Once refugees cross their native borders into a neighboring country (Asylum country) , they are usually placed in camps
run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR has a special international mandate to
protect and care for refugees. The camp residents must undergo interviews to determine whether they are refugees
according to the official definition.
Refugee can wait in the camps from 2 – 15 yrs. Life is very harsh and dangerous in refugee camps, especially for women
and children. The camps are always overcrowded. They lack the most basic provisions, sometimes even an adequate
supply of water. In addition, there are not enough school facilities for children and jobs or income-generating activities
for adults.
All refugees wish that they could go back home, but repatriation is impossible. Those who do return after a long and
bitter wait often find complete devastation. This happened to thousands of Kosovo refugees and to those who lived in
border camps in Thailand. They were repatriated to a homeland depleted by a generation of war.
On the other hand, some refugees become integrated into the country where they first fled (Asylum country).
Unfortunately, many such countries are poor and lack resources to absorb refugees into their economies. Many
industrialized countries are inhospitable to refugees and try to keep them out. Resettlement in a third country is an
option for less than 1% of all refugees. Such resettlement is the core work of resettlement agencies like IRC, World
Relief, and Catholic Charities which CMI is currently an active partner with these agencies.
Being established as an independent refugee assistance ministry agency and being connected to U.S. churches and
believers like you allows our partnering churches and individuals to directly co-sponsor and be involved in the life of new
refugees who comes to our assistance center and assist them in resettling in their new country with dignity, befriend
them, and share Christ’s Love with them