Image credit: Evstafiev-Bosnia-Travnik-Refugees taken by Mikhail Evstafiev under Public Domain.
According to recent statistics, 8 refugees flee their country every minute in fear of death due to war and prosecution. When they can’t trust their own government to protect them, they have nowhere to go but out. Fortunately, there are some countries that are willing to take them in. However, being able to make it in another country’s land does not necessarily mean their problems are over. In fact, now that they are in a new society where there are different cultures, languages and traditions that exist, being able to integrate with people from that country could be a huge challenge.
A Second Chance
For most refugees, being able to leave their war-torn country is already a blessing. If they will be accepted in another country despite having nothing at all, they could only be grateful for that. For instance, Kenya has accepted lots of Somalis in the past years due to the civil war that seems to have no end. Jordan has also been very accepting to Palestinians and Iraqis who have fled their country due to an ongoing war and political crisis especially in the past weeks. Their neighbor countries somehow share their cultures and views. Thus, the government concerned has accepted them with open arms. After all, they are innocent civilians who were caught in the middle of war.
Continued Struggles
Though refugees can now breathe since they are far from the crisis, they must still face the reality that they are way too far from home. They have to live a totally different life now that they just rely on another government to survive. They have to be good to people who have accepted them. They need to sustain whatever is given to them since they have no other sources of living. In short, their struggles are far from over. They now have to fend for themselves or else they will still die of hunger.
According to foreign observers who came and visited refugees in camps, refugees’ lives now are in no way better than their lives before. This is why some of their country mates simply opted to stay in their respective homes and take risks rather than fleeing and still not provide their family the kind of life they deserve. Their children have a hard time communicating with natives of the country where they fled to. They also can’t find jobs since there is language and culture barrier. They are also not viewed as coequals by the locals. Thus, they only have to rely on aids given to them in order to survive.
The good thing is that local government leaders help by sending interpreters to allow refugees to express what they really need. They also serve as the bridge between the refugees and the government. Even foreign observers who can speak both languages also help the refugees in regards with communication issues.
Hoping for a Better Future
In the end, still being in a camp far away from the sound of explosions and the risk of death is a much better option for these refugees. They can only hope that they can either find a way to integrate in a new society or finally come back home and start building their lives all over again. The good news is that more developed countries are now opening their doors to these refugees who have nowhere to run. They now have a much better option. They might still have to struggle with cultural and language differences, but at least, they will be in a much better environment.
To end, let us just hope for peace in the entire world. Hopefully, all these wars and conflicts will come to an end so that we will see a day where refugees no longer exist as they are all happily staying in a place they call home.