Burundian refugee youth learn tailoring at the CWS-supported Vocational Training Centre in Kanembwa Refugee Camp in Tanzania.
Photo: Erol Kekic/CWS
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Durable Solutions for the Displaced
More of the world’s people seek refuge today from war, persecution, economic change, and disaster than ever before. Whether uprooted within their own country or fleeing across borders, displaced people are often seen as contrary to development, an unwanted reminder of international community failure. In Africa, roughly one out of every 55 people is a refugee, an internally displaced person, an asylum seeker, or a stateless person.
Many of those who are uprooted suffer from spiritual, social, cultural, and political oppression. By sharing financial and material resources, people join together through Church World Service to support individuals and communities in need of emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation. Church World Service provides proactive and effective assistance to address the immediate and long-term needs of the most vulnerable displaced persons.
Durable solutions for those who are displaced include repatriation (return
to one’s country of origin), local integration, and resettlement
in a third country. Repatriation is needed in countries where long-standing
wars have ended — such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and now Sudan — and
where populations may return to their home communities. Alternatively,
as needed and allowed by law, Church World Service has, since 1946, resettled
refugees through a network of participating denominations, affiliate
offices, and local congregations, helping nearly half a million people
to establish new lives in the U.S. This work is complemented by strong
advocacy measures to protect the rights of refugees, making CWS uniquely
able to reach out to those who will never be resettled, the majority
of refugees in today’s world.
Often three generations of families can be found living in a refugee
camp. Many children have never lived anywhere but a camp.
When a durable solution is not evident, Church World Service works to improve life in the camp through:
Advocacy: CWS programs concentrate on refugee protection and work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Development Program, and the Refugee Council USA. In addition, Church World Service advocates on immigration and migration issues, especially on behalf of those held in detention.
Education: Current international agreements allow only for primary education in the camps. Church World Service provides secondary education to refugee and host community children, addressing root causes of conflict and providing vocational training. Currently this work is implemented in Tanzania. Goals include integrating refugee and host communities, encouraging the model of the School Safe Zone, and enlisting U.S. churches, businesses, service groups, and schools in support of schools in Africa.
Healthcare services: CWS provides care to refugees and local populations, with particular attention to maternal health and infectious diseases, especially critical in camp situations.
Information sharing: A partnership with FilmAid International makes available in camps outdoor screenings of feature and educational films about critical issues such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS; domestic violence and gender rights; and conflict resolution. Through the program, viewers are provided knowledge to take action; entertainment to help in alleviating trauma; and models for rebuilding community life.