FAIR Blog

I Was a Stranger…

Since the beginning of FAIR's partnership with Christian & Missionary Alliance in 2015, 81 of our Fellowship churches have expressed an interest in partnering as refugees sponsors. Since then 25 churches have resettled, or are in the process of resettling, 105 newcomers and 16 churches have applied to sponsor 82 refugees. Find out more about this partnership and how you can get involved.

But there is more.

FAIR, through your generous contributions, helps refugees not only come to Canada through our sponsorship program, but also helps to provide for those who remain behind in their host countries while they await the opportunity to return home or to reestablish themselves as citizens in new reality.

Greece has received many of the refugees fleeing their homelands because of conflict and persecution. Local churches have stepped up to meet the material needs of these refugees, and even more importantly, to minister to their emotional and spiritual needs as well.

Apart from the millions who have fled Syria seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, there are an estimated six million displaced Syrians living in camps in their own country, according to 2016 UN figures. Most of these people are unable to return to their homes and their livelihoods. Those who have been able to return are without even the most basic of resources and many are forced to return to the camps.

Colombia is on the verge of becoming the new Lebanon as it has received more than a million Venezuelan refugees and deals with others who cross the border daily looking for help before returning to their homes in Venezuela. Just as Lebanon is stretched beyond its capacity to meet the needs of migrants, so is Colombia. (Read about it here.)

But FAIR, in partnership with other reliable agencies on the ground and Fellowship International missionaries, has ongoing projects in support of refugees in Greece, Syria, and Colombia. For more information on FAIR’s refugee projects click here.