The Episcopal Refugee Network
As citizens of the 21st century we are sadly acquainted with the results of violent conflict and genocide, or drought and famine as hundreds of thousands of persons become refugees and are displaced from family, home, and even country. On behalf of you and me and all people of goodwill the Episcopal Refugee Network of our Diocese is working to meet the needs of refugees who arrive in San Diego.
San Diego hosts almost 3500 Sudanese refugees, mainly from the Dinka, Nuer, Bari and Equatorial tribal areas of the Sudan. … The Refugee Network also helps families who have been displaced by genocide in Burma and Bhutan.” From our Diocesan website
The work of the Episcopal Refugee Network
The Episcopal Refugee Network supports families during
their years of adjustment to American life by providing:
- Help with documentation
Enrolling children at school
Social Security registration
Welfare/benefits registration
- Translation for
Medical visits
Official interviews
Registering children at School
- Assistance in
Obtaining employment
–filling out applications etc…
- Tutoring Programs
Learn more: About The Episcopal Refugee Network
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For further reflection
Read MORE ON REFUGEES IN SAN DIEGO
Two Frequently Asked Questions answered by International Justice Mission:
Who are refugees and displaced persons?
They are men, women and children fleeing war, persecution and political upheaval. They are uprooted with little warning, enduring great hardship during their flight. They become refugees when they cross borders and seek safety in another country. They are displaced when they are forced to flee their homes, but remain within the borders of their native country.
The 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by its 1967 protocol defines a refugee as a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…”
The U.S. will not recognize persons who have participated in war crimes and violations of humanitarian and human rights law, including the crime of terrorism, as refugees. They are specifically excluded from the protection accorded to refugees.
How many refugees and displaced persons are there, and who makes up the majority of the refugee population?
Right now there are about 42 million displaced people in the world. One in every 170 persons in the world has been uprooted by war. This is the largest category of vulnerable people in the world. About one third of them are officially recognized refugees because they have crossed an international border. The other two thirds are so-called internally displaced persons, or IDPs, because they are still within their own country. Of the world’s 12 million or so refugees, about 3.2 million are in Africa. In addition, Africa has about half of the world’s 25 million IDPs.
80 percent of the world’s refugees are women and children who are more vulnerable to their unstable conditions.
Source: International Rescue Committee Frequently Asked Questions About Refugees and Resettlement accessed 16 Dec 2011
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Image: Episcopal Refugee Network Home Page
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