The Wound of the Border is how JRS workers described the situation in the Thai-Cambodia border refugee camps during the 1980s. This powerful metaphor gives title to this book and reminds us, 25 years later, that it is an accurate description of the suffering of today’s 50 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

The history of JRS is the history of refugees. We want to commemorate these 25 with this memoir. But is this something to celebrate? As one JRS worker said, we can only celebrate on the day JRS comes to an end; this will mean there are no more wars, and no more refugees.

The centre of gravity of this book is not only JRS and its many works, but the refugees themselves. What we celebrate is their dignity, courage and determination to keep hope alive, to choose light instead of darkness. It is not meant to be historically exhaustive, but to bring together testimonies of people who have witnessed the growth of JRS. They offer their experience and vision, share significant events in their regions, the specific challenges and dilemmas they encountered, and the signs of hope.