| Project Updates | |
| Burundi: new JRS project puts women at the centre |
| Voices | |
| Ethiopia: recreation eases difficulty of camp life South Sudan: a role model for students and teachers Democratic Republic of Congo: fleeing domestic violence in the night |
| Dispatches is a fortnightly e-mail bulletin of the JRS International Office. It features refugee news briefings, press releases, featured articles and project updates from our people in the field. |
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USA: President Obama urged to join Mine Ban Treaty
Washington DC, 4 May 2012 — Leaders from 76 nongovernmental organisations including Jesuit Refugee Service USA delivered a letter to President Obama urging the US to relinquish antipersonnel landmines and join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty without further delay. The letter follows a request made in 2010 by many of these same leaders asking the President to ensure that the landmine policy review announced by the White House in late 2009 would be timely, inclusive, and aimed at speedy accession to the treaty. Jesuit Refugee Service USA Director, Fr Michael Evans SJ, signed on behalf of JRS USA. The US has not used antipersonnel mines since 1991 (in the first Gulf War), has not exported them since 1992, has not produced them since 1997 and is the biggest donor to mine clearance programmes around the world. However, it still retains 10.4 million stockpiled antipersonnel mines for potential future use and remains an outlier from this widely supported treaty. "Accession to the Mine Ban Treaty continues to enjoy exceptionably broad civil society support here in the United States", said Zach Hudson, the Coordinator of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL). "As this continued dialogue with the President indicates, a vast number of prominent nongovernmental organisations — many of whom have seen firsthand the devastating impact of landmines in the communities in which they work – unquestionably support the total prohibition of this weapon and its lethal effect on civilians". Since the Obama administration initiated a comprehensive inter-agency review of its landmine policy in December 2009, the administration has received letters of support for the Mine Ban Treaty from 68 Senators, 16 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, key NATO allies, retired senior military personnel, dozens of NGO leaders, victims of US landmines, and countless concerned Americans. In total, 161 countries are signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty, including every member of NATO [except the US], as well as every member of the European Union, and other key US allies such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The US is one of only 37 countries in the world that have not joined the Mine Ban Treaty and the only country in the Western Hemisphere aside from Cuba that has not joined. The letter coincides with the Lend Your Leg campaign, an initiative to raise awareness about landmine clearance and landmine survivors linked with the United Nations April fourth International Day for Mine Awareness. Lend Your Leg 2012 was launched on 1 March – the 13th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty – by landmine survivors from all over the world joined by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Since then United Nations officials, politicians, celebrities, journalists and ordinary people everywhere have pledged to "lend their legs" to speak out against this indiscriminate weapon which continues to blight people's lives every day. Brazil: Haitian migrants in Amazonia, the end of a journey and the beginning of a new life
Bogotá, 7 May 2012 – More than 350 Haitians, stranded for three months in the rural Brazilian border province of Tabatinga, began arriving in Manaus, the capital of Amazonia. Their arrival marked the end of their journey from Haiti to Brazil, having passed through Bolivia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru, among other South American countries. The arrival in Manaus also marked the end of a long and painful wait of more than three months in a secluded province in the heart of Amazonia. Between 14 and 23 April, the Haitians travelled in three groups from Tabatinga port to Manaus after being granted access by federal police to the refugee determination process. The official document entitles them to enter the country legally, apply for a temporary work permit and possibly receive permanent residence in the future. On 5 April, the justice minister, José Eduardo Cardozo, announced the decision of President Dilma Rousseff to permit the entrance of 245 Haitians stranded in Iñapari, Peru, and another 363 Haitians stranded in Tabatinga; the latter having crossed in Brazil territory in mid-January last. Despite the difficult humanitarian situation facing migrants at both borders, the Brazilian administration had bluntly refused to allow them to enter the country. After extensive lobbying by local mayors in Brazil and Peru, as well as churches, human rights NGOs and migrant associations in various countries throughout the continent, the Brazilian government finally relented and granted the Haitians the right to enter the country. The decision extended benefits of the previous resolution on 13 January 2012 to Haitians who had been stranded on Brazilian borders. Issued by the National Brazilian Immigration department (CNIg), the resolution regularised the status of all Haitians who had entered the country irregularly before 12 January 2012. Arrival in Manaus. Upon arrival in Manaus, the Haitians were welcomed and a census was taken by the pastoral immigration service of the Archdiocese of Manaus, offering them basic information on how to complete the process of regularisation and how to secure a job and housing. Given that the vast majority of Haitian arrivals had nowhere to live – particularly those in the most vulnerable circumstances, such as pregnant women and families with children – they were housed in churches and other centres throughout the city. The migrants were also provided with humanitarian assistance, psychosocial support and other services. Civil society organisations are doing everything in their power, with the limited funds at their disposal, to house the more than 4,600 Haitians now living in Manaus city. Among these groups, the Jesuit province of Amazonia has recently opened its Pro-Haitian Service office. Pro-Haitian Service, a volunteer-based group which includes one Creole-speaking Haitian, provides a translation service for Haitians dealing with public and private institutions. They also provide psychosocial support services to Haitians who need just need to talk about their problems, experiences in their own language. Although the authorities have regularised the migration status of the Haitians, additional measures promoting their integration have not yet been taken. Unable to speak Portuguese, the challenge of protecting this group and offering them an opportunity to live in dignity remains. Since the 12 January 2010 earthquake devastated their country, Haitians have fled throughout South America, including Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela and French Guyana. In response, most countries have tightened their immigration policies, increasing requirements to obtain work and study permits. Brazil and Bolivia have closed their borders; Peru has imposed visa requirements on Haitians entering their territory; Chile and Ecuador have begun deporting forced migrants upon arrival at airports back to their countries of origin. These movements of Haitians have been made possible for the most part by smuggler networks. Such networks charge between 3,000 and 5,000 US dollars, making false promises of employment, scholarships and even trips to Europe and the US. These migration flows have increased since many Caribbean islands, including Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, continue to deport Haitians fortunate enough to survive the journey. Moreover, the situation for Haitians in the Dominican Republic has also worsened due to continued deportation, discrimination and other human rights violations. Consequently, South America is becoming an increasingly important destination for forced Haitian migrants. Wooldy Edson Louidor Regional Advocacy and Communications Coordinator for Haiti Jesuit Refugee Service Latin America and the Caribbean Australia: JRS launches new Residence Determination Project
Sydney, 30 April, 2012 – JRS Australia is in the throes of its biggest expansion ever, with the number of staff increasing threefold in response to the needs of its growing client base. This development has come about as a direct result of the government’s revised policies on detention, with the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, announcing recently that selected asylum seekers who have until now been detained in detention facilities across Australia will be placed in community detention in partnership with church- and community-based organisations such as JRS Australia. In response to this announcement, JRS has extended its small Residence Determination Project to provide accommodation and casework to vulnerable adult asylum seekers and family groups who have been released from detention centres. The primary aim of the Residence Determination Project is to create a safe, supportive and dignified living environment which will enable vulnerable clients to improve their mental and physical health, and to then move into the community and support themselves. JRS has partnered in this endeavour with Marist Youth Care, providing support to 40 asylum seekers identified by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) as being too vulnerable to support themselves in the community. "Our involvement in the further expansion of the Residence Determination Program builds on the experience and expertise gleaned from our work with adult men and women in the Sydney Shelter Project, now in its fifth year, as well as the work we have done caring for Unaccompanied Minors in Residence Determination," says the Director of JRS Australia, Fr Aloysious Mowe SJ. Not only do many asylum seekers moving into community detention suffer from trauma, says Fr Mowe, many have also become dependent on others for their basic care. "One of the purposes of the community detention expansion now is to try to move asylum seekers into some degree of resilience, some degree of independence. At JRS we have project assistants who come into the house in the evenings and supervise cooking with the men. These are men who in some cases may never have cooked in their lives, coming from the cultures they’re from, or in other cases may have cooked but have been in situations in the past one or two years in held detention where they’ve become completely dependent on a kind of institutional living." As long-time advocates for the ending of secure immigration detention for asylum seekers, JRS now has the opportunity through its community detention project to put its advocacy into practice, said Fr Mowe. "It’s only right that we put our money where our mouth is and show Australia that there are viable alternatives to secure detention. The asylum seekers have not committed any crime and should not be behind barbed wire and high fences. It is ironic that many come here seeking liberty, only to have their liberty snatched away from them. A secure border policy should not trump human dignity and natural justice." Catherine Marshall, Province Express reporter Burundi: new JRS project puts women at the centre
Kibimba, 03 May 2012 – Announcing the opening of its latest food security project in south-east Burundi, JRS staff stressed its innovative approach dedicated to helping women become protagonists in their own communities. This project goes much further than previous JRS food security projects in Giteranyi and Giharo in eastern and south-eastern Burundi. It is not simply about increasing the participants' economic welfare; the activities are designed to promote the position of women and girls. In partnership with Rutana diocese, the new project in Kibimba established an educational farm where women and girls receive courses in literacy, civics, agricultural techniques and livestock rearing. Through the participation of women, field staff seek to promote the food security of the population and strengthen communal relations between the local and ex-refugee populations, returned to Burundi after years of exile in Tanzania. "In this part of Burundi, women stay at home to take care of the children and farm the land, while the men tend to seek work elsewhere, frequently staying away for at least a year at a time", said JRS project director, Herman Nakintije. "Women are the driving force in the family. If we want to pursue real societal development, we need to focus on them. By teaching women to read and write, and improving their land cultivation or livestock rearing practices, we are helping them offer their children a better education and produce better quality food to feed their families. With improved food security, crime rates decrease, tensions between neighbours disappears and living standards improve. This benefits society as a whole", added Mr Nakintije. From food security to hygiene: comprehensive training. The courses at Kibimba last six months and are targeted towards 144 women and girls from the nearby villages. Equipped with stables and chicken coops, participants are taught the techniques of animal rearing, and land is devoted to the cultivation of eggplant, soybean, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, beans and other vegetables including local specialty lengalenga. "Our objective is to help women and girls live a life full of dignity, in harmony with the rest of the community. If a woman is able to read the weight on the scales at the market and to count money, or have the health of her children at heart and overcome tensions with her neighbours, them she will without a doubt be a happier person and more aware of her own abilities, that will relate more easily with others", said one of the JRS trainers, Claudine Nsabiyumva. "The other day, for instance, we visited the participants in their villages, as part of the accompaniment aspect of our project. We found them going about their daily business, satisfied that they were able to put into practice what they had learned, even the small things like improving daily hygiene. And we went back to Kibimba even more enthusiastic", continued Nsabiyumva. Ethiopia: recreation eases difficulty of camp life
Dollo Ado, 3 May 2012 – My first experience with refugees was in Mai-Aini camp in northwest Ethiopia. I worked with Jesuit Refugee Service as a Sports and Recreational Activities Officer there for just under a year. Eighty percent of the camp residents were young, male Eritrean refugees, most of whom had fled their country for political reasons. The life-affirming challenges I met there prepared me for my current role in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia. A tripartite mission. I found out the hard way how challenging it can be to work with refugees. I had heard about refugees before but did not really understand what it meant to be one. Their demands and needs were hard to cope with against a backdrop of ever-limited resources. As an individual, I often felt powerless. At first, I felt misplaced in such a demanding job. I found it hard to see how I could ever meet the many requests from refugees. Not anymore. Today I have realised that patience, understanding and, perseverance are the keys to every challenge. Looking back, it's hard to imagine how I was able to go through all those experiences, but I managed. Harnessing potential. Refugees often simply need somebody to listen to them, be with them, and give them hope. I realised I could offer those things without any cost, and I soon noticed that the refugees themselves had a great potential that needed to be harnessed. Their dramas, plays and art amazed me. They were quick learners, and I was moved by their taste, intelligence and creativity. They seemed so flexible, adaptable and well prepared for change. This unforgettable experience gave me inspiration and enthusiasm, and it has become my motivation to work with refugees to this day. A new challenge in Dollo Ado. A year on, and I can say that sharing my time and skills with refugees has taught me the most worthwhile lesson so far in my work life: to do my best whenever I am given the opportunity, irrespective of the challenges. I am now following this lesson in my new role as Youth Programme Coordinator, working with Somali refugees in Melkadida camp, Dollo Ado. The Somali refugees were forced to flee their homeland because of political insecurity, violence and prolonged drought. Their situation seemed even more challenging when compared to Mai-Aini, and despite my resolve not to despair, I found myself more pessimistic than ever. Howeve,r my experiences in Mai-Aini quickly reminded me not to 'judge a book by its cover'. I was then able to find the courage and motivation to become more optimistic. The hope and enthusiasm that Somali youth demonstrate continues to touch me on a daily basis. My relationship with them is central in order to keep the flame alive. I've found that no one, no matter how vulnerable their circumstance, is without hope. People possess great inner resources and resilience. A football match of hope. I saw proof of this resilience during the closing ceremony of the youth football league in Melkadida on 20 March 2012. It was 'D-day' for Melkadida Premier League as it was the final match between the refugee youth and the host community. Seeing the energy with which the youth celebrated the occasion was a turning point in my life with refugees. The youth demonstrated the ability of communities to build relationships and heal from the trauma of war through sports. They invested so much time and energy in making the occasion a real success, and in the end they were all real winners. What started as a search for goals to win the coveted trophy of the tournament, became the desire, hunger and aspirations of the youth for hope and peace. This one activity, which required very few financial resources, marks the beginning of the walk to real healing. The transformative power of sports and recreation. My vision is to expand the range of recreation activities at Melkadida to meet the diverse needs and interests of all refugees, and to make them inclusive to everyone (boys, girls, adolescents, men and women). Activities such as volleyball, drama and music are an engaging means of transformation, and help refugees on their quest for peace. We can no longer underestimate the power of recreational activities to bring young people together. These young refugees have taught me lessons about commitment, strength and desire. Their zeal to play and their ambition to excel are driving forces that will help mould them into responsible future leaders. My experiences have led me to believe that youth development activities should be a tenet in all programming for refugees. My work has given me a new understanding of the role of sports in the lives of young refugees. I've learned it can make a big difference, and it continues to do so in Melkadida. Abraham Alemis, Youth Programme Coordinator, Dollo Ado, Ethiopia Jesuit Refugee Service has been accompanying and serving refugees in Melkadida Refugee Camp, Dollo Ado, since November 2011. The project aims to help the massive numbers of Somali refugees who have flooded to the camp to escape conflict, drought and poverty in their country. JRS is implementing comprehensive education and psychosocial programmes at the camp. JRS has been working in Mai-Aini camp since February 2010. The focus here is on psychosocial programmes and sports, music and drama activities for mainly Eritrean refugees. South Sudan: a role model for students and teachers
Nimule, 4 May 2012 – Esther is a role model for her community. A secondary education teacher of commerce and accounting at Fulla Secondary School, Nimule, and a mother of three, she exudes happiness, confidence and professionalism. However, as a former refugee, the journey to this point has not been easy. She attributes her success to the support of JRS over a period of nearly 12 years, from 2000 to 2011. Esther was born in a tiny village in Pageri Payam (district) in Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan. One of six children (although two later died), she was forced at an early age into exile in Adjumani district, northern Uganda as the civil war in Sudan intensified. Once in Adjumani, Esther settled into primary school and studied hard. However, in 1995, just as she was about to sit the important primary school examinations, her life was disrupted again as her mother left home and her parents separated. Esther was left to support her father by caring for her three siblings and the family’s financial constraints meant that Esther’s father could no longer afford to send her to school. Esther stayed at home for two months, but then after raising enough money, she managed to pass her exams. A long road to secondary school. Esther's next challenge was to find a way to attend secondary school. She was lucky to be supported by her uncle and spent two fruitful years advancing her education. However circumstances changed again when Esther became pregnant at a young age and had to drop out. Needing support, she returned to Nimule, South Sudan, where her mother had relocated. In 2000, Esther was finally able to resume her education. She joined Fulla Secondary School in Nimule and worked in her spare time cleaning the school or cutting firewood to pay her school fees. It was at that time she first learned of JRS, as they used to buy her firewood for the running of their workshop programmes. JRS also supported education at the school through the provision of stationary, textbooks and supplementary funds. In 2002, Esther was successful in completing senior four and passed her exams with the second-highest grade possible. Funding challenges. A competent and hard-working student, Esther was noticed by a local group of Sisters. In exchange for some household chores, they provided for her basic needs and supported her with the fees required to attend an advanced secondary school in Masindi, Uganda. Unfortunately, after just one term, the Sisters left Nimule and were unable to continue supporting her. All was not lost, however, as the school headmistress recognised her potential and arranged to support the completion of her studies in return for taking care of the school chickens. At last, in 2004, Esther graduated from secondary school — a real achievement given the many obstacles in her way. A golden opportunity for teacher training. Esther returned to Nimule, believing that this was now the end of her academic work, when a golden opportunity presented itself. JRS advertised teacher vacancies at Fulla Secondary School and the organisation was inspired by her dedication. She was accepted, and after a period of teaching, JRS supported Esther to undertake further training at the National Teachers College in Unyama, Uganda, followed by a Bachelors degree in Business Education at Ndejje University, Uganda. A role model for students, she has been back at Fulla teaching since May 2011. "I do not know how my life would be without JRS support. My life has been positively shaped by JRS", she said. Esther's dream is to study to Masters degree level, and to move into higher education teaching or education sector planning. "JRS should continue to offer this kind of support to other people who are in situations like mine, especially women", she said. Andebo Pax Pascal Secondary Education Coordinator, Jesuit Refugee Service Nimule Jesuit Refugee Service has been operating in Nimule since 1997, supporting a community of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war-affected persons. Later, the project was expanded to support the populations of returnees who came back from exile in neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Kenya after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. JRS has trained around 30 secondary school teachers during its operations there. JRS support in the formal education sector spans across 25 primary schools, four secondary schools and 15 functional literacy centres– serving in total of about 15,000 people. Democratic Republic of Congo: fleeing domestic violence in the night
Goma, 3 May 2012 – A story of domestic violence in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in eastern Congo, the protagonist, Mama Jocelyne, is an ordinary woman, one of so many forced to bear abuse in addition to living the midst of armed conflict. For these women, the chance to be heard and share their stories brings hope that, in some way or another, their lives will be changed. For JRS Congo field staff, this hope is a cornerstone of our presence in the field, spending time with those in the most vulnerable circumstances. In the middle of the night, 24-year-old Mama Jocelyne fled with her two children. No longer able live in fear of being beaten and raped again by her husband, she left the hut in the IDP camp near Mweso, North Kivu. Nobody protected her there. She only hoped not to be found, and be able to live in peace. Having lost her parents when she was much younger, violence has been part of Mama Jocelyne's life for a long time. As a child, she was kidnapped by a notoriously violent neighbour, who together with four armed men brought her by force to his home. Fearing his reaction, the community did not lift a finger to save her. The only a ray of light, the birth of two little boys. For Mama Jocelyne life is a nightmare. The man forces her to marry him and the house in which they live becomes a prison. As is the case in far too many regions of the world, a woman in difficulty can't turn to the authorities in eastern Congo, and calling the police is almost always useless. The armed forces are engaged in the struggle against rebel groups and, like the police, are too poorly paid and organised to offer any real protection to civilians. Not long ago, after two years of violence and humiliation, the young woman plucks up the courage to leave. She makes her way to an IDP camp, where, due to attacks by armed groups or between the latter and the armed forces, people are forced to flee their homes every day. But, her husband soon finds her hiding place and destroys her new home, promising to return and take her back by force. It is within this context that Mama Jocelyne meets the JRS team members who make daily visits to the homes of older and ill people, orphans household heads, and single mothers. Finding a solution in a short period of time, however, is not easy given the determination of the husband to force his wife back to his home. JRS decides to intervene by organising a meeting with the man to dissuade him from his violent intentions. Without renouncing the idea of taking his wife back by force, he agrees to give her 10 days of rest and reflection in the hope that this will serve to calm the situation between the two. After three days, without saying a word to anyone, Mama Jocelyne takes the decision to flee with her children. No one knows where, probably as far as possible. Mama Jocelyne made the decision she felt best for herself and her children. Now, at last, she hopes to find some peace and serenity. For the JRS statement on the recent violence in DRC, click here |
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| JRS DISPATCHES is sent from the International Office of the Jesuit Refugee Service, CP 6139, 00193 Roma Prati, Italy. Tel: +39-06 68977468 Fax: +39-06 6897 7461; Email: dispatches@jrs.net; JRS online: http://www.jrs.net; Publisher: Peter Balleis SJ; Editor: James Stapleton; Translation: Carles Casals (Spanish), Edith Castel (French), Simonetta Russo (Italian). JRS Dispatches No. 317 Editor: James Stapleton |
