First, I saw that there is great physical suffering in being a refugee. The basics physical needs of life are threatened - safety, shelter, food, sanitation and health care.
Second, these needs of refugees also threatens the same needs of the local people in the territories that the refugees occupy. the land, the food supply, and health care are all put under some form of stress. People "thrown together" elevate how differences in culture and religion can make everyone insecure.
Third, psychological needs are the unseen tragedies of relocating thousands of people into an existing population. Freedom and hope are two fundamental areas where heightened uncertainty can affect motivation to accomplish life's basic necessities. Aid programs disrupt local economies and can create entitlement mentalities that also have negative impact on how a local area survives and thrives.
Fourth, refugee relief is a big business. Billions of government money is "thrown at" relief efforts to provide shelter, security, food, sanitation and health care. The United Nations is a major player. Local governments also provide money and services. Through grants the UN solicits participation from non-government agencies (NGO's). Many non profits apply for grants from the UN to supplement and specialize services. The economies of many third world locations that receive refugees are stimulated by the influx of people and money from the outside. Hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses are supported by temporary presence of outside money. The downside is that many businesses flourish temporarily while the long term economy and sense of well being of the local population can be damaged by the surge and then withdrawal of economic activity.
The fourth issue is one that struck me the most. Is the way the developed world responds to the first three issues the best we can do? I saw first hand how ineffective and inefficient the current government based approach tends to be. Prolonged aid of food reduces the motivation of the relocated population to seek self sufficiency. Rules and regulations set by government bureaucrats fail to grasp the needs on the ground and spend money automatically and needlessly, while failing to meet needs that are real.
Here's an example in Uganda of this that I witnessed. The UN sponsored health care clinics, many run by NGO's would spend money on expensive vehicles and pay employees more than local wages, while restricting access to care available and being out of many vital medicines the people need. While carrying larger staffs than needed, the clinics set up for refugees would be only open during regular hours of the day and closed on weekends. The UN sponsored clinics would not care for local Ugandans, who lived among the refugees and had to sometimes walk further to get to a Ugandan govt clinic. This created more tension between the locals and the refugees. Temporary latrines were mandated by the UN at the intake and processing camps. When there were a surge of refugees at one time, the facilities became woefully inadequate raising a serious risk of cholera. A cholera out break could quickly wipe out a refugee camp and threaten the locals living in the area.
I visited the work of a private relief organization, Global Refuge International (GRI). With 1/10 of the budget and 40% of the staff size, GRI was provided the most and best health care. The GRI clinic was seeing more than twice the patients of a UN sponsored clinic with less than half the staff. GRI clinic always had the needed medicines, especially for malaria which is the most common cause of illness and death in this part of the world. The GRI clinic could build a permanent latrine at a refugee camp, but only because they do not take government subsidies. The only privately funded service for refugees that also cares for the soul of the refugee are Christian ministries. Using local Christian staffs, GRI clinics give people hope and help them feel respected and valued. GRI attracts the best local healthcare professionals at 1/4 the wages of the UN sponsored clinics because they see the effective and efficient way GRI meets the needs of the people. GRI is not restricted to only refugees so the local people are more integrated with the refugees as they can receive quality care from GRI too. GRI is available 24/7 as the staff boarding is onsite with the clinic.
A sister Christian ministry, Builders without Border, came while I was there and built a new facility. using local workers as helpers. A building was constructed in 2 weeks that will now allow GRI to be the premium health care provider to both refugees and nationals for all of Northern Uganda. This includes the Ugandan hospital in Arua. All care is free to everyone. It is a love gift to the refugees and citizens of Uganda from the hearts of Christians in the US and Canada.
In summary I saw that as an individual, I cannot solve the refugee situation. It will continue to be big business and a political "lightening rod." One thing I can do though is to give to organizations who will never be restrained by government regulations. I saw that while good intended organizations like World Vision and Samaitans Purse are there, they are fully engaged in using grant money to operate in refugee relief and are no different in their operations as the UN. So many organizations have been "sucked into" the big business of relief, resulting in self-serving benefits of UN money. However, there are some, like GRI, who can remain true to their mission of serving the dying and the needy with respect and love. The gift of grace lives well beyond a bowl of food and a prescription of medicine. They believe that lives can be restored out of disaster.
Its certainly worth pondering. I saw it for myself .....
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