The cornerstone of the JRS mission is to offer holistic human services to forcibly displaced persons. All the subsidies in the world will never be able to replace the warmth of assistance rendered by one individual human being to another. JRS recognises the human dignity in refugees through its accompaniment.
It is
this direct and personal approach of individual interaction and
cooperation with refugees which mutually empowers refugees and JRS
personnel alike. It is through providing accompaniment to refugees,
touched by their reality in camps, conflict zones, detention centres or
wherever else they may be, that JRS staff understand how best to serve
and advocate on their behalf.
Jesuit Refugee Service – Asia Pacific from Jesuit Refugee Service | USA on Vimeo.
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"Our close and direct contact with people, our presence with them... lets us understand their real needs," says Fr Bernard Arputhasamy SJ, JRS Asia Pacific Director. |
To accompany means to be a companion. It is practical and effective action. Not infrequently, accompaniment is a way of offering protection, and 'internationalising' a situation. The presence of an international team can sometimes prevent attacks on refugees. Moreover, presence can be a sign, that a free person chooses willingly and faithfully to accompany those who are not free, who have no choice about being there. This, is itself a sign, a way of eliciting hope. We are not side-tracked by political manoeuvrings and ethnic divisions, whether among refugees or among the agencies and governments who decide their fate.
