Our Stories

Rita and Marty Bennett are long-time supporters of JRS who have had many roles serving and leading the organization over two decades, including as volunteers, Board Members, and grass roots organizers. Their work has been to increase awareness of forced displacement and of the work JRS does to mitigate the suffering of the most vulnerable. Now living in Boston, after twenty years in California, the Bennetts continue to express their commitment to JRS and accompanying refugees.

Despite the challenging circumstances, JRS is committed to protecting the future of refugee education, adapting to obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing education to thousands of refugee girls so they can grow into agents of change within their communities

As JRS works with forcibly displaced people, we support the World Federation for Mental health calling for more investment in mental health. One of JRS’s core priorities is providing and building Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs for displaced peoples.

Sahar, 26, has been working with JRS for one year as a social worker at Nicolas Kluiters centre in Jbeil. She was at home when the explosion rocked Lebanon. After making sure that her friends and family were safe, Sahar focused her energy on serving those immediately affected by the blast. She thought, “This is our country. If we don’t support each other, who else is there to support us?”

Four French as a Foreign Language (FLE) teachers working with Jesuit Refugee Service in various refugee camps in Eastern Chad were among the top five winners at the national Pedagogic Sheets IFprofs Competition this year.

JRS India serves several refugees located in Delhi and facilitates classes that provide Chin refugee children the tools to navigate through language barriers at school and in the workplace. The classes are meant to aid refugees of various ages who drop out of formal education.

Since mid-June 2020, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), has been producing the educational program L’École à la Radio to support learning during COVID-19.

“I have learned that life is more than being a refugee, relying on food rations, and waiting for resettlement. It is more about learning for life through every opportunity granted. This is what Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Pathfinder is about.”

Even as cases rise and lockdown measures are put into place, JRS continues to accompany children and youth displaced by war in the most remote regions of Afghanistan through innovative education models.