Refugees fleeing oppressive conditions in their home countries face additional challenges when they arrive in a new nation. If you want to help refugees from any source, you can do it either by making a concrete commitment or through financial assistance. In addition, spreading the word and promoting the cause of refugees are initiatives that can make a difference.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Promote Financial Assistance
Step 1. Become familiar with the different services available to refugees
There are numerous refugee services that work locally, nationally and internationally, with the aim of providing help to refugees from a variety of countries. Learn about the businesses they do and the work some of the many organizations do.
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Well-known refugee organizations include:
- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
- The "Church World Service":
- The American Refugee Committee:
- The International Rescue Committee:
- If you are not satisfied with the mission statements of these organizations, you can search for more on the Internet. In Italy there is the CIR, the Italian Council for Refugees:
Step 2. Make a donation for refugee services
Now that you have a clearer picture of the different services available to refugees, you can make a donation to the organization of your choice. Some organizations decide for themselves how to use your donation, while others allow you to specify which activities you want the money to be used for.
- Be aware that any organization will only allocate a portion of your donation to refugee services. The rest will be used for related expenses.
- Before you donate money to an organization, find out how much of your money will actually be used for the benefit of refugees. Look for information on the organisation's donation webpage. If this information is not easily accessible, try to find a copy of the organization's latest annual report.
- Most organizations allow a one-time donation to be made online, by email, or by phone. Many also encourage monthly donations.
- You can even make a gift donation as a tribute or on behalf of a colleague or loved one.
Step 3. Organize a fundraising campaign
By organizing a refugee fundraiser on the internet or in your local community, you have the opportunity to gain huge financial feedback. To donate the money raised during the campaign, he works closely with a recognized refugee service.
- Consider organizing your fundraising campaign at the city, parish, or workplace level.
- In addition to fundraising activities, it is also possible to promote non-monetary donations. Encourage people to donate furniture and other household items needed to equip new living spaces. Donations of non-perishable toiletries, clothing and food are also welcome.
Part 2 of 3: Help Really By Committing Yourself
Step 1. Do an internship at an organization that offers refugee services
To find out more about the activities carried out in the service of refugees and to directly coordinate your work with those involved in the organization, apply for an internship at a national or international refugee organization.
- Internship opportunities are usually limited and internships are quite competitive, especially if you want to work in a relatively popular organization.
- During an internship at a refugee assistance organization, you can get involved in a variety of activities, including health education, developing youth programs in a specific geographic area, and supporting the organization's activities management.
Step 2. Contact the refugee offices in your area
If an internship is not possible, contact the nearest refugee assistance center and ask how you can help. The office staff will be able to tell you what services they need at that time and how to participate in the activities.
- To find the office closest to you, visit the website of the refugee assistance organization of your choice and look for the list of local sections. If it is not available online, contact the organization directly and forward your requests to them.
- Many organizations may ask you to sign up as a volunteer before starting to work in an official capacity. Usually this process starts with filling in an application to become a volunteer, goes through a background check and involves taking part in a volunteer orientation course. You may also be interviewed by staff from the organization's recruiting department.
Step 3. Volunteer in your community
Spend time working directly with refugees living in your community or nearby. Each of us has skills and competences to offer. Find out how to make yourself useful using your skills.
- Help refugees who find hospitality in your community by assisting them in their accommodation.
- Help get them clean, basic furnishings and offer to arrange these supplies in their new home.
- A nice idea may be to cook a culturally appropriate meal for them.
- Offer your availability to accompany them to carry out the various tasks, especially those necessary such as medical visits, shopping, job interviews and courses to learn the language.
- Offer to tutor them or teach them the Italian language.
- Make friends with refugees living in your community. If you don't feel like doing anything else, this too can be a valuable help. A friendly presence can offer great emotional support to help them get through the traumatic time they are experiencing.
Step 4. Promote the refugee cause by involving your religious community or parish
Meet the priest and those responsible for parish activities and discuss with them the opportunity to welcome and help refugees living in your area.
- Many religious faiths promote hospitality as a value. By involving your religious community, you not only give concrete support to refugees, but you also offer the members of your community an opportunity to enrich themselves morally and spiritually.
- Volunteers from religious communities usually work side by side with major refugee assistance organizations. They are concerned with providing these people with safe shelter, furniture, food, clothing and other material necessities; they can also help refugees settle on a permanent basis by informing and guiding them about health programs, job opportunities and public service offices.
- Members of the religious community can also engage on a concrete level by interacting personally with the refugees present in the area.
Step 5. Try to involve your company
Talk to your company's HR leaders to inform them about the needs and requirements of refugees in your community. Show them how helping refugees can benefit not only the refugees themselves, but the business as well.
- Businesses can help refugees by offering them job opportunities. If there are no vacancies, they can still help them by offering them various opportunities to improve their qualifications and job skills.
- If your company is unable to help refugees in practical terms, contact the finance department, offering to make a corporate donation to a recognized refugee assistance organization. These donations are usually tax deductible and guarantee excellent publicity for the company.
- Donation campaigns are another viable option. They can be both material and financial donations. Encourage the company to manage employee donations for the benefit of refugees.
Step 6. Pray
If you believe in God or some form of supernatural power, pray regularly for refugees and their families. Encourage your relatives, friends, colleagues, and members of your church to do the same.
Organize regular prayer meetings to pray for refugees and their families
Part 3 of 3: Spread the Word
Step 1. Stay informed
Through newsletters and other publications you can receive the latest news regarding refugees from all over the world. Before communicating the news to others, keep yourself constantly informed.
- On almost all the websites of the major refugee assistance associations you will find the newsletter you can subscribe to to keep yourself informed.
- Follow the news on the news, radio and on the internet regularly for the latest refugee news.
Step 2. Arrange a meeting in your community
Organize an informative debate-event on the topic of refugees and related problems. Promote it actively and invite members of your community to join the event.
- Consider organizing the event on an important date or significant time. The Christmas season, for example, is very favorable because people are more prone to kindness and generosity. Another useful date is World Refugee Day, which is celebrated every year on June 20.
- Invite refugees or people dealing with the problem as speakers to make the event more interesting. If the people directly involved in the cause speak, the refugee problem does not remain something abstract but acquires a face, it is somehow personalized, so people are more likely to offer help and support.
- These debates can be organized in schools, churches, workplaces, association offices or municipal halls.
Step 3. Contact government representatives
Call or write to the institutional figures involved in the refugee cause. In this way you can make your voice heard even in the institutional sphere.
- Contact government officials and territorial offices who are responsible for implementing the refugee reception and accommodation program.
- To contact the presidency of the council of ministers go to:
Step 4. Keep in touch with the media
If you hear of local, regional or national stories about refugees, contact the media and encourage them to spread the word. The media include television, radio and newspapers.
To gain more support, he presents the refugee cause as a matter of great human interest. If you associate the story with a name or a face, the media will be more likely to tell the story
Step 5. Spread the word through social networks
The widespread use of social networks has made it easier than ever to spread little-known news to friends, relatives and acquaintances.
- Follow refugee assistance organizations through your social network profiles; by doing so you can always keep yourself informed on the latest news and updates and post the news on your page.
- Use as many social networks as possible, including Facebook, Twitter, Causes, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, and Google Plus.
Step 6. Nominate a nominee for the Nansen Award
This recognition is awarded every year, in October, to a person or group who have particularly distinguished themselves in supporting refugee activities.
- By highlighting the service performed by other people in refugee assistance, you will be able to make the topic even more important.
- Nominations generally close in the months of January or February prior to the awarding of the prize.
- The work of the candidate should go beyond the simple fulfillment of duty: the person must be an example of courage and his work must have had a direct and significant impact on the recipients.
- To find out more about the Nansen prize, go to:
