Refugees Part One - terms defined

This is the first in a series of podcasts about refugees. All of a sudden, we Americans have an unusually high sensitivity about the topic. Fear that refugees are about to over run American cities has people on the verge of panic. Media and political rhetoric add fuel to the flames.

In this first podcast, Jeff Jackson defines what a refugee is and describes the process a refugee goes through before he sets foot on American soil. Give it a listen; you’ll be surprised and settled at the same time.

Who is a refugee? —defined by the United Nations

A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
source

These are some of the agencies and resources mentioned in the podcast:

Resettling Refugees: A Few Observations and a Few Questions – Jeff's blogpost on calvarychapel.com

 

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

International Offices of Migration (IOM)

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

Voluntary Organizations (VOLAG)

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Catholic Charities

Lutheran Social Services

Jewish World Services

World Relief