Wednesday, September 27, 2006
A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City
Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontiers) opened a public education exhibit in Piedmont Park today -- a refugee camp in the heart of the city.
MSF wants to let people know who a refugee is, and what their experience is like.
A refugee has a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country", according to the UN, who created the definition in a 1951 treaty which most countries have signed.
Basically, a refugee has fled his country because of persecution, including torture, or the fear thereof. They leave home, often in a panic, sometimes at gunpoint, and dash for the next country. But often, the country next door, like Pakistan or Guinea or Kenya does not want them and can't take care of them. There are about 8.4 million refugees in the world today.
Visas for resettlement countries like the US, UK, Canada and a few others come for a lucky few. Generally those able to prove they have been tortured, seen family killed, and the like.
Atlanta is one of the US' larger resettlement hubs. One of the area's biggest resettlement agency, the IRC, has had over 16,000 clients since 1979. In Clarkston, especially. On the right there's some permalinks to refugee service orgs in Atlanta. They can all use volunteers, y'all. People that survive the refugee experience are some of the most remarkable people you will ever have the opportunity to meet.
MSF predicts about 1,000 visitors a day to their ersatz camp. ¶ 6:14 PM
Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontiers) opened a public education exhibit in Piedmont Park today -- a refugee camp in the heart of the city.
MSF wants to let people know who a refugee is, and what their experience is like.
A refugee has a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country", according to the UN, who created the definition in a 1951 treaty which most countries have signed.
Basically, a refugee has fled his country because of persecution, including torture, or the fear thereof. They leave home, often in a panic, sometimes at gunpoint, and dash for the next country. But often, the country next door, like Pakistan or Guinea or Kenya does not want them and can't take care of them. There are about 8.4 million refugees in the world today.
Visas for resettlement countries like the US, UK, Canada and a few others come for a lucky few. Generally those able to prove they have been tortured, seen family killed, and the like.
Atlanta is one of the US' larger resettlement hubs. One of the area's biggest resettlement agency, the IRC, has had over 16,000 clients since 1979. In Clarkston, especially. On the right there's some permalinks to refugee service orgs in Atlanta. They can all use volunteers, y'all. People that survive the refugee experience are some of the most remarkable people you will ever have the opportunity to meet.
MSF predicts about 1,000 visitors a day to their ersatz camp. ¶ 6:14 PM
