IAFR CANADA
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Statement of Faith
    • Annual Report
  • What We Do
    • Current Projects
    • Training
  • Opportunities
    • Events
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Donate >
      • Friends of Refugees
  • Affiliates
    • IAFR USA Ministry Toolbox
    • IAFR USA

IAFR BLOG

Stories . Encouragement . Life

Advent Day 9: Children on the Move

12/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

50% of the world's refugees are under 18 years old. *Source


Be silent for a moment and consider:
How do you think the refugee experience might be different for a child than for an adult?


The picture of the two-year-old boy lying drowned on a beach in September of 2015 galvanised the world for a moment. Abdullah and Rehanna Kurdi, along with their children Ghalib and Alan, had traveled from Syria to Turkey, and were now trusting smugglers to get them across the Mediterranean Sea in a flimsy dinghy, the only form of transport they could afford. They were ultimately trying to get to Vancouver, BC, to a life that was safe and hopeful.

The family’s application for sponsorship had been officially denied, so this was seen as the only possible way out. The dinghy was overloaded to twice its capacity and capsized five minutes off the coast of Turkey. Rehanna, Ghalib and Alan all drowned.

Alan was certainly not the first refugee child to die on the journey, not even the only one to die that day. But the heart-rending photo of his little body sparked something in our collective conscience. “This is happening? In this day and age? To children?” Yes, and has been happening for a long time, and continues to happen.

We should remember that in the Nativity story, Mary is most likely of the age that we would consider a child, and Jesus was obviously an infant. And almost all the other children mentioned in the Biblical narrative die. This is not just a sentimental story best suited for eggnog and warm family moments around the fireplace. This is a story that resonates with the fear and vulnerability that the refugee children of our world face every day.

As we remember the name of Jesus at this Advent time, let us also remember the names of Ghalib and Alan Kurdi, and let us call to mind the millions of other children who make up more than half of all the refugees in our world.

Read: Luke 1:39-43.
Also consider reading The Boy on the Beach, a personal account of the tragedy by Alan and Ghalib’s aunt, Tima Kurdi. A foundation for helping other refugee children in their name can be found here.


Pray: Pray for the protection and safety of the children in your family, the children in your community and neighbourhood, and the children who right now are on the move around the world.
Pray for our international partners, the African Hope Learning Centre, and Beirut Nazarene Church, as they seek to help African refugee children who've fled to Cairo and Syrian refugee children who've fled to Beirut. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    WELCOME!

    Our vision is to help people survive and recover from forced displacement. We do this together with the church, both globally, and locally in Canada. 

    Check out our What We Do tab to learn more about our international partners who are doing incredible work in their communities with people who have been forced to flee.

    This blog is where we will share with you more of our motivations, ideas, stories and challenges.  We're glad you're here to journey with us!

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

ABOUT IAFR.CA

OUR STORY
OUR TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A Registered Canadian  Charity
CRA # 796831717 RR 0001

OPPORTUNITIES

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
TRAINING
EVENTS
ADVOCACY RESOURCES
FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP

AFFILIATES

IAFR USA
IAFR USA MINISTRY TOOLBOX

CONTACT

IAFR Canada
374 Sheppard Ave E
Toronto, ON M2N 3B6
info@iafr.ca

Please Note: IAFR Canada does not sponsor people to resettle in Canada. You may want to contact one of Canada's sponsorship agreement holders.

*IAFR Canada is a distinct organization from IAFR USA
All photos on this website are by  IAFR  unless otherwise noted
© 2020 International Association For Refugees Canada
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Statement of Faith
    • Annual Report
  • What We Do
    • Current Projects
    • Training
  • Opportunities
    • Events
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Donate >
      • Friends of Refugees
  • Affiliates
    • IAFR USA Ministry Toolbox
    • IAFR USA