Refugees

President’s Report on 2012

In 2012, we began to see dreams and plans become reality.  Nowhere was that more obvious than in Timor-Leste with the ground breaking in July for an educational institute. Over subsequent months the first buildings were erected, the first students selected to begin at level 7 in the secondary school that is the first part of the institute, and the first cadre of teachers were introduced to Ignatian pedagogy.  

UNHCR-Jesuit agreement on higher education for the forcibly displaced

Submitted on April 27, 2013 - 2:57 pm

The UN refugee agency and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), through its partner Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins initiative (JC:HEM), signed in April an agreement to enhance higher education opportunities for refugees and other forcibly displaced people through online and on-site courses.

A Boat Without Anchors

Submitted on January 28, 2013 - 11:49 am

Jesuit Refugee Service Cambodia has released a report on the legal status of ethnic Vietnamese minority populations in Cambodia under domestic and international laws governing nationality and statelessness.  Entitled “A Boat Without Anchors”, the report details the history of the Vietnamese in Cambodia and their legal situation.  It was released on January 17.

Responding to the flooding disaster

Submitted on January 27, 2013 - 10:19 pm

The torrential rain that hit the Indonesian capital and its surrounding areas for two consecutive days (January 16 and 17) caused massive flooding in Jakarta, Bekasi and Tangerang. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 32 people have died and 33,502 people have been displaced. 

A message at Christmas

Submitted on December 21, 2012 - 3:51 pm

… this by the tender mercy of our God
who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.
Luke 1: 78-79

 

Love is born in the most unlikely places.  A star gives hope to the most unlikely witnesses. Gifts are carried by the most unlikely guests.

Searching for a state to belong to

Submitted on December 19, 2012 - 1:01 pm

Ibrahim*, a young man of 32, has been in Cambodia for nearly three years. His home is Myanmar, more specifically Arakan state.  He is Rohingya. He is part of a Muslim minority from Myanmar, which has faced persecution for decades. Many consider them to be stateless, as Myanmar does not recognise people of this ethnicity as citizens. 

Moving the tides of education in Ranong

Submitted on December 19, 2012 - 12:43 pm

The seafood factory on the southwestern coast of Thailand is sometimes referred to as the “Burmese university in Ranong”. It is one of the few opportunities available to many Burmese migrant children denied an education due to chronic poverty and social pressure.

Funding shortfall leads to education gaps

Submitted on September 16, 2012 - 9:07 pm

A funding pitfall in education for the Burmese refugees along the Thai border may negatively affect their preparedness to go home.

The focus of the international donor community is shifting from the camps towards Burma, and a lack of sufficient resources has forced many organisations working in the camps, such as Jesuit Refugee Service, to make cutbacks to critical programmes like schooling.

Building up the social sector

Submitted on September 16, 2012 - 7:49 pm

The social apostolate needs to be approached from the perspective of Ignatian Spirituality, which provides a new way of seeing all things.  Fr Patxi Alvarez SJ, Director of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat in Rome, made this point at the JCAP Social Apostolate meeting in August. 

Strengthening the migrant ministry network

Submitted on August 18, 2012 - 11:29 pm

Jesuits and collaborators working with migrants and refugees in Asia Pacific gathered in Manila recently to share insights and ideas for co-operation among the migrant ministries within the Conference.

The two-day meeting organised by the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific was held on June 30 and July 1, in conjunction with a migration conference, “Migration, Religious Experience and Mission with Migrants in Asia”, organised by the Loyola School of Theology and the Scalabrini Migration Center. 

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