In March, ten IAFR staff members took part in the Refugee Highway Partnership (RHP) Roundtable for Europe in Malaga, Spain. This month we interviewed IAFR’s own Whitney Gerdes to hear more about it. In addition to her role as Refugee Education Consultant, she has been involved with planning and facilitating the RHP Roundtable in Europe since 2020.

What is the Refugee Highway Partnership and who is it for?

The RHP started in 2001 in Izmir, Turkey when the World Evangelical Alliance organized a "Global Consultation on the Refugee Highway," calling together those known to be working with refugees. Their primary goal was to answer this question: What can we do together that we cannot do on our own? From this meeting the RHP was born.

Today, the RHP’s annual roundtable brings together hundreds of local pastors, nationals and internationals working within faith-based ministries, nonprofit workers, former refugees, and more. In Whitney’s own words “It is for the volunteer teaching language lessons a few hours a week, for the manager of the refugee center, and for the finance guy who works in the office but wishes to do more. It is for everyone passionate about walking alongside refugees, regardless of position, title, or hours working directly with people who are forcibly displaced.”

How has IAFR been involved?

IAFR has several teams serving across Europe. Staff members are highly encouraged to attend the RHP’s European roundtable as a way to deepen each team’s training and network development. At any given roundtable you might find IAFR staff speaking at a plenary session, teaching a workshop, or engaged in lively conversation over a shared meal or coffee break. It is an incredible opportunity for staff to learn, fellowship, and connect alongside other leaders in refugee ministry from across the globe.

When asked what has impacted her most in her years both attending and facilitating the RHP gatherings, Whitney noted, “It has absolutely shaped me in multiple ways. I learned how to bring people around the table and keep Jesus at the center, to make sure people feel heard, but also challenged. There are so many stories of projects that started sitting around dinner tables, of nights with only three hours of sleep, of speaking with people from all different nationalities and faith backgrounds. It has shaped my view of what it means to walk alongside refugees, seeing what Jesus cares about. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried, but I don’t have to feel bad because we all understand the depth of the grief and the loss. Maybe that helps us laugh a little bit louder and a little bit longer and celebrate the moments we get to share with each other.”

At IAFR, we are grateful for reminders like these that we do not work in isolation. It strengthens our work and our resolve to be connected to a global community of people who are working to love and serve our refugee neighbors together.