| Hello jay,
In honor of World Refugee Day, over the course of this week I’m sharing with you conversations I had with four of our team members who traveled across the globe to speak to refugees who are living in the reality of the Global Refugee Crisis. The following is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Curt Rhodes, who traveled to Germany, Greece, and Turkey. Curt is the Founder and International Director of Quetscope, ARC’s partner organization in the Middle East. ARC and Questscope underwent an official merger in 2015. -Daniel ***************************************************************** How would you describe what you saw on this trip? Shattered is the only way I can find to describe it – shattered communities, families, and relationships. The most overwhelming casualty for people forced to become refugees is to find themselves suddenly as survivors with everything familiar ripped away. Everything gone. Changed. Total dependence on others for food, water, shelter, safety. No choices. No friends. The shock of the gut-wrenching loss of relationships is absolutely devastating. Visible effects - homelessness, friendlessness, hunger - are compounded by invisible effects - fear, helplessness, emotions - that tear at their very sense of feeling that they are human beings. How did your past experiences with Syrians affect the goals of this trip? I have a long history of relationships in Syria dating back to 1982. And now, hundreds of these friends are scattered across the globe. My goal was to be with them, to pick up relationship threads, and assure them that they are not forgotten. We believe in them, even if they find it hard to believe in themselves. As an organization, we're in a unique position at this time. We did not appear only in this crisis - we have been there all along. And we want to be part of reweaving the relationship fabric that will sustain Syrians in the uncertain futures each of them face. Was there anything you saw or experienced that inspired hope? In this crisis, there are countless tragic stories. But there are also countless individuals in whom we can invest. For example, we met with the most delightful Syrian refugee (a PhD from MIT) with whom we hope to design educational programs for the tens of thousands of Syrian refugee children and youth who will have no education otherwise. We've been connecting with so many individuals and groups like this. People who want to make sure everyone has water, food, and medicine. People who want to give special attention to women, girls, and boys who have lost all means of support. The more we can give support to these people and work alongside Syrians trying to rebuild - the more hopeful their future becomes.
[stay tuned this week for more conversations: http://www.arcrelief.org/wrdqanda]
|
Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.
No comments:
Post a Comment