Sudanese family arrives in Renk, South Sudan, after fleeing the war in Sudan. Photo: JRS
On World Refugee Day, June 20, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) reaffirms its commitment to help provide “hope away from home,” as the theme of this year’s commemoration by the United Nations urges.
CJI supports its Jesuit partners who accompany, serve and advocate for forcibly displaced people through humanitarian assistance and long-term development projects, including those geared towards education and income-generation.
In South Sudan and Chad, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is offering humanitarian assistance to thousands of Sudanese refugees, who have been forced to flee the war in their country. JRS has launched a program in Chad to provide protection to children of refugee families. And in South Sudan, JRS is currently focusing on psychosocial, and information support for refugees who have entered from Khartoum across the main border point into Renk county.
CJI continues to support various programs ranging from education, psychological support and creating a culture of hospitality that respond to the needs of forcibly displaced people in Colombia, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Learn more, including how you can support these projects: https://www.canadianjesuitsinternational.ca/project-theme/forcibly-displaced-people-and-emergency-relief/
The theme for this year’s World Refugee Day “focuses on the power of inclusion and solutions for refugees,” according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Including refugees in the communities where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution is the most effective way to support them in restarting their lives and enable them to contribute to the countries hosting them,” said UNHCR. “It’s also the best way to prepare them to return home and rebuild their countries, when conditions allow them to do so safely and voluntarily, or to thrive if they are resettled to another country.”
Worldwide, there are 108.4 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, but UNHCR expects the figure to rise to 117.2 million in 2023.
