Humanizing the Refugee Crisis
Written by: Taylor S., Multi-Site Creative Director & Kara W., Cross Point Church, USA
Shot. Poisoned. Abused. Imprisoned. Ignored. All realities of the refugee crisis. Words that make waves in headlines and spike our interest in a crisis halfway around the world. Well, spiked our interest for a minute.
But for many of us outside of North Africa and the Middle East, it’s been a while since we’ve been confronted with the unfortunate reality of hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their home. And that was our reality until yesterday.
Arriving at an empty clinic early in the morning. I don’t think we had any idea what we were in for. Soon teeming with 100 patients, we quickly learned some new words to associate with the refugee crisis. Afraid. Lonely. Homesick. Unsure.
Our team got to serve alongside incredible local doctors and nurses to come face-to-face with men, women and children who are hundreds of miles from home, unsure of if they’ll be able to return and trying to make a life for themselves. Stories of people fleeing their country in cattle transports broke our hearts all day. However, amongst a seemingly hopeless situation, we witnessed moments of joy and gratitude.
Working with the local clinic here, our team came home with stories of seeing people at their most vulnerable. Women unveiling in a safe place to receive treatment. Children smiling with local nurses who had blown up balloon gloves and drawn smiley faces on them. Men seeking help for medical ailments for their family that they can do nothing about.
One of our team members put it perfectly when we were debriefing afterwards when she said, “Today humanized the refugee crisis.”
These are real people who are looking for help in any way we can. And what was as moving as seeing these people face-to-face was seeing the people who do this every day. The local doctors and nurses who give care, free-of-charge, day in and day out astounded our team. The time to care for each individual was a magnificent display of God’s heart for these people.
Despite this small clinic feeling like pure chaos when 100 patients came for treatment, the administrative staff and medical staff kept things moving to ensure every patient got every ounce of treatment they needed. Each team member split out to different areas but came back with similar experiences where they saw compassion, generosity and joy. But there was one story that perfectly encapsulated the heart of the people we got to partner with yesterday.
Sitting with an orthopedic surgeon, one of our team members and he decided that the patient was in need of a cortisone shot to relieve the pain they were feeling in their leg. Working with the clinic staff, they found out the shot would cost around $70 USD. The refugee patient had no choice but to decline. It was two expensive. Without hesitating for even an instant, the doctor reached into his pocket, pulled out the money and gave it to the nurse to order the shot, then continued on with his day of seeing patients.