Flüchtlingslager
Making a Difference through Refugee Resettlement
Refugees are
people who have been denied the chance to live a "normal" life.
Things in their lives have gotten so bad that they have felt forced to leave
their own country. In many cases staying alive actually depends on fleeing
their home, possibly their family, and everything they've ever known.
Most
refugees are good people, willing to do anything they can to establish normalcy
in their lives. If they can escape the persecution, and threat of persecution,
they can develop into contributing members of society. Yet, while they maintain
refugee status in the overburdened countries they have fled to, there is little
opportunity. They are often confined to small areas and have limited access to
basic goods and services. Therefore, when another country steps in to resettle
a refugee or refugee family, a problem is reduced. Anxiety is diminished. A
step is taken toward peace. Poverty, hunger, and disease are lessened. With
every refugee that can find a new home, the world becomes a slightly better
place.
So, this all
sounds really good in theory, but ultimately the decision to resettle refugees
doesn't end with governments. It ends with people. Ultimately, it comes down to
your decision to help out. Refugees come from all over the world. We can't just
bring them to the front door of our own country and expect them to fit right
in. They need help. They need to understand our country, our society, our
customs, our cultural idiosyncrasies. They need to know all the things we
learned as we grew from children into adults. They need to understand how to
live in a manner that allows them to belong. Someone has to teach these things
and help newly arrived refugees navigate our world.
With so many
charities calling out with needs, should you consider refugee resettlement? To
answer this you should look at your personal reasons why you might want to
help. It may be that you have a grand vision for the
world and you want to be an advocate for world peace or fight to alleviate
hunger and poverty. Or, your reasons may be much more personal. Perhaps you
simply want to learn about a different culture without leaving the comfort of
home. Instead of traveling the world, you'd rather bring the world to you.
Maybe you want a good excuse to learn a new language. Maybe you like to teach.
Maybe you think that doing something good will make a difference and feel good
too. Maybe you're driven by logic and have concluded that helping refugees is just the right thing to do. Maybe
you just have an intense love for other people. Maybe you've experienced a
spiritual calling.
With few
exceptions, it doesn't really matter what your personal motivations are, but it
is important that you have reasons to persist. While refugee resettlement is
rewarding, it is not always easy. Having concrete reasons why you want to
resettle refugees, along with a long-term vision of a positive outcome, can
help you get through the challenges. Developing those reasons into a passion to
serve will carry you through the entire process and give you confidence that
you can make a difference in our world today.
Comments
Post a Comment