A recent visit to the JRS team in Masisi, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, offered me some insights.

Last September, the JRS team, comprising three international and 18 Congolese staff, moved with the returnee population in North Kivu from Goma to Masisi as the camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) was phased down and eventually closed. Now the team works with returnees in the Masisi area and newly displaced persons from the surrounding localities.

As we approached the camps, I heard some children and adults along the road shouting the names of our staff members: Bea, Luis and Irene. They did not identify the car as JRS, but the persons in the car. Later, walking through the camps, I could see the very close and personal contact which Bea, Luis and Irene have with the persons served by JRS.

Bea and Luis visit one of the four camps in and around Masisi everyday. Luis works with adolescents and other young people, while Bea visits and takes care of the most vulnerable persons. Although the number doesn’t exceed 50, they are really the neediest.

When their needs are outside the remit of the local JRS team, she often brings their cases to the attention of other organisations and UN agencies to make sure they receive attention. All the cases Bea presents are taken up by these organisations. This is down to the credibility of JRS and the real vulnerability of the persons it serves.

Once a week, Irene goes to one of the two training centres for women, managed by Angelique, a Congolese women, who worked with JRS in Goma and moved with the team to Masisi. On the other days, she visits village communities.

We visited one such village. Although it was within the security zone, 20km from Masisi, the road was so bad it took hours to get there. Upon arrival, the children and elders of the village showed us the terrain, already prepared by the community, where their future secondary school would be constructed. They were so proud to show us the fruits of their hard work. They had broken the mountain rocks which will be used as the foundations for the classrooms of the new school building. Now it is up to JRS to provide the materials and the know-how to build the new school.

I began reflecting on what I had seen, on the criteria JRS uses to measure the quality and impact of its accompaniment. Let me give you a short summary of these criteria:

1. to move with people wherever they may go, be it to camps, marginalised urban areas or inaccessible mountain villages;
2. to spend time with people. Visiting the camps everyday is an important indicator of the quality of JRS accompaniment. In short, this is the amount of time JRS workers spend alongside refugees as opposed to behind their computer screens;
3. to be on first name terms: not making the name of the organisation known, but the names of the field workers. If people know their names, this is an indication of the existence of a personal relationship, closeness, friendship and care. This is also an indicator of the local integration of JRS staff, the best guarantee of security for the team. Local people are the best protectors of JRS teams, whether local or international staff;
4. to be trusted by people. This is clearly seen when displaced persons share their experiences of loss and hope with us;
5. to advocate for the most vulnerable: something which is only possible if we are close to the lives of the people;
6. to involve the local population in the work of the projects, to encourage them to offer their labour; and, last, but certainly not least,
7. to enjoy being together and to celebrate with refugees.

Accompaniment is the cornerstone of the JRS mission. The quality and impact of our services and advocacy depend on the quality of our accompaniment.

Peter Balleis SJ

JRS International Director

1. Se déplacer avec les gens où qu'ils aillent, que ce soit dans des camps, dans des zones urbaines marginalisées ou dans des villages de montagne inaccessibles
2. Passer beaucoup de temps avec les gens. Rendre visite aux réfugiés dans les camps chaque jour est un indicateur important de la qualité de l'accompagnement du JRS. En bref, c'est le temps que les membres de l'équipe JRS passent aux côtés des réfugiés plutôt que devant des ordinateurs.
3. Avoir des rapports familiers, se connaître par prénoms. Ne pas faire connaître le nom de l'organisation, mais les prénoms des opérateurs de terrain. Si la population les connaît par leurs noms, cela indique l'existence d'un rapport personnel, de proximité, d'amitié et de souci de l'autre. C'est aussi l'indication de l'intégration locale du personnel JRS, la meilleure garantie de sécurité pour l'équipe. Les habitants du lieu sont les meilleurs protecteurs des équipes JRS, que ce soient des collaborateurs locaux ou des membres de l'équipe internationale.
4. Veiller à ce que les gens aient confiance en nous. Cela apparaît clairement quand les personnes déplacées partagent leurs expériences de perte et d'espoir avec nous
5. Plaider pour les personnes les plus vulnérables, ce qui n'est possible que si nous sommes proches de leurs vies.
6. Impliquer la population locale dans ce travail et ces projets, les encourager à offrir leur collaboration. Et, finalement, mais certainement pas de moindre importance :
7. Être heureux d'être avec les réfugiés, célébrer ensemble.

1. ir con la gente a donde ellos vayan, estar en los campamentos, en las áreas urbanas marginales o en aldeas inaccesibles de las montañas;
2. pasar el tiempo con la gente. Visitar los campamentos diariamente es un importante indicador de la calidad del acompañamiento del JRS. En breve, es más la cantidad de tiempo que dedican los trabajadores del JRS con los refugiados, que la que pasan frente a las pantallas de sus ordenadores;
3. que se les conozca por ellos mismos: no hacer que se conozca el nombre de la organización, sino los nombres de los trabajadores sobre el terreno. Si la gente conoce sus nombres, este es un indicativo de la existencia de una relación personal, cercanía, amistad y cariño. Este es también un indicador de la integración local del personal del JRS, la mejor garantía de seguridad para el equipo. La gente local es quien mejor proteje a los equipos del JRS, ya sea personal local o internacional;
4. que la gente confíe en ellos. Esto queda de manifiesto cuando los desplazados comparten sus experiencias de pérdidas y esperanzas con nosotros;
5. defender a los más vulnerables: algo que sólo es posible si estamos cercanos a las vidas de la gente;
6. involucrar a la población local en el trabajo de los proyectos, alentarles a involucrarse, pero no menos importante es,
7. disfrutar estando juntos y celebrando con los refugiados.

1. Spostarsi insieme alle persone dovunque loro vadano, nei campi profughi, nelle aree marginali dei centri urbani o anche nei più inaccessibili villaggi di montagna;
2. Trascorrere del tempo insieme alle persone. Visitare i campi ogni giorno è un importante indicatore della qualità dell'accompagnamento del JRS. In pratica, si tratta del tempo che gli operatori del JRS trascorrono accanto ai rifugiati invece che dietro lo schermo di un computer;
3. Farsi chiamare per nome: far sì che non sia la sigla dell'organizzazione ad essere conosciuta, ma i nomi degli operatori. Se le persone conoscono i loro nomi, questo prova una relazione personale, vicinanza, amicizia e attenzione. Questo è anche un indicatore dell'integrazione locale dello staff del JRS, la migliore garanzia per la sicurezza del team. La popolazione locale è la migliore protezione per gli operatori del JRS, che siano locali o stranieri;
4. Avere la fiducia della gente. Questo è evidente quando i migranti forzati condividono le loro esperienze di perdita e di speranza con noi;
5. Difendere i diritti dei più vulnerabili: questo è possibile soltanto se siamo vicini alla vita delle persone;
6. Coinvolgere la popolazione locale nel lavoro dei progetti, incoraggiarli ad offrire i loro sforzi; e, infine, ma certamente non meno importante
7. Godere della compagnia dei rifugiati e celebrare insieme a loro.