In 2014 hostility towards people in search of asylum and a new home was on the rise. All around the world, asylum seekers are blocked by ‘walls’ that keep getting higher. And yet countless individuals and families persevere in making ever more desperate attempts to seek protection, embarking on unimaginably dangerous journeys across land and sea.

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) tried to counter this hostility by creating spaces where refugees can belong. We encourage host communities to welcome them. Our schools are a safe space where young refugees can learn and play. At least for a few hours every day, they can be like any other child, having fun, friends, and dreams.

In community centres, refugees from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds meet and are enriched by one another. In their shared spaces, refugees sometimes succeed where politics fail – they bridge fault lines, overcome differences and stereotypes. Out of broken communities, something new emerges.

Read our 2014 annual report to know more about how we are serving and accompanying refugees.