where we work
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): more food aid urgently needed
Goma, 15 May 2012 – When we met 38-year-old Faida Zahir, she was breastfeeding one-month-old Dorica. She was seated on a bench in a small Protestant church in Mugunga, a few kilometres from Goma, the capital of North Kivu. Dorica and her mother were one of the 500 families who have found refuge in the church and the primary school next door.
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Video: JRS defines global approach to urban refugees
Bangkok, 30 March 2012 – To Berlin, Bogotá, Bangkok – UN statistics show that most refugees around the world are going to cities. But do they all face similar obstacles in their new host cities? Are there common approaches JRS can take to serve refugees living in urban areas? At a global consultation meeting held in Bangkok between 19 and 23 March, JRS staff from more than 25 countries gave a qualified yes to these questions.

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Democratic Republic of Congo: humanitarian emergency, more than 20,000 flee to Goma
Goma, Rome, Washington DC, 7 May 2012 – "It is nearly impossible to believe that, year after year, the lives of people in eastern Congo continue to be destroyed. The international community must commit to ensuring this region becomes safe and finally free of the armed groups, interested only in its natural resources, who prevent innocent civilians from living in peace", said JRS Great Lakes Regional Director, Tony Calleja SJ.
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Brazil: Haitian migrants in Amazonia, the end of a journey and the beginning of a new life
Bogotá, 7 May 2012 – More than 350 Haitians, stranded for three months in the rural Brazilian border province of Tabatinga, began arriving in Manaus, the capital of Amazonia.
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USA: President Obama urged to join Mine Ban Treaty
Washington DC, 4 May 2012 — Leaders from 76 nongovernmental organisations including Jesuit Refugee Service USA delivered a letter to President Obama urging the US to relinquish antipersonnel landmines and join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty without further delay.

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South Sudan: a role model for students and teachers
Nimule, 4 May 2012 – Esther is a role model for her community. A secondary education teacher of commerce and accounting at Fulla Secondary School, Nimule, and a mother of three, she exudes happiness, confidence and professionalism. However, as a former refugee, the journey to this point has not been easy. She attributes her success to the support of JRS over a period of nearly 12 years, from 2000 to 2011.
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Democratic Republic of Congo: fleeing domestic violence in the night
Goma, 3 May 2012 – A story of domestic violence in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in eastern Congo, the protagonist, Mama Jocelyne, is an ordinary woman, one of so many forced to bear abuse in addition to living the midst of armed conflict.
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Ethiopia: recreation eases difficulty of camp life
Dollo Ado, 3 May 2012 – My first experience with refugees was in Mai-Aini camp in northwest Ethiopia. I worked with Jesuit Refugee Service as a Sports and Recreational Activities Officer there for just under a year. Eighty percent of the camp residents were young, male Eritrean refugees, most of whom had fled their country for political reasons. The life-affirming challenges I met there prepared me for my current role in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia.
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Burundi: new JRS project puts women at the centre
Kibimba, 03 May 2012 – Announcing the opening of its latest food security project in southeast Burundi, JRS staff stressed its innovative approach dedicated to helping women become protagonists in their own communities.
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Praying with Refugees in Sri Lanka
Vavuniya, 1 May, 2012 — Sri Lanka concluded its war on May 18, 2009. It is estimated that more than 300,000 were forcibly displaced, having lost almost everything during the conflict, and between 40,000 –140,000 were killed in the final phase of the war alone.
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