I remember the first time I saw this photo—a tiny boy, his face half-buried in the sand, arms limp by his side. The waves had run in, touching his hair, already wet and plastered to his head.
He was not sleeping—he had drowned, after the waves exhausted his father, and he could no longer hold his son up.
I realized the injustice and grief the refugees fleeing ISIS must feel. Ann Voskamp, courageous voice that she is, posted this photo, along with a call that ripped away the callouses I've grown on my news-reading eyes. I strongly recommend you read it, too.
5 Ways to Stand Up & Be the Church in the World’s Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II
I rarely cry at news articles, but I wept at this one. I could see his dad, fighting the Mediterranean’s unpredictable waves, in the blackness, thrashing to stay afloat, finally realizing both his sons had drowned. In the morning’s grim light, he could see what the sea had torn from him—his innocent sons, Alan Kurdi and Ghalib Kurdi.
Ann Voskamp wrote in that post about her grief on finding out that Alan and his family were hoping to emigrate to Canada.
“There’s enough room in this land, in our embarrassment of riches, for us to imagine you growing up and opening up books and bringing creative ideas and forging a fresh way and our land needed the hope of you, Aylan.”
Reading her anguished words changed my perspective on a civil war a continent away. I had read about the brutality of ISIS—people beheaded, women enslaved, as they swept through Iraq and Syria. I knew how unstable the region had become, and that people were fleeing it.
Somehow, though, the small boy whose face I couldn’t see, brought it home to me: there are families, caught in the middle of a war, who desperately need new homes. I searched to find out more about Alan's family, and discovered an excellent article by "The New York Times."
And I gave to organizations who are helping refugees, some that Ann had linked. I don’t say that to toot my own horn; actually, I write this because I haven’t done anything since.
I don’t know whether you saw that photo, and were affected in the same way. But here's what I just realized: I have forgotten about the refugees, in the craziness of working and going to school, and planning a wedding.
A year later, it's at the back of my mind, but their struggle is always at the front of theirs.
I remembered it again this summer, when my friend Hannah lived in Greece for over a month. As she volunteered at a center for refugee families, she heard firsthand accounts of the war from many Afghanis (as well as from Syrians and many from other countries) who came in.
Almost every family, she said, had lost a close relative to the war: many times these were men—a father, brother, cousin, or uncle—picked up by either the Taliban or ISIS, both of which are always on the lookout for anyone who might be resisting them, and moreover, might be a potential fighter. Losing more family members to possible torture or death drives many people to risk emigrating.
Hannah said that she heard over and over how much the refugees hate and fear radical Islamic terrorism. Ironic, isn’t it? Many people in Western nations fear extremists, and want to close their borders to refugees—who, incidentally, also hate terrorists, and probably far more personally than we ever could.
Furthermore, she learned just how hopeless many refugees feel.
Conditions in the Refugee Camps
Greece has absorbed 162,730 refugees just in 2016, according to the UN Refugee Agency; in 2015, the number was much higher—856,723. That is far more refugees than the country can possibly handle, even without its current economic struggle.
The UN runs the largest refugee camps in Greece, but those are rife with violence, and are prime targets for human traffickers. The housing isn’t great, either—tiny tents, which become unbearable in hundred-plus-degree weather. The refugees feel like they are living in a prison: they have no privacy, no rights, and little hope of getting out of their predicament.
The center where Hannah worked offered the most basic necessities the camps lack: safety, air conditioning, showers, laundry, clothing, a play area for kids, English and Greek classes.
Obstacles to Emigration
The conditions the refugees find when they reach Greece are awful, but they might be more bearable if they had hope that they might escape. Unfortunately, the Greek government is totally overwhelmed in trying to process all the applications for asylum. Many people face a years-long wait—if they get approved to leave at all.
Hannah found an Iranian family in Greece, who begged her to become their sponsor. Their hope of emigrating is almost impossible without an existing connection in the nation they apply to. This sponsor pushes paperwork through the legal system, and promises to help a refugee family get settled. It is not an easy process, but it is the only way refugee families have to emigrate from Greece to a Western nation.
Hannah is a college student, beginning her sophomore year. She felt she could not promise to be their sponsor, but we all felt the question that hung in the air as she told their story. Who will help this family?
Since she came home, Hannah has been looking for a group to do what she cannot do alone, and our church is exploring the options for becoming that sponsor.
Ways to Extend Our Hands to Refugees
And I end this, asking you what I am asking myself. Have we forgotten about the refugee crisis in the Middle East?
The refugees themselves have no such luxury.
Alan’s dad will never forget seeing his small son, his body limp after cold sea water pushed out his breath.
The count of displaced persons is at 4,808,229, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Each of those people carries the hurt war inflicted—killing or abducting loved ones—and the terror of fleeing the conflict.
Remembering this need again steps on my toes, hard. I understand that we risk our safety in opening our borders. Yet I know that if I were a refugee, terrified, running for my life, I would wonder why ordinary people in the West fear welcoming me. I would want refuge—nothing more.
A life where my family is safe, together, loved.
It’s too late to save Alan, but there are hundreds more three-year-old boys like him—and they and their families need our help just as much.
Here are six ways we can help.
1. Open your eyes.
You can start by reading the story of Alan and his family—here is the link again.
Follow major news sources’ coverage of the Syrian civil war, and what refugees are experiencing. They are fleeing to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey as well—and facing just as much opposition and fear there.
This American Life has several excellent episodes on life in the refugee camps: “Are We There Yet?” and “Don’t Have to Live Like A Refugee.” You can get them here.
The Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell channel on Youtube posted an excellent clip explaining the civil war in Syria, and explaining why taking in the refugees fleeing the war is not a threat.
(Note: my friend Hannah says that the claim at 4:19 that refugees are "less likely to commit crimes than the native population" is based on a study she hasn't checked out. That being said, she does not fear violence from the vast majority of refugees, most of whom are just looking for a safe home.)
2. Consider giving financially.
I am indebted to Ann Voskamp for a number of these links. Here is her post again, for a mored complete listing of what you can do to help.
World Vision
3. Consider asking your church, organization, or group of friends to sponsor a family.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement has an interactive map of the United States, with listings of the agencies who work with refugees in each state.
RefugeeOne is looking for co-sponsors to welcome refugees to the United States. From what I understand, they're based in the Chicago area. They offer a lot of great information and resources about the process of resettling refugees to those of us who don't live in the area.
4. Consider volunteering.
Hannah observed that the UN Refugee Agency has great intentions of helping the refugees, but very inadequate resources to meet all the refugees' needs. Most of the camps, she said, are actually administered by non-government organizations.
If you feel called to personally help refugees in countries receiving them, many organizations working with refugees welcome volunteers. Responsibilities in the camps could range from guarding gates, serving food, doing clean-up, offering basic hygiene supplies and medical care, to finding space for new families.
Hannah recommended Euro Relief, when I asked for suggestions on where to direct volunteers. Any of the larger organizations I listed under the "giving financially" point above might also take volunteers.
If you go, Hannah said, here are two things she learned.
-Volunteers are most helpful to organizations when they stay for several weeks to several months: long enough that the volunteering outweighs the time taken in orientation and debriefing.
-Refugees are people who have lost basic human dignity. Their countries are in chaos, as political leaders they trusted have turned on them. Most have lost everything they owned.
Many smugglers extort huge sums of money, claiming to offer safe passage, but often send them out on overcrowded, rubber rafts with small motors, inadequate fuel, no pilot, and worthless life jackets.
Many refugees were told that people will welcome them and life will be good, but countries they have fled to, like Turkey or Greece, are totally overwhelmed and hostile to them.
Hannah found herself trying to restore their dignity to them, to give them a sense of worth and value. She found that she had much in common with these lovely people. "They're our brothers and sisters," she says, urging that volunteers have this goal--returning their humanity to people who have forgotten it.
5. Consider speaking to our government about taking in refugees.
A branch of World Vision, We Welcome Refugees, has a page on opportunities to speak out. I understand that not everyone is interested in political involvement. I understand. For those of you who believe that is important, though, it is a great place to get started.
6. Consider praying for the refugees.
Pray for peace in the civil war. Pray for heart-change for the people on both sides, that they would see how futile violence is.
Pray that the refugees would find welcome: from people of peace who will help them integrate, whether those be people in Greece, or in other Western nations.
Pray for protection for the vulnerable, that they would be protected from human trafficking.
And let's pray for ourselves, too. Pray for us, the people in Western nations, our families safe from fighters breaking into our houses or smugglers shoving us onto dangerous seas. Pray that we would care for people who have no such safety, and are seeking it.
