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English Classes in Bamyan, Afghanistan 1 To give a child a seat at school is the finest gift you can give. (Address of Pope Francis to the Jesuit Refugee Service, 14 November 2015) Publisher Cover photo Photo credits Thomas H. Smolich SJ A teacher and her student in For JRS: the Kaya Refugee Camp in Louie Bacomo, Martina Editorial team Maban County, South Sudan. Bezzini, Orville Desilva SJ, JRS International Office The camp shelters thousands Gorka Ortega, Yves Rene of refugees from the Blue Shema. Designer Nile region. JRS provides Koen Ivens educational and psychosocial Photos on pages 1, 8, 20 services to both refugees and and 22 courtesy of Denis the host community. (Paul Bosnic, Christian Fuchs, Jeffrey/Misean Cara) Salat Albareed, and Paul Jeffrey for Misean Cara. 2 An internally displaced girl studies at a JRS school in Kachin State, Myanmar Table of contents Who we are 3 Our context 4 Responding to a call 5 Map of people served 6 Serving refugees during a time of unprecedented displacement 9 • Education 9 • Livelihoods 13 • Psychosocial support 17 • Emergency humanitarian assistance: focus on Syria 19 The Global Education Initiative 23 Financial summary 26 International Director’s message 28 Stay informed and support JRS 29 1 2 JRS staff in Jibreen, Syria. Who we are 37 years of serving refugees Our mission around the world Inspired by the generous love De facto refugees The Jesuit Refugee Service and example of Jesus Christ, (JRS) is a Catholic organisation JRS seeks to accompany, JRS believes that the founded in 1980 by the Society serve, and advocate the cause definition of a “refugee” of Jesus to respond to the of refugees and other forcibly according to international plight of Vietnamese refugees displaced people, that they may conventions is too restrictive, fleeing their war-ravaged heal, learn, and determine their and ignores the needs of homeland. From a few camps own future. many vulnerable forcibly in Southeast Asia, the work of displaced people. JRS expanded rapidly to serve Our vision We are therefore guided by refugees around the world. A world where refugees and Catholic Social Teaching, In 2017 JRS served nearly other forcibly displaced people which applies the expression 640,000 people in camps attain protection, opportunity, “de facto refugee” to: and urban settings, in conflict and participation. zones and detention centres, • all persons persecuted on remote borders and in busy Our way because of race, religion, cities. Our work is coordinated JRS believes that our journeying membership in social or by offices in 52 countries and with refugees is the most political groups; an international office in Rome. important way for us to express • victims of armed conflicts, our solidarity with them and erroneous economic Our programmes our concern for their wellbeing. policy, or natural disasters; JRS is committed to working In a world where refugees • internally displaced for the wellbeing and hope are more than ever in need of persons, that is, civilians of refugees. We run pastoral welcome and protection, and who are forcibly uprooted care and psychosocial support yet are increasingly rejected from their homes by the programmes in detention and demonized, JRS offers same type of violence as centres and refugee camps, accompaniment to refugees refugees but who do not and provide humanitarian relief as a sign of hope and a way cross national frontiers. in emergency displacement towards healing. In even the situations. Education and most desperate of situations, This more inclusive definition livelihoods programmes we remain with refugees to of “refugee” guides JRS in provide skill development and assure them that the world has our work and mission. opportunities for integration into not forgotten them, and that host communities. We never they are not alone. cease to advocate for the rights of refugees, and to articulate the obligation to protect the most vulnerable among us. 3 Our Context 2017 saw countries closing There were an additional difficulties in rebuilding their their borders to displaced 1.9 million displaced within lives. Resettlement in a third people, a worrying decline in the country, and South Sudan country is a lottery that only resettlement places, and a rise continues to host refugees from a very few will win, and the in political movements that the Democratic Republic of countries in the Global South blame refugees and migrants Congo and Sudan. that host 85 per cent of all for the ills of their societies. South Sudan runs the risk of refugees are often unwilling This took place in a year of becoming another chronic or unable to provide them massive humanitarian need refugee situation comparable with permanent status, caused by the highest levels to Afghanistan (2.6 million living opportunities, and integration. of forced displacement ever in exile, with another 1.5 million Access to education and recorded, with children being displaced within the country) livelihood opportunities half of those on the move. or Colombia (7 million internally are absolutely crucial if the displaced with an additional world is not to see entire South Sudan in 2017 was 3.5 million living in nearby generations of people lost to a crucible of this complex countries.) dependence, poverty, and reality. Civil war and chronic social marginalisation. underdevelopment resulted Over 4 million refugees and in food shortages, outbreaks 36 million internally displaced Never has the need to welcome of disease, and mass persons have been in exile for and protect refugees and other displacement, creating 2 million more than 10 years. forcibly displaced people been South Sudanese refugees, the Refugees who live in exile for more urgent. majority hosted in Uganda. very long periods face particular 4 Responding to a call JRS is inspired daily by the leadership of Pope Francis to act with courage and verve as we carry out our mission of accompanying, serving, and defending the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced people. In February 2017 Pope Francis gave an address in Rome during which he called for a shared response to migrants and refugees that could be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate. The service provided by JRS in our accompaniment of refugees may be summed up in those four verbs. JRS welcomes JRS protects JRS promotes JRS integrates refugees by bringing asylum seekers by the integral human refugees through host communities providing them with development of all our programmes and refugees together legal assistance in refugees through and initiatives. The to promote social the often lengthy and our education and integration of refugees inclusion, and to break complex process of livelihood-training into host communities, down the anxieties proving that they are programmes. Refugees or into the societies and stereotypes that deserving of refugee flee violence and that in some cases they often stand in the status. JRS also conflict to survive, eventually return to, is way of welcome. JRS contributes to the and they then seek the goal of everything provides pastoral strengthening of the opportunities to rebuild that JRS does. Given care in immigration international protection their lives. Education the opportunity, detention centres system through the and employment are refugees can and around the world, advocacy work of our the key to the kind do make a positive supporting people representative to the of development that contribution to the whose only crime is United Nations refugee refugee communities communities in which to seek a safer life for agency (UNHCR) in need to thrive. JRS they live. Our approach themselves and their Geneva. We campaign recognises that is rooted in the “culture children. In every place for safer routes and refugees are the agents of encounter” promoted where we are present, options for people of their own change. by Pope Francis, which we focus on the value fleeing violence and We strive to include invites us to see the of hospitality, in JRS persecution, and the participation of other as one who centres and schools, for alternative legal refugees in all aspects enlarges our world, and through projects pathways for rejected of the planning and rather than as one who such as Communities asylum seekers. implementation of our diminishes it. of Hospitality education and training and I Get You. programmes. 5 People served during 2017 6 7 8 Biology class at the secondary school of Kounoungou refugee camp, Chad. Serving refugees during a time of unprecedented displacement Education Food, water, shelter, clothing, purchased by the community. children are enrolled in primary and access to health care come The creation of new wealth school, and the situation to mind when considering the and opportunities can thereby worsens as they get older; situation of refugees, and most contribute to social cohesion. just 25 per cent of young refugee-serving organisations In regions devastated by refugees have access to make provisions to provide for war and endemic violence, secondary education, and at these needs. an educated and skilled the tertiary level, the number population is vital for the sinks to 1 per cent. Yet other needs must be long-term development and considered in situations where reconstruction of refugees’ Building on centuries of refugees find themselves home and host countries. Jesuit expertise in the field displaced for longer and of education, JRS has made longer periods. Who could Education for children is not the teaching of refugees a have imagined in 2011 that just about learning. Being in key priority. JRS programmes Syria would still be a war zone a school where teachers and run the span from early seven years later? Throughout members of the community childhood development through Africa and Asia, many refugees are present and know post-secondary education have been living in camps for them provides children with and vocational training for more than a decade.
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