Refugees

Monday night Judy and I went to a training program about refugees. It was put on by the Tucson Refugee Mission. We actual got involved with a refugee family last December. A Congolese family of ten. Dad, Mom and eight kids, ages 2 - 19. They spent the last 5 years in a refugee camp in Kenya. They speak a Congo language they grew up with, then a military Congo language, then French, Swahili, and now they are learning English. They have been in the USA almost six months now. We brought them to our home for a Christmas meal. Then they had us over for a Congolese meal. We were the first American home they had ever been in. Most refugees never get invited to an American's home. They still haven't been able to get a job. Its a difficult time right now. They have had a lot of help from refugee settlement organizations. There are ten different ones in the USA. Three here in Tucson, the Catholics, the Lutherans and the International Rescue Committee. Then refugee aid organizations like the Tucson Refugee Mission. But as time goes on, the help gets less and less. New refugees are always arriving, about 1000 a year here in Tucson. Officially a refugee family is suppose to be 100% self sufficient four months after getting to their new host country.
From the training we had I learned that when a family is driven from their home by the effects of war and if they can make it to a refugee camp and feel that it would not be safe for them to return to their home, they can apply for refugee status. The the UN does a background check and interviews, (which can take anywhere from two to thirty five years!!!!) depending on a lot of factors. Once the person or family is approved, they get shipped to the next available country. They have absolutely no say in where they go. Russia, Germany, USA, France, many of the European countries, South America, parts of Asia, etc. Can you imagine, leaving your home with only the clothing on your back, walking for ??????? miles..... finding the refugee camp, crowded with 10's of thousands of people also wanting to get away from the effects of war. Its absolutly incredable whay mankind puts mankind through.