still embroiled in chaos.
In the past year, increased violence in Somalia has led to a sharp influx of new refugees, as many as 1,000 a day entering Kenya. And there will be more – clashes between government troops and Islamist insurgents have displaced more than 55,000 people from Mogadishu since the beginning of February. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are an estimated 1.4 million Somalis displaced and scattered across the country.
Somalis now arriving don’t have family or friends to assist them.
Most Somalis who now live in Minnesota came to the United States as refugees. About one-third of Minnesota’s Somali residents came directly from refugee camps; others settled first in another state and then relocated to Minnesota. Whereas in the past most refugees who resettled in Minnesota did so because of a connection to family or friends, World Relief Minnesota is now preparing to receive refugees who have no “U.S. ties” – they have no family or friends to join.
World Relief is looking for churches and individuals to help welcome these families.
We believe this represents a unique opportunity for the church to provide a Christ-like welcome to families in a critical moment – when they first arrive. Coming alongside families and building friendships during this time can have a huge impact on these families’ adjustment and their futures. All-too-often, we meet Somalis who have been in the U.S. for ten or more years, speak English, but say they have never been in the home of an American or had an American friend.
We are inviting Twin Cities’ churches to provide a warm welcome to these new neighbors who are arriving with no family or fiends awaiting them. To find out more about the specific ways you, your church, or your small group can join World Relief Minnesota in welcoming these Somali families, visit our website and contact our Volunteer Coordinator at mnvolunteers@wr.org
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Refugees in Minnesota: The Nations at Our Doorstep
Imagine… living in fear of forced labor camps, debilitating taxation, no representation, and State sponsored physical and sexual abuse. Imagine… your family targeted because of your ethnicity. Now, ask yourself, “What would I do to protect my spouse, my children, myself from torture, persecution and death?”
This is the life of a refugee. This is the life many of the refugees coming to Minnesota have experienced. They have fled for their lives – leaving their homeland behind completely – their homes in Somalia, Laos, Burma, Liberia, Bhutan and many other places. And through the efforts of the UNHCR and the U.S. Deptarment of State they have been transplanted to Minnesota.
Nem Lam Din, a Karen women (an ethnic group in Burma) lived in a refugee camp in neighboring Thailand for many, many years. Her family was not allowed to leave the refugee camp – they couldn’t legally work, buy food or explore the countryside.
Last year, the United States welcomed Nem Lam Din, offering her family a safe haven – a new place to call home. Our government invited them to replant their lives here as legal residents.
Imagine… what refugees face as they arrive in America. They step off the plane with fear and trembling – as they walk down the long airport concourse with all of their possessions in one bag – they have no idea what awaits them. “Where will we live? What will we eat? Who will be our friend?”
Volunteers from a church made Din’s family welcome in their homes, in their neighborhood and in their church. In time, Nam began to ask questions: “What is this love that you are sharing with us? Where does it come from?” Volunteers were able to answer and tell her about a God who loves her and died for her – a God who empowered His Church to welcome strangers – to welcome refugees like Jesus, who was a refugee with his parents in the land of Egypt.
This is the story of the Church at work. This is the story of World Relief Minnesota partnering with that Church. Imagine… befriending a refugee.
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I Wish I Could Find a Single Friend
The following story from IRIN arrived in my inbox this morning. As I read it I was haunted by the quote … “I have no friends. I wish I could find a single friend among them, someone to talk to.” Even though this is a Liberian refugee talking about his experience living in Uganda, it could be the story of many refugees living in the U.S. They desire to be invited into the lives of Americans.
NAKIVALE, 16 March 2010 (IRIN) – Umaru Swaray, 33, was a child soldier during Liberia’s civil war. Separated from his family, he walked for months crossing the continent to Uganda, searching for his family, who had escaped the war. He found them in Kampala in 2004 – on the day they were leaving for the Netherlands.
Swaray’s parents and nine brothers had been granted refugee status by the Dutch government but their reunion came too late for him. IRIN spoke to him at Nakivale refugee settlement in western Uganda:
“My mother was holding me so tight in her arms and wouldn’t stop crying. I knew there was something she didn’t have the courage to tell me.
“We were too many, the government said. So I had to stay in Uganda.
“It was hard to hold back the tears while telling my mother not to worry about me, that it was for the best. That at least they would be fine.
“One day we will be together again, I told her. But I wonder if that will ever happen.
“I have learned a trade to make a living. I worked as a barber for some time in Kampala. But when I was threatened by a Liberian, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees decided to send me to Nakivale to ensure my personal safety.
“I have lived here since 2008, in a mud hut which I built myself. I have a small garden where I grow cassava and other vegetables. This small house reminds me of the one I was in with my family in Bomi county, Liberia.
“Life is hard here. I don’t feel good here. I am the only Liberian in the settlement and as such I am isolated from the other people living here. I tried to mingle with the Congolese, my mother is Congolese after all; with Somalis and Rwandans, but everyone sticks to his own people. I have no friends.
“I wish I could find a single friend among them, someone to talk to. I wish I could at least do what I love, open a barber shop. But I am too afraid even to try. I am sure no-one would come to me. Here everyone goes to the shops of people belonging to their tribal affiliation. Why would they go to a Liberian?
“So the only thing I wish for myself is be able to join my family and have a normal life, just like everyone else.
“I was told this may not be possible. Since I am too scared for my life to go back to Liberia, I have no other option than to stay here. At least I feel safe here.
“I would go anywhere, anywhere, if I could find some peace of mind. Every man needs that.”
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Global Day of Prayer for Burma
March 14 2010 is the Day of Prayer for Burma sponsored by Christians Concerned for Burma. Let’s remember the Karen refugees in the U.S. and the Internally Displaced People still living in Burma.
Karen IDPs praying
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Warehousing People
Warehousing is the practice of confining refugees to camps for years or decades … this happens around the world … just ask refugees in the Twin Cities about their experience.
Can you imagine camping continuously for 15 years? And this isn’t the camping adventure from your childhood.
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