Jesuit Refugee Service has launched its annual Winter Appeal in support of the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers it accompanies and serves each year.
JRS Country Director, Tamara Domicelj, wrote a letter to supporters alerting them to the ‘May Day’ Appeal, launched at the end of May.
The Jesuit Refugee Service accompanies thousands of refugees and asylum seekers each year. PHOTO: JRS website.
“We do so, advocating for and with refugees, people seeking asylum, and leaders with lived experience of displacement, for their rights to be upheld – for the safety, justice, and dignity that we are all owed as human beings,” she wrote.
“It is a privilege to serve people seeking asylum, refugees, and migrants of all ages, faiths, cultures, genders, and diverse countries of origin. These courageous people, who have endured so much, strive to build safe futures for their families, while contributing to our society in many ways.”
Tamara said that as the need is so great, JRS triages its support to people in direst circumstances, who often have nowhere else to turn.
“And yet, during my time with JRS I have seen people we serve and others with lived experience of displacement leap to the frontlines of our COVID response, donate goods and funds, and shine as leaders in myriad roles across our extended team of staff, Board, volunteers, and interns,” she said.
“We are so much stronger for that.”
Tamara said that with devastating conflicts worldwide and rising costs of living, JRS is seeing suffering and trauma like never before.
“We receive no Federal Government funding, and no core funding, and the recent Federal budget was not the salve we had hoped for. We saw positive measures for some refugees, but at a time of desperate need, the people we serve face further exclusion. The only Federal welfare program – which has benefited very small numbers of the people we serve – was drastically cut, once again.
“And so, at the end of May, with humility and great pride in what we do, we issue this Mayday Call.
“We are in urgent need of any donation you can provide, and we are so grateful for all that we have received. Every donation helps. And gifts of over $2 are tax-deductible. Donations made on a regular basis bring the added benefit of supporting us in planning our future.
“Please hear this Mayday call with our warmest, heartfelt thanks for all that you do.”
This article is drawn from material on the Jesuit Refugee Service website.