Archive for the 'Europe' Category

Uganda Roundtable - deadline extended!!

Published
by
Editor
on March 19, 2008
in Africa, Asia, Europe, GENERAL, Latin America, Middle East, Newsletter, North America, REGION RELATED, events, needs and opportunities and news
. 0 Comments

The Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable in Entebbe, Uganda, will be held on June 18 - 22, 2008.

The application deadline is now extended until Monday, March 31, 2008.

See below for more details and to download application. For any questions, contact Linda Moorcroft at Linda_Moorcroft@christiestreetrc.com.

The Refugee Highway Partnership was launched at a historic Consultation in 2001 in Izmir, Turkey. Nearly 200 church leaders from around the globe gathered to build connections, collaborate, and develop strategies to respond to the incredible need of refugees in our world. Since then, annual leadership meetings and roundtables have been held to continue to build and grow the partnership. The RHP’s mission is to mobilize the worldwide church to bring hope and provide refuge for over 30 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world through collaborative strategies. For more information about the RHP visit our website at: http://refugeehighway.net

The Uganda Roundtable, hosted by the Association of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA) – a member of the World Evangelical Alliance – has been designed for participants to:

> Learn more about the RHP and ways to engage their church in refugee initiatives
> See first-hand the impact of refugee movements and internally displaced persons in the host country
>Partner with the African church through prayer, encouragement and engagement
> Participate in World Refugee Sunday celebrations in a “hotspot” in our world

Roundtable Participants:
Our target participants are strategic church leaders which includes pastors, denominational leaders, mission body representatives, and para-church organization leadership. We are intentionally capping the number of participants to allow for strong connections to take place. Our goal is to limit total attendance to approximately 60 to 80 people. The Africa region (as host) will have 10 to 15 church leaders from across Africa in attendance. Other regions and issue group areas have room to include approximately 5 to 10 leaders. Our goal is to involve decision makers who have the motivation, the influence and the ability to mobilize church involvement in refugee ministry when they return; leaders who have had some prior exposure to refugee issues and for whom this event could be the catalyst to greater involvement; and influencers who will share what they learn at this event to engage others.

Draft Schedule:
Wednesday, June 18 - Participants arrive
Thursday, June 19 - Full Day Session
Friday, June 20 - Site Visit to Kampala
Saturday, June 21 - Full Day Session
Sunday, June 22 - Refugee Sunday Celebrations

Monday, June 23, Tuesday, June 24 - Optional site visit to Northern Uganda

The schedule is being designed for optimum learning, listening, engaging, and connecting.

Location:
Imperial Botanic Beach Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda.

The hotel is located just 10 minutes from the international airport in Entebbe and provides free airport shuttle service. The hotel is considered one of the finest meeting facilities in Uganda and boasts visits from both U.S. Presidents Clinton and Bush. More information about the hotel is available at: Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda

Optional site visit to Northern Uganda:
Participants will have the opportunity to visit a refugee camp – to view the programs and conditions and to engage with personnel and people living in the camp.

Cost:
Approximately $100 per day for full room and board, local transportation and use of meeting facilities. Travel costs to and from Uganda are in addition.

This is an invitation-only event. Applications to attend can be downloaded below:
APPLICATION (Adobe)
APPLICATION (Word)

Please return this form by: Monday, March 31, 2008. You will be notified if your registration is accepted. Please DO NOT reserve flights or make other arrangements unless your reservation is accepted.

For questions, contact Linda Moorcroft of the Refugee Highway Partnership at Linda_Moorcroft@christiestreetrc.com

Sincerely,

RHP Leadership Team

RHP-Europe meeting report, Feb. 08

Published
by
Editor
on February 27, 2008
in Europe and news
. 0 Comments

In February 2008, the RHP Europe team’s annual meeting was held in Walzenhausen, Switzerland, near the borders of Germany and Austria. This team represents 14 countries and 5 large mission organizations working in Europe among refugees. Meeting topics included European legislation and new developments within the refugee world, and best practices and new ideas and plans were shared. More specifically, we addressed Islam and we visited a local asylum seekers centre to find out how the system works in that specific country. We discussed a successor for the RHP Europe Coordinator (who is resigning in the fall of 2008). This meeting was very encouraging and fruitful! The next annual meeting will be held in February 2009 in London, England.
Marco Vermin
RHP Europe Coordinator

Inviting you to the Roundtable in Uganda

Published
by
Editor
on February 27, 2008
in Advocacy, Africa, Asia, Europe, GENERAL, Latin America, Middle East, North America, REGION RELATED, RESOURCES, Refugee Training, events, ministry tools, needs and opportunities and news
. 0 Comments


Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable in Entebbe, Uganda


June 18 - 22, 2008

The Refugee Highway Partnership was launched at a historic Consultation in 2001 in Izmir, Turkey. Nearly 200 church leaders from around the globe gathered to build connections, collaborate, and develop strategies to respond to the incredible need of refugees in our world. Since then, annual leadership meetings and roundtables have been held to continue to build and grow the partnership. The RHP’s mission is to mobilize the worldwide church to bring hope and provide refuge for over 30 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world through collaborative strategies. For more information about the RHP visit our website at: http://refugeehighway.net

The Uganda Roundtable, hosted by the Association of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA) – a member of the World Evangelical Alliance – has been designed for participants to:

> Learn more about the RHP and ways to engage their church in refugee initiatives
> See first-hand the impact of refugee movements and internally displaced persons in the host country
>Partner with the African church through prayer, encouragement and engagement
> Participate in World Refugee Sunday celebrations in a “hotspot” in our world

Roundtable Participants:
Our target participants are strategic church leaders which includes pastors, denominational leaders, mission body representatives, and para-church organization leadership. We are intentionally capping the number of participants to allow for strong connections to take place. Our goal is to limit total attendance to approximately 60 to 80 people. The Africa region (as host) will have 10 to 15 church leaders from across Africa in attendance. Other regions and issue group areas have room to include approximately 5 to 10 leaders. Our goal is to involve decision makers who have the motivation, the influence and the ability to mobilize church involvement in refugee ministry when they return; leaders who have had some prior exposure to refugee issues and for whom this event could be the catalyst to greater involvement; and influencers who will share what they learn at this event to engage others.

Draft Schedule:
Wednesday, June 18 - Participants arrive
Thursday, June 19 - Full Day Session
Friday, June 20 - Site Visit to Kampala
Saturday, June 21 - Full Day Session
Sunday, June 22 - Refugee Sunday Celebrations

Monday, June 23, Tuesday, June 24 - Optional site visit to Northern Uganda

The schedule is being designed for optimum learning, listening, engaging, and connecting.

Location:
Imperial Botanic Beach Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda.

The hotel is located just 10 minutes from the international airport in Entebbe and provides free airport shuttle service. The hotel is considered one of the finest meeting facilities in Uganda and boasts visits from both U.S. Presidents Clinton and Bush. More information about the hotel is available at: Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda

Optional site visit to Northern Uganda:
Participants will have the opportunity to visit a refugee camp – to view the programs and conditions and to engage with personnel and people living in the camp.

Cost:
Approximately $100 per day for full room and board, local transportation and use of meeting facilities. Travel costs to and from Uganda are in addition.

This is an invitation-only event. Applications to attend can be downloaded below:
APPLICATION (Adobe)
APPLICATION (Word)

Please return this form by: Friday, March 7, 2008. You will be notified if your registration is accepted. Please DO NOT reserve flights or make other arrangements unless your reservation is accepted.

For questions, contact Linda Moorcroft of the Refugee Highway Partnership at Linda_Moorcroft@christiestreetrc.com

Sincerely,

RHP Leadership Team

Website: Kosovo Roma

Published
by
Editor
on February 26, 2008
in Europe, news and research
. 0 Comments

Announcing a new website, Roma Them. It desires to “inform about the situation of Roma in Kosovo and Kosvo Roma in Diaspora.”

Europe: Resettlement Guide

Published
by
Editor
on February 26, 2008
in Book Recommendations and Europe
. 0 Comments

The International Catholic Migration Commission is offering a brand-new publication, Welcome to Europe: A Guide to Resettlement. According to their website, this book “contains a comparative review of partnerships between governments and non-governmental organizations involved in resettlement of refugees in Europe.”

Dreams along a Refugee Highway

Published
by
Editor
on February 26, 2008
in Asia, Europe and GENERAL
. 0 Comments

Sam Holdsambeck, trainer with Entrust, shares a special story:

The following story was related to me recently by an Afghan widow who has been living in Athens, Greece, for close to five years. She embraced Christ just a few months after arriving in Athens, but until very recently has known very few other Afghan women who are followers of Jesus. She has experienced mostly rejection and scorn from her countrywomen.

“I had a dream that I was sitting in a big circle with my family in Afghanistan. I remember seeing my father and mother. We were praying together. I didn’t think this was unusual since I was from a strong Muslim family and we often prayed with guests in our home, especially before a meal. As we were praying, suddenly I looked up and saw a big cross! Nobody else seemed to notice it. I reached up and took hold of the cross and brought it to myself, holding it to my chest. At that moment I awoke.”

“I looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:00 AM. I was wide awake now, marveling at this dream. I asked God, ‘What does this mean?’”

With tears streaming down her face she continued. “He spoke to my heart and said, “I am for you. You are Mine.”

This dream was a precious assurance to this lady that she is safe in the Everlasting Arms of an Almighty God.

God is speaking to many Afghans, showing them His love, and asking them to lay hold of the cross and draw it to themselves. They are responding in increasing numbers. Their dreams of a better life are being met in a dramatic and unexpected way.

Removal of Ethnic Tamils’ from Sri Lanka - Stayed!

Published
by
Editor
on December 10, 2007
in Advocacy, Asia, Europe, GENERAL and news
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“Removal of Ethnic Tamils from Sri Lanka - Stayed!”
“The European Court of Human Rights has asked the UK Government to put a stay on removal of refused asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, pending the hearing by the Court of several communicated cases relating to forced returns by EU countries to Sri Lanka of refused ethnic Tamils’.

“The Court has made it clear, ‘Having regard to the current security situation in Sri Lanka, *Rule 39 has been applied on each occasion an interim measure has been requested by an ethnic Tamil’.

“Which means that if the Home Office (UK) try to remove any ethnic Tamil who has been refused asylum and all legal avenues exhausted, the individual can apply to the ECHR to have the removal stayed, pending any ruling by the ECHR.

“If you know of any Tamils’ in the UK (refused asylum) whether in the community or in detention facing removal and the Home Office has not stayed the directions/ and if the person is in detention, not released the person from detention, please contact admin@ncadc.org.uk.

“*Rule 39 is a ‘Interim measure’ served on a EU government by the ECHR, preventing that Government taking any actions against the person named, pending a decision by the ECHR.

“There are two documents that must be filled in and faxed to ECHR in applications for ‘Interim relief’, under Rule 39.”

For the two documents referred to above, visit the website from which this report was taken:

 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine87/Tamils’.html.  

Encouraging Refugee Story, and a look at RHP Europe

Published
by
Editor
on December 10, 2007
in Europe, GENERAL, Middle East and news
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Europe facilitator Marco Vermin reports the encouraging story of a refugee and explains the KIA and RHP-Europe relationship within the RHP.

Refugee Highway Partnership -
Europe‘Partnering together for effective ministry among refugees’ 

In June of this year, the UNHCR published the 2006 refugee statistics. The alarming conclusion was that the refugee flow worldwide was at its highest point since 2002. Almost 10 million people have been classified by UNHCR as refugees. These are people who left their country out of fear. The largest group of refugees is still coming from Afghanistan (2.1 million), followed by
Iraq (1.7 million). In addition to that, there are about 24.5 million IDPs worldwide - an estimate of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

IDPs are people who did not flee their country but who have found a reasonably safe shelter within the national borders. These numbers are hard to imagine. But these are all people – fathers, mothers and children. When looking at these statistics it is hard to imagine the world of an individual refugee, of a human face hidden behind these numbers. Even last week I spoke to an Afghan who applied to the organization I work for. He had been traveling with his entire family for a total of about three months. He had represented a high position within the media of his country. Formerly a Muslim, he had distanced himself from that as a teenager and now called himself an atheist. He was responsible for a large paper of the country, being a spokesperson for the government at that time. After a change in the regime he had to flee. He and his family stayed behind as one of the last of the extended family, but eventually they had to flee as well – at first within the country itself, and then later on via Pakistan and Russia to The Netherlands. There he was put on a train with the order to ask for asylum at the place of destination. This journey, which cost him € 20,000, ultimately led to a long period of uncertainty. Ever since December of 2001, the family has been waiting for a decision of the government. They have received their first rejection but started up a new procedure. Exactly in this period of exhaustive uncertainty, people from a local church visited him and his family. Exactly through these people he found Jesus. He had himself been baptized a number of years ago, the only one of his family. And now, with all of his talents, he wants to dedicate himself to his fellow countrymen. Here in this country and abroad as well he wants to share with them the wonderful news about Jesus.

That is what the Refugee Highway Partnership (abbreviated as: RHP) stands for, linking Christian organizations and local churches worldwide to be like Jesus for the refugees.

This is in order to give hope to individual refugees together with the worldwide church. The RHP has been in existence now for almost 8 years. Because the needs of a refugee who made it into Europe are different than those of e.g. a refugee in Africa, the RHP divided the world into regions,
Europe being one of them. KIA is part of the RHP-Europe and functions as country coordinator representing
Norway within that team. As a participant, KIA is linked this way to all organizations and churches represented within RHP and it works with them in bringing hope – in Word and Deed - to those who have come from so far and are now so close.

Marco Vermin, November 2007

Related websites: www.rhp-europe.net, www.gave.nl, www.unhcr.org

asylum-seeker statistics

Published
by
tom
on March 26, 2007
in Europe, North America, RESOURCES, news and research
. 0 Comments

who's hosting the world's asylum-seekers today?

The main countries of origin of asylum applicants in 2006 were Iraq (22,200), China (18,300), the Russian Federation (15,700), Serbia and Montenegro (15,600) and Turkey (8,700). The Russian Federation figures include asylum seekers from Chechnya.

…After the United States and France, the main countries of destination for asylum seekers in 2006 were the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece and Belgium.

click here to read more excerpts from the UNHCR report in refugeehighway.com

book recommendations anyone?

Published
by
tom
on March 22, 2007
in Advocacy, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, RESOURCES, Refugee Training, ministry tools and research
. 3 Comments

i’m looking to build a list of recommended reading related to the Highway. my guess is that several of us have existing lists. would you be willing to share what your top refugee-related reading resources are? if so, please share them using the “comment” option to this post. thanks!

book cover:

here are some of the printed resources i’ve found worthwhile…

i look forward to seeing what others add to this list!

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