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Campaign 		Lebanon: acting on Pope Francis’ call for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation
Beirut, 17 May 2013 – The Jesuit Refugee Service welcomed the call by Pope Francis for enhanced dialogue and cooperation between the diverse ethnic and religious communities which constitute Lebanese society. The statement, issued following a meeting between the Pope and the President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman in early May, echoes the focus of the work of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the region since 2010.

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Campaign 		Syria: a volunteer's experience with displaced families in Damascus
Damascus, 28 April 2013 – “How lovely is the meeting between a human and a human, a meeting in which we desire to show our love and feelings towards each other.” 

I felt something similar to this when I met families at the JRS house in Bab Touma. Neither I nor they had known each other before, but I felt as if I had known them for a long time.

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Campaign 		Syria: bringing displaced families together
Beirut, 29 April 2013 – The opportunity to have a moment of peace and quiet has all but vanished in Damascus. As violence in the 4,000 year old capital escalates, accompanied by acute shortages of daily commodities, it becomes harder to enjoy the simple things in life, much less a family meal.  Conscious of this, the JRS Damascus team now holds “family mornings” twice a month at the JRS St Albert Hurtado House in Bab Touma.

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Campaign 		Lebanon: Syrian families flee in order to protect their children
Beirut, 25 April 2013 – The small town of Naameh lies less than 20km south of Beirut along the coastal road. Notorious for religious tensions and prone to violence between different sects, it seems an unlikely place to settle, yet it is now home to 50 Syrian families (about 300 individuals) who are taking shelter in a derelict school. 


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Campaign 		Lebanon: keeping a special spirit alive
Beirut, 22 April 2013 - The road to the Lebanese village of Kafar Zabad is narrow, with potholes and deep puddles every couple of metres. Once a sleepy village in the Bekaa valley, close to the Syrian border, Kafar Zabad is now home to 150 Syrian families who have fled violence in their country.
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Campaign 		Jordan: accompanying forgotten refugees in Jordan
Beirut, 25 April 2013 - Jordan has fast become a cross-roads for refugees from across the region as older conflicts and newer ones cause people to flee in search of safety and stability. In the sprawling capital city of Amman there are people from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Syria, most of whom are faced with many difficulties with integration and survival on a daily basis. 

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Campaign 		Jordan/ USA: JRS Jordan director visits US universities to raise awareness about refugees in the Middle East
USA, 15 April 2013 -  Ignatian News (IN) Network met up with Colin Gilbert, the Jesuit Refugee Service Jordan Director, during his tour of US Jesuit Universities. Watch to learn more about the work JRS is doing in Jordan and the Middle East, and how JRS accompanies, serves, and walks with refugees all across the world.
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Newsroom 		UNHCR-Jesuit agreement enhances access to higher education for the forcibly displaced
Rome, 11 April 2013 – The UN refugee agency and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), through its partner Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins initiative (JC:HEM), have signed an agreement to enhance higher education opportunities for refugees and other forcibly displaced people through online and on-site courses.
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Campaign 		Syria: thousands displaced after upsurge in violence in Sheikh Maqsoud
Beirut, 8 April 2013 – Thousands of people living in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud (Aleppo) were displaced last week following a surge in violence in the northern city.
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Praying with refugees 		Praying with Refugees: Palm Sunday in Beirut
Beirut, Palm Sunday, 1 April 2013 – It must have been a spring day like this, bright and sunny, when long ago Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we as Christians now call Palm Sunday. Last week in Lebanon, during the procession around St Joseph's Church in Beirut, worshippers – mostly domestic workers from the Philippines, South Sudan and Sri Lanka – waved their olive tree branches.
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Recent stories view news archive
March, 2013   Turkey: Service is love, a volunteer’s perspective
Annette Stacy is from the USA and volunteers with JRS Turkey. This is her reflection about her interactions with the refugees and asylum seekers.
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March, 2013   Pope Francis: protect humanity, the poorest, the weakest, the stranger
Rome, 19 March 2013 – In his inauguration homily, Pope Francis called on those in positions of responsibility and all men and women of goodwill to be protectors of creation and humanity, and not allow "hatred, envy and pride" to taint their lives.
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March, 2013   Syria: two years of conflict threaten children's education and well-being
Beirut, Rome, Washington DC, 15 March 2013 – As the conflict in Syria enters its third year, the protection and well-being of Syrian children continue to be gravely compromised. Despite the best efforts of local and international organisations, the almost total collapse of critical infrastructure is hindering the delivery of key services. The present situation is exacerbated by the lack of sufficient funding for humanitarian assistance. The Jesuit Refugee Service urges the international community to ensure emergency support reaches the families and children most in need.
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March, 2013   New Pope, son of a migrant, sign of hope and justice
Rome, 14 March 2013 – The white smoke signifying the election of a new Pontiff finally arrived at 7pm last night from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, just 300 metres from the offices of the Jesuit Refugee Service. Approximately an hour later, the announcement of Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina as Pope Francis was made public.
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March, 2013   Jordan: empowering women
Amman, 5 March 2013 – The life-skills class is packed. Up to 40 women fill the classroom and there is a lively atmosphere as Furdous, their teacher from Iraq, makes them go over the English alphabet yet again.
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March, 2013   Jordan: changing with the times, JRS adapts to the community's needs
Amman, 1 March 2013 – Abu Hassan has been the director of the informal education project for nearly five years. In its early years, the school in Ashrafiyeh catered only to Iraqi refugees. But as Jordan hosts more refugees, the JRS school has adapted to the changing situation.
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February, 2013   Syria: encouraging internally displaced persons to be involved in emergency assistance
Damascus, 27 February 2013 – Eager to put their time and skills to good use, 20 refugee and displaced women took part in a Jesuit Refugee Service workshop, not only finding psychosocial support from the group and staff, but also producing much-needed clothing for families affected by the violence in need of emergency relief.
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February, 2013   Jordan: finding peace and home amidst chaos
(Amman) February 25, 2013 – Giulia El Dardiry spent time with Jesuit Refugee Service Jordan in 2012, while working with Iraqi refugees for her PhD dissertation in Anthropology. She is a student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She shares her experiences in Jordan with us in this reflection.
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February, 2013   Syria: volunteers are essential to the work of JRS
Beirut, 20 February 2013 – For many volunteers in Syria who spend their time working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), the day is only over once they have spoken to their family, and reassured them of their safety.
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February, 2013   Syria: humanitarian situation in the region deteriorating rapidly
Beirut, 12 February 2013 – On a recent visit to Beirut, Nawras Sammour SJ, delivered the sombre news regarding the rapidly deteriorating system in Damascus.
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