Recovering Place

Nov 29, 2020

- Tom Albinson

Refugees and asylum seekers have been stripped of place.

"Place has been stolen from me." I've never forgotten these words from a Somali Christian woman who spent over 20 years in search of a safe place in which she could begin to rebuild her life after fleeing her homeland.

I'm not sure how the world sleeps at night knowing that there are tens of millions of people like her who have been forced to flee their homelands but who have been unable to find a country willing to offer them permanent refuge.

Until they find it, they inhabit temporary spaces - like refugee camps. Camps are not a solution. They are an emergency stop-gap measure. They need to be backed up with long term solutions to displacement. Resettling refugees from camps to countries like the US is one such option.

Perhaps the problem is not that there are refugees in the world, but rather that so few countries care?

Rather than actively seeking to help, many countries are doing what they can to stop refugees and asylum seekers from seeking safety within their borders. The only way they can justify this is by misrepresenting refugees and their situation.

So what can we do?

Our displaced friends do not have a voice in society, so we need to speak up on their behalf. We need to correct misrepresentation,raise awareness of the need, and encourage our families, friends, and networks to do the same. It is our silence that strengthens the status quo.

Will you join with us?

The solution to their displacement begins with each of us working together to create space in the hearts and minds of others for refugees and asylum seekers.

IAFR has developed resources to help. They are well researched and documented - and confirmed to be true by our daily engagement with refugees and asylum seekers around the world.

You can download free videos, posters, memes and more from the IAFR TOOLBOX - all designed to help you advocate on behalf of our displaced friends. Use them to get informed yourself and to inform others (ideal for sharing via social media as well as with your small group at church, a Sunday School class, or even during a Sunday worship service). If you are a pastor or teacher, you'll likely find the "Refugees in the Bible" download a helpful resource when preparing a message or lesson.

Check out the IAFR.org TOOLBOX today!