The Refugee Crisis
Lu Zeidan works as the Refugee Program Co-Director at Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT). She spoke to Grade 5 students about the refugee crisis around the world.
A refugee is someone who is forced to leave their country due to violence, war, natural disaster, or persecution and seek a home in another country. According to Lu Zeidan, there are 174 countries with conflicts in the world today, resulting in 82.4 million people being forced to leave their homes and 26.4 million refugees. Refugees not only have to leave their lives behind in their home countries, but they are also forced to cope with new cultures, languages, economies, political systems, and social atmospheres in their new countries. Many refugees face judgment or are not welcomed where they end up. In fact, a very small number (under 1%) are successfully resettled safely in a new country after several years.
Some ways you can make an IMPACT:
Make an effort to get to know newly resettled families in your neighborhoods and schools
Avoid imposing your culture onto newly resettled families; let them stay attached to some of their important cultural traditions
Ask what they need
Read multicultural literature for children and adults to know different cultures and customs
Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT) strives to cultivate peace and respect through interfaith dialogue, service, and celebration. Lu Zeidan works for the Refugee Program at iACT as their program co-director. Lu and her team provide cultural skills and English as a Second Language instruction to newly arrived refugees. Their goal is to make them feel safe and welcome in their new community.
For more information on their refugee program, visit the iACT website.
Source: Interfaith Action of Central Texas
