The Government Relies on Churches for the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Posted on by

The Government Relies on Churches for the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Syrian Refugees immigrating from Europe to the west

The Canadian government is making the Syrian refugee crisis part of the political climate, but what is it really doing to make a difference? According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are about 60 million refugees around the world right now. Not all of these are from Syria, but currently, that is the biggest population. If Canada is accepting 10,000 of these refuges, that is just 1/60 of one percent. Germany is expecting 800,000 refugee new arrivals in 2015, or about 80 times what Canada is allowing. Canada leaders want you to believe they are doing something, but the real people making the difference are the churches.

Where the Parties Stand

  • Conservatives – They have pledged to resettle an additional 10,000 refugees from both Syria and Iraq over the next few years, in addition to the 10,000 that had already been pledged.
  • NDP – This party has pledged to fast-track private sponsorship and increase the number of refugees that the government sponsors by 9,000 per year over four years.
  • Liberal – They are pledging to help 25,000 refugees through government sponsorship and boost private sponsorship capabilities. The party also wants to put $100 million each into refugee processing and UNHCR relief work.
  • Green – The Green party is pledging to welcome 40,000 refugees.

Why the Government Is Turning to Private Sponsorships for Syrian Refugees

The UNHCR has very limiting criteria when it comes to relocating vulnerable refugees. Religion and ethnicity cannot be considered unless the refugees are at risk in the country where they are seeking relocation. Churches that offer private sponsorship for refugees help the government target those minorities who are facing problems in the refugee camps.

The Armenian churches are the most active sponsors in Canada, but they are working with other denominations to make a difference. It takes money and time to get a refugee relocated into a Canadian city, and this commitment doesn’t end once the family or individual is here.

So far, 1,106 of the 10,000 refugees that the government pledged to take have been received by Canada. As of September 8, 888, or 80 percent, of those have been through private organizations. It appears that the churches are the ones making the difference in the count. However, it is going to take every citizen to work together to make the difference.

Funding and Government Promises

Just last month, in September, the Canadian government promised to speed up the process to get refugees into the country. It also promised to increase funding to organizations willing to sponsor refugees, but critics are concerned that the funding won’t be distributed quickly enough. Groups that take in donations aren’t guaranteed any matching funds, even though the funding is supposedly going to “match” donations made by citizens. Organizations still have to apply to receive this money, and there’s no indication how long it will take to distribute it. Although it’s understandable that the government wants to maintain the integrity of its money, bureaucracy moves slowly, which makes it more difficult for the churches to move forward and step up to get families relocated.

Who Is Responsible for Syrian Refugees?

The entire world is wondering who needs to take responsibility for the displaced families of Syria. This is a political battlefield, and it would be wonderful if the war in Syria would end. Unfortunately, at this point, even that would probably not stop the problem. The country has been torn apart, and it will take years to rebuild the infrastructure. In the meantime, every other country in the world that has the resources to help these innocents make a new life should step up. It’s a humanitarian need, not a political statement to be used to get elected.

 

The Government Relies on Churches for the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Syrian Refugees immigrating from Europe to the west

The Canadian government is making the Syrian refugee crisis part of the political climate, but what is it really doing to make a difference? According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are about 60 million refugees around the world right now. Not all of these are from Syria, but currently, that is the biggest population. If Canada is accepting 10,000 of these refuges, that is just 1/60 of one percent. Germany is expecting 800,000 refugee new arrivals in 2015, or about 80 times what Canada is allowing. Canada leaders want you to believe they are doing something, but the real people making the difference are the churches.

Where the Parties Stand

  • Conservatives – They have pledged to resettle an additional 10,000 refugees from both Syria and Iraq over the next few years, in addition to the 10,000 that had already been pledged.
  • NDP – This party has pledged to fast-track private sponsorship and increase the number of refugees that the government sponsors by 9,000 per year over four years.
  • Liberal – They are pledging to help 25,000 refugees through government sponsorship and boost private sponsorship capabilities. The party also wants to put $100 million each into refugee processing and UNHCR relief work.
  • Green – The Green party is pledging to welcome 40,000 refugees.

Why the Government Is Turning to Private Sponsorships for Syrian Refugees

The UNHCR has very limiting criteria when it comes to relocating vulnerable refugees. Religion and ethnicity cannot be considered unless the refugees are at risk in the country where they are seeking relocation. Churches that offer private sponsorship for refugees help the government target those minorities who are facing problems in the refugee camps.

The Armenian churches are the most active sponsors in Canada, but they are working with other denominations to make a difference. It takes money and time to get a refugee relocated into a Canadian city, and this commitment doesn’t end once the family or individual is here.

So far, 1,106 of the 10,000 refugees that the government pledged to take have been received by Canada. As of September 8, 888, or 80 percent, of those have been through private organizations. It appears that the churches are the ones making the difference in the count. However, it is going to take every citizen to work together to make the difference.

Funding and Government Promises

Just last month, in September, the Canadian government promised to speed up the process to get refugees into the country. It also promised to increase funding to organizations willing to sponsor refugees, but critics are concerned that the funding won’t be distributed quickly enough. Groups that take in donations aren’t guaranteed any matching funds, even though the funding is supposedly going to “match” donations made by citizens. Organizations still have to apply to receive this money, and there’s no indication how long it will take to distribute it. Although it’s understandable that the government wants to maintain the integrity of its money, bureaucracy moves slowly, which makes it more difficult for the churches to move forward and step up to get families relocated.

Who Is Responsible for Syrian Refugees?

The entire world is wondering who needs to take responsibility for the displaced families of Syria. This is a political battlefield, and it would be wonderful if the war in Syria would end. Unfortunately, at this point, even that would probably not stop the problem. The country has been torn apart, and it will take years to rebuild the infrastructure. In the meantime, every other country in the world that has the resources to help these innocents make a new life should step up. It’s a humanitarian need, not a political statement to be used to get elected.

 

Comments are closed.

Comments are closed.