Category: Refugees

Syria…Maybe Some Real Hope!

~ Steve Swope ~ Leave a comment
Photo from USA Today

Spending time with the refugees, CRS and Caritas workers in Greece and Serbia will affect ones heart and strengthen feelings of compassion and mercy for the refugees and aid workers.  There may be some good news for them and good news for the world.  The announcement that, “Diplomats meeting in Munich agreed early Friday to implement a ‘cessation of hostilities’ in Syria’s long-running civil war and bring aid into the country to stem a humanitarian crisis that has displaced millions,” is a ray of hope for millions that have fled and desire to return home.  Perhaps soon humanitarian organizations like Caritas and CRS can begin to help those trapped in Syria by the war in addition to those who have fled.

The full story is here: US-Russia Agree to Cease Fire in Syria.

Let’s pray it is for real and goes into effect.

Schengen, why Americans should care about refugees, part 3.

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Shengen Area – a reason to care
 
Over the past week I have tried to explain why all Americans should be concerned about the refugee crisis in Europe.  After returning from the Catholic Relief Services trip to the Balkans, I have been blogging and meeting with many people about this important issue.  In short, we should provide aid and revise our thinking and policies for three reasons.

 First, assisting people who are fleeing war and/or persecution is just the right and Christian thing to do.  Second, admitting that our country bears some responsibility for destabilizing the Middle East prompts us to assist our friends and allies who bearing the brunt of the unintended consequences.  Yet, there are people that I know who reject these two rationales for providing aid and assistance to the refugees.  For them, I would suggest another, quite self serving reason for giving direct and indirect aid to the refugees.  That reason can be summed up in one word, Schengen.  This word is quite important so I hope you will read on. Continue reading “Schengen, why Americans should care about refugees, part 3.” →

The Refugee Crisis…Why Americans Should Care, Part 2

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A refugee child that made it safely to Athens.

The number of refugees in the world today is truly staggering.  The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees publishes statistics on refugees and they show that there are more than 19.5 milliOn refugees globally.  Over half of the refugees are under 18 years old.  Today, around 86% of all refugees have sought safety in Continue reading “The Refugee Crisis…Why Americans Should Care, Part 2” →

Managing the Refugee Crisis – The Economist’s Perspective

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  The February 6th-12th issue of The Economist has several excellent and insightful articles about the refugee crisis.  Their reports are very worthwhile.  I recommend reading them in their entirety.  I am providing just a few excerpts here:

REFUGEES are reasonable people in desperate circumstances. Life for many of the 1m-odd asylum-seekers who have fled Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries for Europe in the past year has become intolerable. Europe is peaceful, rich and accessible. Most people would rather not abandon their homes and start again among strangers. But when the alternative is the threat of death from barrel-bombs and sabre-wielding fanatics, they make the only rational choice.

Since the start of the refugee crisis, we have argued that Europe should welcome persecuted people and carefully manage their entry into European society. Our views have not changed. Countries have a moral and legal duty to provide sanctuary to those who flee grave danger. That approach is disruptive in the short term, but in the medium term, so long as they are allowed to work, refugees assimilate and more than pay for themselves. By contrast, the chaos of recent months shows what happens when politicians fail to take a pan-European approach to what is clearly a pan-European problem. The plan we outline would require a big chunk of cash and a lot of testy negotiations. But it is in every country’s interest to help—because all of them would be worse off if the EU lapses into a xenophobic free-for-all.

There is an encouraging precedent, too. When more than 1m “boat people” fled Vietnam after the communists took over in 1975, they went initially to refugee camps in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia before being sent to America, Europe, Australia and wherever else would take them. They arrived with nothing but adapted astonishingly fast: the median household income for Vietnamese-Americans, for example, is now above the national average. No one in America now frets that the boat people will not fit in.


Refugees…Reasons Americans Should Care

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A young father and his son arrive at the port in Athens, Greece.

Over the past two weeks I have been blogging about what our Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows delegation saw and did while in Greece and Serbia.  The mission was enlightening for us because nothing in the media back home really captured a sense of the refugee crisis or the humanitarian response taking place.  We heard stories of great bravery and desperation and saw aid and assistance given to people who did not expect it.  Each of us have been trying to convey to our fellow countrymen the scope of the situation, who the refugees are, why they are fleeing and the aid being provided.  I am humbled by the dedication and youth of many of the aid workers.  I am proud to report about the work done by CRS staff to help organize and support the various charitable organizations, including Caritas.  I am also somewhat amazed when a fellow American sincerely asks, “Why should Americans care, isn’t this a Middle East and European problem?

Over the next week I want to explain why I believe everyone should care, especially Americans. By ‘care’ I don’t mean adopting a position that advocates stopping the migration or ‘sending them back’ but why we should try to understand the cause for the refugee migration, aid those fleeing and actively work to see an end to the violence so Continue reading “Refugees…Reasons Americans Should Care” →

Refugees in Serbia – A Helpful Perspective

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The flow of refugees in Serbia is continuous and most of the people are transiting the country, coming from FYROM (Macedonia) to Croatia.  This short video tells a bit of their story.  Dino, who you will see in the video works for Catholic Relief Services and understands the plight of refugees, he was a refugee during the war in Bosnia and Serbia in the 1990’s.  Continue reading “Refugees in Serbia – A Helpful Perspective” →

Refugees…Who Are They? Really, Who are They?

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You may want to see this video, which I found to be congruent with the situation we encountered and tells about some of the good work being done.  Following the video, I offer some personal insights into the facts about the refugees and some fiction that should be dispelled.

Over the past few days I have encountered people who have asked a simple question, “Are the refugees all ‘very strong, powerful men, and young’?”  Continue reading “Refugees…Who Are They? Really, Who are They?” →

Children are the Same Everywhere

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One thing that is constant in the world is that despite troubles and hardships, children are always ready to play and exhibit joy.  When we arrived at the Serbian rest area where refugees are held waiting for the train to Croatia we spotted a Caritas volunteer blowing soap bubbles for the kids.  What did the kids do?   The same thing that all kids in the world do, they chased them, popped them and laughed with glee.    Even the 10-13 year olds got in the action.  
The time that these volunteers spend with the children affords their parents time to rest, plan and discuss their status with the lawyers and consultants provided by Caritas and the Balkans Centre for Migration, supported by Catholic Relief Services.  This is actually therapy for the children too since they have spent days on end on buses, trains and boats.  Hopefully this little break from what is essentially an adult life lets them be children for just a little while.  Their laughing and shouting is just what we would hear from our own children or grandchildren!

Peace –
 

Lost or Stuffed in Translation

~ Steve Swope ~ 1 Comment

  
Sometimes in the midst of troubles and problems you just spot something humorous.  This sign was in a Greek restaurant.  The top, in Greek says “Staff Only.”  I guess this is where they stuff the staff.  Actually, their translation from Greek to English would be a lot better than mine from English to Greek!!!