JRS-UK Community Blog

A woman rejoices during traditional dances at the International Women's Day celebration in Doro refugee camp, Maban, South Sudan (Angela Wells / Jesuit Refugee Service). - See more at: http://en.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20150609094306#sthash.LUkLGWqh.dpuf

Rome, 15 June 2015 – For World Refugee Day this weekend, the Jesuit Refugee Service urges you to remember that the key to change is within each of us. While governments decide to accept or reject refugees, only we have the power to truly welcome them. We must change our fixed view of refugees as 'the other.'

Refugees around the world are being pushed back and pushed out. Australia is pushing refugees from Nauru to Cambodia. Colombians are being kicked out of Venezuela. Kenya has threatened to expel nearly half a million Somali and other refugees. Boats with Rohingya asylum seekers are turned away again and again by countries in Asia Pacific, left stranded at sea. Thousands of people are drowning attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East and North Africa.

Even where refugees are not literally expelled, they are often shunned, mistreated or jailed. Their very presence is criminalised, and they are often excluded from their host communities. In South Africa, foreigners are facing violence and riots, forcing them to flee their homes. In Europe, refugees are forced to rely on the informal labour and housing markets. In the United States, refugees fleeing widespread violence in Central America are held in detention.

The key to change need not always be a top-down approach. Swedish policy makers have exemplified that leaders can encourage this shift in our societal perception, but we must start with our own individual perceptions. Refugees are the 'we,' the 'us,' as opposed to 'they' or 'them.' Let's not just save lives; let's save dignity.

"Integration and hospitality are not only about opening our borders, but opening our communities. The latter does not result from the decisions of a few leaders, but from our own personal decisions. To change our countries we must start with our communities, and to change our communities we must start with ourselves," said JRS International Director Peter Balleis SJ.

We can push governments to welcome refugees, but let's not wait indefinitely for the macro decisions of our leaders to trickle down. Let's micromanage change in our own communities.

"We must all be able first to see, and then help others to see, migrants are not a problem to be solved. They are our brothers and sisters who need help, who should be welcomed and loved," said Kenyan refugee and Jesuit Refugee Service international volunteer, Anthony Mukui.

So let's not push back; let's push forward – push ourselves, our neighbours and our communities to open our doors. Then, together we can unlock potential. Together we can welcome. Together we can advocate. Together we can.

Visit a videoclip: here

For more information:
Jacquelyn Pavilon
International Communications
Jesuit Refugee Service
Tel: +39 06 69868 609; +39 348 993 1544
Jacquelyn.Pavilon@jrs.net
@JesuitRefugee
facebook.com/JesuitRefugeeService - See more at: http://en.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20150609094306#sthash.LUkLGWqh.dpuf



This story is originally from JRS international website: here.

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A photo by Jürgen Treiber_Fotor.com

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Jesuit Refugee Service team visits the home of a woman in Homs, Syria. (Tomy Kilahji / JRS Syria)

Zerene Haddad, Regional Communications and Advocacy Office of JRS shares this story.

Beirut, 9 March 2015 – At a time of increasing extremism, people drift apart. Consumed by war and subjugated by fear, it is difficult to hold onto hope. The spectre of violence and terror has crept into all of our homes; we must make a great effort not to give in to despair.

January and February brought a grim start to the lives of millions of people in the Middle East. The violence in Syria and Iraq has escalated. Living conditions in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have become more difficult for refugee and local host communities. The bad news seems to flood in non-stop. The cold and bitter winter challenged people's resilience to the elements, and also to the war. The prospects of peace seems further away.

I am often asked if I find working at the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in this environment depressing. In some ways, if I allow it, it can be. The context in which we work is anything but cheerful. It is easy to be overcome with a sense of failure, loss and grief for what we have lost as a worldwide community, for how we have failed the Syrian people.

Usually when I feel that way, something happens – a conversation, an email, a random encounter – to remind me that I am privileged enough to work with people who defy this madness every day. They inspire me, even after four years of the same senseless violence. Across the region, my colleagues are working tirelessly to deliver vital emergency assistance, education, emotional support, care and most importantly hope to those who suffer and are threatened by the banality of death daily.

They do so without complaining, without demanding much. They do so because they believe it is their civic duty from one citizen to another. While we are all of different faiths and nationalities, we share a deep belief in our common humanity.

The home-visits teams spend time with people who are suffering intensely. These simple gestures reaffirm a sense of solidarity between people that the war has all but destroyed.

The children in our projects are taught the value of tolerance, dignity and respect for all, with the hope that as our future generations, they will repair what is now being broken.

Our teachers and staff lead by example, working in teams of mixed backgrounds, religions and ethnicities. Every day, they are the proof that violence and divisive rhetoric is not the only way to exist, nor the way forward for the region as a whole.

JRS teams in the Middle East carry out their work under immense pressure and often at great risk to themselves and their loved ones. Mothers, fathers, daughters and brothers, they are the embodiment of interfaith dialogue and cooperation. To put it simply, they are faith in action.
 

As fear drives up walls between communities of different ethnicities and religions, our teams dismantle these walls through small acts every day.

Ephesians 4:2-4
 
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love,

striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:

one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call.

This story is from JRS international website. You can visit here to see the original.

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CSAN, or Caritas Social Action Network, in which we are taking part, has launched the Lent Campaign: Changes Lives! Here are some of our JRS volunteers voices on how JRS helps change lives of those marginalised ...

By encouraging refugee women to manage their stress and to focus on their health and wellbeing; by praying together

By enabling people to develop their own voice

By providing companionship and emotional support

Through sharing, listening and praying with and for people who have been detained, in a non-judgemental way

By teaching us how we can help make a difference

By treating people with dignity; encouraging people to participate; and by giving people a voice

Accompaniment; journeying with; listening; building relationships; learning mutually

By finding creative opportunities for our refugee friends to have peace, dignity and to have some fun

By respecting each person as they are, without any discrimination!

Thank you, all! If you are interested, here is the link to CSAN.

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We are going through the Lenten season. At the same time, the spring is coming, too! What would be true penance and true appreciation of life? This week, we listen to a wisdom from Buddhist tradition, which Sr Marguerite shared with us.

We are not capable of being alive in the present moment. We tend to postpone being alive to the future... now is no the moment to be alive. We may never be alive at all in our entire life.
Therefore, the technique, if we have to speak of a technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware that we are here and now; and the only moment to be alive is the present moment.
THIS is the moment that is real.
To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment, is our most important task.

- Thich Nhat Hanh


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Dear Readers,

This week, JRS-UK community blog wants to ask you about how you think of our blog. Since 2013, we have been posting different stories from our JRS-UK community members: refugees, volunteers, and staff. We try to include various voices that constitute our JRS UK community.

Among different stories in our blog, what post do you like most and why? What kind of stories would you like to hear? We would like to listen to your opinions. Please feel free to send in your feedback by emailing us at uk@jrs.net.

Thank you very much!

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Photo by Robert Couse-Baker from Foter.com

One of our refugees, Charles, wrote a poem about this month, February.


The Month of February
by Charles



The month, the contrasting month of February
You are the shortest month of year
You can be long short rainy or wintry

I saw a thousand souls falling in love
On your fourteenth day
I saw a thousand souls proposing
Wedding on your twenty ninth day
The month of February the lovely month of February

You are the month that determines
How the year would be
You are the month that says
This the gap year to be
You are the month of love and lovers

Now, Valentine’s time has come
We will roses being sold exponentially
We will cards being sold at any corners for some

I don’t know how much longer
I can stay as bachelor
The month of February always
Reminds me that there is something wrong
The month of February is not poor

So Carpe Diem, married, single, rose bearers and rose sellers
February you make the world covered with roses once for all
But February you are also a month of battles and cryers


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Photo by Fourtotwentychars from Foter.com

Ingrid, photographer and Founding Director at Fotosynthesis, shares her experience of organising a portrait day at JRS.


What did you today?

We had fun! Taking pictures of people and catching their smiles.


How many people came? How many photos did you take?
27, I can’t count how many pictures we took, they would not stop posing!


What did you see?

I saw people coming from the outside and looking cold and shy or hiding behind coats and hats. And then I saw them glowing, proud, some really felt like models. That was quite nice to see. They quite surprised to see the result and how beautiful they are... The people who came showed us a secret part of their person, it was quite an intimate afternoon with strangers. And they all want the pictures!


What do you enjoy about taking portraits?

I like the interaction you need to have with people, to engage with them. You have to make them feel relaxed and joke and... it’s funny, I don’t know their names or where they are from. It was more like ‘hey! come in, let’s relax and do the pictures’. It was quite enjoyable. I enjoyed working with M, my colleague, he is good about making people laugh. I liked the simplicity with the people here. I do a lot of photo shoots, but I didn’t see anyone being critical, they just felt good the way they were, which is not often the case. I really liked how people left the room full of energy. One thing is there is a lot of trust, they really trusted us to tell them, which position to sit in or pose, so they did very well.


Did you learn anything today?

I don’t know if I learned anything new, but I remembered again the transformative effect that a photoshoot has on people. The photoshoot breaks the wall, it has an instant positive effect. It was a very therapeutic and hopeful day.


One of the participants said: “It was the best, it made me happy!” Is there anything else you would like to say?

I’d like to be a little mouse and see people’s faces when they see their pictures and see their reactions to the photos, to hear their experience of being photographed. And I’ll be excited to see where the images end up, in a family album or who knows?!


More information on Fotosynthesis, visit here.

Look out for more information and images telling a story about JRS’s work here on this blog soon...! 

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A photo by Elvis Payne from Foter.com

This poem was written by 'Muler' who took part in our series of creative writing workshops with English PEN earlier this year.

Cold and Rain
by Muler

Cold and rain
is my patience
because it remind me
my past experiences.

Cold and rain
Is my experiences
For many reasons.

Cold and rain
Is my frustration
Because he is madness.

Cold and rain
He give me bad welcome
when I wake up on the morning.

Cold and rain
he is the one reminded me
my friends on my time
been sleeping on the street.

Cold and rain
he is my best friend
because he always is with me.

Cold and rain
when I think of you
I always remember
London. When I think of you
I think of London.

Cold and rain
You give hope when you show
You for light
Like the light on the fridge.
To me it is not be my part.

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Each year at the end of May, The Connection at St Martin in the Fields hold their annual Pilgrimage to Canterbery. This year, Charles, who comes to the JRS-UK Day Centre, took part and completed the four day pilgrimage walking in total an incredible 74 miles and helping to raise funds for homeless people in London.

“The first day was really an amazing day,” Charles expressed on sharing his experience of the pilgrimage. “We walked through the city of London and we reached Swanly which is 18 miles away from London and there we slept in a church – everybody! - and we had lovely dinner, conversations and so on. The second day we reached a place somewhere in Kent, not far from Ashford. We had a lot of discussion as we walked and the next day we were in Charing. And in Charing we discovered a church that was 700 years old, and the first vicar of the church was patronised by King Henry VIII. And we stayed there, we stayed in a school basically and there was evening entertainment where we organised comic strips, theatres, singers so it was a lot of fun. The fourth day was the last day, so we went to Canterbury. And at Canterbury we had a mass at Canterbury Cathedral.

Unfortunately the archbishop of Canterbury was not there but we did see the Dean of Canterbury and they had a choir. A very lovely choir, very lovely songs and we had a reading from those who are really, the thinkers of helping the community.”

On the second day of the walk, Charles, who has been taking part in a photography workshop at JRS, run by Fotosynthesis, a not-for-profit organisation that uses participatory photography to develop skills, give a voice to people and encourage community cohesion, was inspired by the beauty of the area and the joy he felt to take a photo.

“I just stood and I just opened my hands like this just to say how life is, how nature is beautiful and it just shows that although you are walking and people may feel like it was really painful and hard to walk for four days, after the second day, I was still feeling very happy and enthusiastic because it was for a good cause. It’s for people who need accommodation, who need support in their society, who need food for themselves. So my hands that way, show in life we have to be open to each other, we have to welcome each other, we can help each other, and by such action we can iron out some problem in the society such as homelessness, such as poverty and such as mental health problems.”