World Compassion Network Examines Refugee Crisis Firsthand
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Staff Report-
The purpose of the trip was twofold: assess the current situation from a relief perspective and distribute supplies to refugees.
Joe Wilkey, founder, and Greg Rauen, executive director and disaster relief coordinator, worked with Feed The Hungry Germany to purchase supplies and gain access to refugee camps around Mainz near Frankfurt, Germany.
“During our trip WCN visited five different refugee camps, distributing food, providing gift boxes to children, and talking to the camp managers,” Rauen is quoted as saying in a press release.
People are being housed in school buildings, apartment complexes and other empty buildings of the government's choosing. At one of the camps some Syrians were standing outside having just arrived in a bus from the German border. Mothers were tending to their children sitting among a few trash bags stuffed with what worldly possessions they could carry.
Some faces appeared blank, many appeared in shock, some appeared disheveled and exhausted. They had no idea how long they would be sitting there, much less knowing what the next step for them would be.
The camp managers working under the government's guidelines are doing their best to treat the refugees with respect and dignity while providing for their physical and social needs, the release states. Many refugees had health problems related to the arduous weeks of being on the road from their home country.
One of the camps WCN entered was a tent city. At one time it housed people from 12 different countries. The German government paid contractors to erect two huge tents: one tent with heat, raised flooring, and bunk beds providing sleeping quarters for 350 refugees; another huge tent was set up as a feeding facility for them. These two tents were supported by multiple portable buildings containing shower and laundry facilities as well as 20 to 30 portable toilets.
The German government also is remodeling other facilities to accommodate the needs of refugees. It is estimated that Germany will spend over $23 billion dollars in 2015 on processing and housing and caring for refugees in these facilities and camps, the release states.
The camps are not detention centers; the refugees are freely able to come and go as they please from their assigned camp. Some leave the camp to never return.
WCN learned that the refugee crisis is surrounded by huge and very complex cultural, social and economic issues. The cost on many levels is enormous. The press release from WCN states “This crisis is going to be in front of us for a very long time – despite the sporadic coverage by the major news outlets. Human beings are suffering greatly. We need to show them the love of Jesus Christ – in ways that make sense and more importantly in a way that has lasting impact on their individual lives.”
For more information about WCN, visit its website at www.w-c-n.org or on Facebook.
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The purpose of the trip was twofold: assess the current situation from a relief perspective and distribute supplies to refugees.
Joe Wilkey, founder, and Greg Rauen, executive director and disaster relief coordinator, worked with Feed The Hungry Germany to purchase supplies and gain access to refugee camps around Mainz near Frankfurt, Germany.
“During our trip WCN visited five different refugee camps, distributing food, providing gift boxes to children, and talking to the camp managers,” Rauen is quoted as saying in a press release.
People are being housed in school buildings, apartment complexes and other empty buildings of the government's choosing. At one of the camps some Syrians were standing outside having just arrived in a bus from the German border. Mothers were tending to their children sitting among a few trash bags stuffed with what worldly possessions they could carry.
Some faces appeared blank, many appeared in shock, some appeared disheveled and exhausted. They had no idea how long they would be sitting there, much less knowing what the next step for them would be.
The camp managers working under the government's guidelines are doing their best to treat the refugees with respect and dignity while providing for their physical and social needs, the release states. Many refugees had health problems related to the arduous weeks of being on the road from their home country.
One of the camps WCN entered was a tent city. At one time it housed people from 12 different countries. The German government paid contractors to erect two huge tents: one tent with heat, raised flooring, and bunk beds providing sleeping quarters for 350 refugees; another huge tent was set up as a feeding facility for them. These two tents were supported by multiple portable buildings containing shower and laundry facilities as well as 20 to 30 portable toilets.
The German government also is remodeling other facilities to accommodate the needs of refugees. It is estimated that Germany will spend over $23 billion dollars in 2015 on processing and housing and caring for refugees in these facilities and camps, the release states.
The camps are not detention centers; the refugees are freely able to come and go as they please from their assigned camp. Some leave the camp to never return.
WCN learned that the refugee crisis is surrounded by huge and very complex cultural, social and economic issues. The cost on many levels is enormous. The press release from WCN states “This crisis is going to be in front of us for a very long time – despite the sporadic coverage by the major news outlets. Human beings are suffering greatly. We need to show them the love of Jesus Christ – in ways that make sense and more importantly in a way that has lasting impact on their individual lives.”
For more information about WCN, visit its website at www.w-c-n.org or on Facebook.
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