Resources

Faith Action for Children on the Move: October 16-19 in Rome, Italy

Published by JLI and WVI in preparation for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum.

Role of religions and faith actors in combatting xenophobia; the embeddedness of religion in social, cultural, political and economic dynamics

This is one in a series of three learning briefs presenting findings of an updated review of faith-based action for children on the move. A set of briefs was first published in 20181 to support the evidence base for the…

This is one in a series of three learning briefs presenting findings of an updated review of faith-based action for children on the move. A set of briefs was first published in 20181 to support the evidence base for the…

Learning to Play Together, the initiative featured in this booklet, sought to introduce ethics and intercultural learning into physical education using Arigatou International’s Learning to Live Together programme as a foundation. It was launched in Greece in 2011 by Dr.…

Report of the Roundtable discussion held on the 26 September 2016 in Geneva and convened by Arigatou International. The roundtable aimed at: • Discussing major challenges that civil society organizations, religious communities, academia, international organizations face in seeking to prevent…

Since the beginning of the current humanitarian crisis in Iraq, more than three million school-aged children and adolescents have experienced disruption to their education. Providing continuity of learning and protection for affected children demands that agencies such as World Vision…

In the summer of 2007, focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with Liberian refugee women living in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the means through which Liberian families were…

Health is wealth, so says the adage and this is an undisputed fact for the reason that the well being of a people can holistically add to their development generally. Local communities with little infrastructure seem to be more susceptible…

The term resilience has been widely used in recent years. Fundamentally, it refers to a person’s ability to adapt successfully to acute stress, trauma or chronic forms of adversity (e.g. Masten, 2014). However, there are various understandings of resilience. While,…

Resilience—the ability to anticipate, withstand and bounce back from external pressures and shocks—is an increasingly important construct in shaping humanitarian strategy by the international community (DFID 2011; UNICEF 2011; USAID 2012). Local faith communities (LFCs)—groupings of religious actors bonded through…

This report was commissioned by Sacred Heart College, and funded by the Breadsticks Foundation to better understand the conditions affecting access to education for migrant children in Johannesburg. The Three2Six Education Project for Refugee Children at Sacred Heart College has…

Rights without borders Locations: Grenada, Lebanon, Mexico, USA, Brazil, Uruguay, Rwanda, South Africa, Italy, Thailand, Australia Program overview: Primary care (but not exclusive) to children, young people and their families. Promoting education through extra schooling support, non-formal education and ongoing formation…

The field of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian emergencies has shown remarkable development over the last two decades.1 Mental health was once a notable omission from the health priorities to be addressed in the context of humanitarian…

Little is known about the early educational performance of children in migrant farmworker families. The authors examined the school readiness and early school success of 289 four-year-old preschool children of migrant families attending Redlands Christian Migrant Association centers. Children's school…

Synthesis report of the UK-Government funded project: ‘Working effectively with faith leaders to challenge harmful traditional practices’

This paper addresses the operations of faith-based humanitarian organizations and their rationale for the measures taken for education provision for the non-camp Syrian children in Turkey. In unveiling the role of the Islamic humanitarian sector in exercising education facilities for…

A Syrian Teacher, November 2015 On November 3, 2015 I received a message from one of my contacts, a human smuggler. A group of 25 Syrians was stuck on a beach in Dikili, north of Izmir. They had failed to…

9-11 May 2017 GNRC Fifth Forum Challenged by the global epidemic of violence against children, we, leaders and members of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions, girls and boys, women and men, from 70 countries, together with representatives of governments,…

It is widely recognised that ‘refugees often see the education of their children as a principal way of ensuring a better future’ (Dryden-Peterson 2003, 1). However, the means for providing such an education, and views of what precisely would amount…

UNICEF and other child rights organizations* have a long history of partnering with religious communities of all faiths on a wide range of issues that affect children. Religious communities are uniquely positioned to promote equitable outcomes for the most vulnerable…

This strategic FBO framework was developed to support and guide work already being undertaken globally, regionally and nationally by a diverse range of committed individuals
and organizations. The UNAIDS–FBO strategic framework is the result of an 18-month consultation process between the UNAIDS Secretariat and Cosponsors, many FBOs, networks
of people living with HIV, government representatives and technical experts during 2008–2009.

Published in the Journal of Global Health Background. Over half of displaced civilians in humanitarian emergencies are children, and these settings pose unique threats to children’s safety with long–lasting consequences. Our study broadens the limited evidence on violence against adolescent girls…

Religion is a powerful force in southern Africa, affecting all aspects of daily life and health (Anderson 2001, Chitando 2007a), particularly among rural women (Agadjanian 2005). Rural churches are a center for informal social interaction, shaping attitudes and behaviors of…

At the core of social protection is a concern for addressing vulnerability and risk. It is increasingly understood that social protection policy frameworks and programmes must be informed by a recognition of the diversity of vulnerability and risks, and the…

No parent, no adult relative or guardian was with them on the way: in 2014, not a few, not a thousand, but more than 50,0003 boys and girls like Karla and Freddy journeyed unaccompanied through deserts and forests, through mountains…

The role of faith communities (Meeting Report in Spanish) Conveners: WVI, Arigatou, Lutheran World Federation,  The Human Rights office of the Archbishop of Guatemala and Bartolomé de las Casas Center - Central America. Also see here for the roundtable report summary (Sistematización-Mesa-Redonda_San-Salvador-22-Marzo-2018) Proteger…

Education for Refugees and the forcibly displaced Jesuit Relief Service USA

Street children are a marginalized group with limited access to education, health care and other services (Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 2004). They are also frequently subjected to different forms of abuse, neglect, deprivation, hazards of living on…

Deepening the Mission of Reconciliation in the Work of JRS In June 2013, as part of an ongoing collaboration between JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service) and the Centre for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College, JRS workers from across…

Relevant Research and Policy Initiatives UNHCR Dialogue on Faith and Protection ICRC Resource Center World Bank's Development Dialogue on Values and Ethics Religions And Development Research Programme at Birmingham University Berkley Center For Religion, Peace and World Affairs, Religion and…

Review of the implementation of Arigatou International's Ethics Education Programme "Learning to Live Together" in six schools in Apopa, Mejicanos, and Soyapando (San Salvador, El Salvador). It analyzes the impact of the programme on children in contexts highly affected by…

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Italy, known as Centro Astalli, has offices in Rome, Trento, Vicenza, Palermo and Catania, offering a range of services including legal aid, healthcare, language classes, material and psychosocial support, and help to find employment.…

Over the past several decades, an increasing number of refugee children and families have involuntarily migrated to countries around the world to seek safety and refuge. As the refugee population increases, it is becoming more important to understand factors that…

So I have a new name, Refugee Strange that a name should take away from me My past, my personality and hope. Strange refuge this. So many seem to share this name, refugee, Yet we share so many differences. I…

This Policy Brief represents the reflections of more than 120 practitioners, policy-makers, academics and faith representatives engaged in work with displaced and migrating children from Syria, Ukraine and Latin America. In a series of consultations, this body identified three barriers…

There is a burgeoning body of research about refugee youth that adopts a deficit approach by focusing on the problems and barriers youth encounter in adjusting culturally and academically to schools. Less research takes an asset approach through an examination…

Worldwide, refugees often live through devastating experiences prior to fleeing their homes, including fearing or being close to death, seeing the death of loved ones and experiencing deprivation or torture (Cardozo, Vergara, Agani, & Gotway, 2000; Kleijn, Hovens, & Rodenburg,…

This essay examines local and international Christian efforts on Mount Kilimanjaro to educate children. A prevailing idea among people who live on the mountain is that children engender trust and trade. This idea is illuminated through the adage 'Take the…

Religious belongings help migrants, especially irregular ones, to confront the precariousness of their lives. France represents a peculiar case because it is a secular country where undocumented migrants have access to free medical care and their children to compulsory education.…

The impact of the post-migratory experience on young voluntary migrants’ mental health has often been overlooked. As mental health conditions often first manifest in adolescence (Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007), it is important to examine youth resilience strategies. Migrants…

This is a comprehensive report of the GNRC 5th Forum. It is a summary of all aspects of the Forum, including the speeches, papers presented, contributions and transcripts of messages delivered at the Forum. Includes remarks from distinguished guests during…

Unskilled migrant workers and their families represent a crucial human resource in Sabah (Malaysia) as cheap labour, but also as religious believers. Christian organizations belonging to various denominations have started to cater to this community in recent years by providing…

An activity handbook for children in secondary education Based on THE JOURNEY TOWARDS HOSPITALITY – Vol. 2: Secondary is part of a Campaign for Hospitality organised by the Jesuit Network for Migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean (RJM LAC)…

Increasing research on exposure to political violence, terrorism and war has led to significant advances in comprehension of the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological responses of youth to these environments (Betancourt and Khan, 2008). However, more systematic…

Gauteng City-Region Observatory This is a case study of the violence of May 2008 was by far the most devastating event of its kind since apartheid ended in 1994 in South Africa. Although not exclusively, a considerable number of foreign…

The relationship between spirituality and resilience has been enquired into by academic researchers across different disciplines, especially around people experiencing death (Greef et al. 2008, 293), violent trauma (Connor et al. 2003, 491), war (Fernando et al. 2011, 55), austerity…

This booklet from Jesuit Refugee Service presents teaching, reflections and guidance of Pope Francis regarding migrants and refugees. It contains a Message from Pope Francis and twenty action priorities in two versions. One is meant for active pastoral engagement with migrants…

Many of our readers already know that Lebanon, a country of fewer than 6 million people, has reached a breaking point in its capacity to host the almost 1.2 million Syrian refugees that have streamed into Lebanon as a result…

The Partnership Note sets out broad guidance for UNHCR staff to engage with, reach out to, and partner with faith actors in the context of forced displacement. It describes UNHCR’s understanding of the range of faith actors and the role they play in humanitarian responses. The Note also flags the challenges of partnership and highlights instances where we would not normally engage owing to humanitarian and human rights considerations. More importantly, it contains examples of good practice and lessons learned from existing partnerships in the field and highlights principles that are a point of departure for dialogue and cooperation with faith actors and communities, while setting out actions and activities to put these principles into practice. The Partnership Note may be used as point of departure for conversations on many issues between UNHCR and faith actors. It can also help guide you, as partners, to establish dialogue across faiths and with a range of humanitarian actors.

The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combatting xenophobia.

The idea for a joint declaration emerged from a meeting hosted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Geneva in December 2012 with religious leaders and faith-based NGOs.

Taking place between February and April of this year, drafting of the Affirmation involved a coalition of leading faith-based organizations and academic institutions. The text draws upon principles and values of welcome shared by religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.