They are welcome here
In the end, people here understand that they have more in common with a tailor who has arrived in a dinghy than they do with the people at the top who have left them high and dry.
In the end, people here understand that they have more in common with a tailor who has arrived in a dinghy than they do with the people at the top who have left them high and dry.
I want to reject the indifference I ever felt amidst the struggles of Ukrainians, Syrians and every nation torn asunder by wars. I want to feel something.
Decisions to support the Ukrainian people and target Russian interests show that anyone saying “there’s no alternative,” “we can’t welcome all refugees,” “we can’t tax billionaires because it’s too complex” or “it’s not possible to divest from fossil fuels” is actually lying, for the sake of defending their own personal interests.
But… What happens if we combine the efforts of ecosystem restoration with humanitarian aid and development, empowering refugees with the tools and the knowledge to build a better life? What if we transform refugee camps into regenerative camps?
“All of Sicily is a dimension of the imagination,” wrote the novelist Leonardo Sciascia. Indeed, the island has always emanated a slightly mythical air, neither quite real, nor quite imaginary, like a kind of Mediterranean Shangri-La.
Refugee Women of Bristol (RWoB) is a charity organisation that’s run by refugees, for refugees. The charity has been up and running since 2003 and I’ve been involved for more than 10 years. Connecting through food has always been at the heart of our work.
With the coronavirus pandemic stalking the asylum seekers waiting nervously in camps and shelters all along the border and in the overcrowded jail cells of the US justice system, inspiration from the border is very hard to come by these days. Thanks to the Angry Tías and Abuelas for shining a light in the darkness, and to London journalist Sarah Towle for sharing their story, and other tales of humanity and heroism from her 2,000-mile journey along the US-Mexico Border.
For her part, Zavala is determined to do all she can to ensure that in this camp where she operates, everything possible is being done to assure these traumatized families a measure of dignity and a fair shot at a new life. She says, “In a time where asylum-seekers are being denied the fundamental right to humane and dignified treatment and access to the services they urgently need, we have pledged a strong commitment to fighting for them.”
Climate change is expected to have a striking impact on vulnerable communities, especially in coastal regions where sea-level rise and increased climatic events will make it impossible for some people to remain on their land.
With borders hardening around the world, more people than ever are taking on the slippery, often tortuous challenge of proving their relationships to the authorities, which often boils down to having their love recognised as legitimate by the state. I’m one of them, or fear I soon will be.
The Native Seeds project is creating sustainable jobs in the settlement, and distributes three types of tree seedlings to refugee households, schools, and health clinics: moringa seedlings, various fruit tree seedlings (jackfruit, avocado, papaya, orange, lemon, guava, and mango), and twelve fast-growing timber species that can be sustainably harvested for firewood.
Every morning, Bonita Amaro and her sister Yolanda Sanchez arrive at the Greyhound bus station in Sacramento to greet asylum-seekers passing through on their way to sponsors’ homes across the country.