SOCIAL JUSTICE Refugees
A journey in hope and faith Refugees in Britain can face lives of fear and hopelessness. But, as ‘Malan’ who fled persecution in West Africa explains, the Jesuit Refugee Service Day Centre in London can provide support and help.
Jesuit Refugee Service accompanies, serves and advocates for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. JRS is committed to social action rooted in faith. As a Catholic organisation and a work of the Jesuits, JRS is inspired by the compassion and love of Jesus for the poor and excluded. At the weekly JRS UK Day Centre in Wapping, up to 150 refugees are offered a meal, free toiletries and above all a friendly welcome and listening ear. JRS UK also runs a detention visiting programme.
Life is not easy for an exile living in a foreign country. We are exposed to all kinds of danger: an accident, an illness. Here, life does not make sense. Our thoughts are always focused on the decisions that the immigration authorities will take against us. During this time, we live in fear and hope. Our faith becomes greater because we think that God can intervene. Our life is divided between fear and hope. Yes, we live in fear. The daily emails and phone calls are a constant fear. With no work and no money, we live in terrible situations. We have no choice. The day is an ordeal. Wherever we are, our
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dignity is violated. Nobody respects us. We are exposed to begging and pity, obliged to rely every day on charity. Our heart is never at peace because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. The exile is like a chick without its mother hen, exposed to all predators. For exiles, our only hope is God, divine providence. No one chooses to be an asylum seeker. Being an asylum seeker is a very difficult way of life. Stress, melancholy, sadness, loneliness, depression and more are the package of asylum daily life.There is not a moment when those feelings don’t invade us. We are often very anxious, afraid; we
are upset. We wonder what tomorrow will be made of.We do not have the right to joy or happiness.We are human beings deprived of our humanity. No consideration is given to an asylum seeker who is like a wandering dog that nobody wants, always with begging hands outstretched. As it is said: “a hungry man is not a free man”. We do not have a choice because we must live. It is a struggle for survival, a struggle that leads us to marginalization. First from those who are close to us – parents and friends – and then from those we approach to ask for help. In all administrative and social structures, we are frowned upon, we are cumbersome. So the big question facing us in such situations is: should we give up or carry on hoping? For me an asylum seeker must never lose hope because, as it is said: “hope is life”. We must keep hope in the name of God, for He has created this world and all that it contains. That is why man has put his faith in God. He must pray to his God every day of this