REFUGEES,
displaced people and forced migrants
Forced migration occurs when a person emigrates in order to escape persecution, conflict, repression, natural and/or man-made disasters, environmental degradation, the lack of means to make a living or other situations that endanger their life, their freedom or their way of life.
Today, the number of forcibly displaced people is more than 60 million. Half of them, 30 million people, are under 18 years old. Every day, 42,500 people are obliged to leave their homes because their lives are in danger.
Combatting forced migration depends on creating decent living conditions for people in their countries of origin. At ALBOAN we work to create opportunities for them to earn a living, .to facilitate access to quality education, to foster peace and reconciliation and to open spaces where the most vulnerable groups in society can get organised, express their demands and have an impact on the policies that affect them.
"Never before has there been such need for tolerance, compassion and solidarity with people who have lost everything."
DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES AND PEOPLE DISPLACED BY ARMED CONFLICT
ALBOAN assists in the recurrent crisis situations experienced by refugees and displaced people. We support humanitarian efforts on the ground and we report the causes of these crises to people and organisations in our own environment. To achieve this, we work together with the Jesuit Refugee Service in their mission to assist, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forced migrants.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad.
Work centres on attending to the most vulnerable groups in refugee and displaced people's camps.
Education services for children, teenagers and young adults through:
- Building and equipping schools, hiring and training teachers, raising awareness in the communities about the importance of education, especially for girls, and organising parents' associations.
Assisting women who are victims of violence through:
- Psycho-social support for women and teenagers who are victims of violence, literacy courses. professional training (dressmaking and tailoring, basketwork, carpentry, hairdressing) and courses to raise awareness of their rights.
We support work on the border of Colombia-Venezuela-Ecuador
Colombia has the second greatest number of displaced people of all the countries in the world. ALBOAN supports the Jesuit Refugee Service to help alleviate the destitution that many displaced and refugee people face as a result of the Colombian conflict, both internally and on the country's borders with Venezuela and Ecuador. The majority of these people come from rural communities and end up living in marginalised areas of the cities.
Support focuses on:
- Immediate humanitarian assistance for newly displaced people or families. This consists of providing families with guidance, medication, food, help renting accommodation and acquiring essential items for the home.
- Psychological support for displaced and refugee populations. This consists of trying to respond to the fears they develop as a consequence of ongoing persecution and intimidation.
- Legal training, advice and support for communities, whether that consists of requesting the restoration of their rights as internally displaced people or seeking asylum in order to be recognised as refugees.
Your donations provide hope to many people
ASSISTANCE FOR MIGRANTS
The number of Central Americans who are forced to leave their countries has risen consistently over recent years.
supports the Jesuit Network for Migrants – Central America, (RJNM-CA), which developed in order to put a stop to situations of cruelty and human rights violations emerging from border control measures. The most vulnerable in such situations are women, children and teenagers.
The majority of migrants take the "northern route", toward Mexico and the USA. It is one of the most dangerous routes in the world.
Supports the defence of migrant families' and individuals' rights:
- Basic needs and temporary accommodation for people in the process of forced displacement in both their country of origin and their destination: legal advice, psychological attention, humanitarian aid, support, information and training.
- Coordination of local and national organisations to help refugees find a way to make a living in their destination country.
- Launching preventative measures to combat vulnerability and violence in migration processes: safety and self-defence training for community leaders and social organisations, coordination with local organisations, awareness-raising campaigns and training on rights, security protocols and risks to migrants.
