CER Congregation and Members Help Refugees

A long line of Syrian refugees walking in a refugee camp in Jordan

Two members of the UU Congregation of Shelter Rock, Colin and Latifa, were greatly touched by the refugee crisis that began last fall. Latifa's family members had been refugees when her family fled Afghanistan in 1979 and eventually came to the States.

In October, Latifa went to the Social Justice Committee of the congregation and asked them to get involved in the crisis. They received a crisis grant of $200,000. Half went to the UUSC to support their efforts and half to the Syrian Medical Staff.

The family then put together a team of people to travel to Greece to visit the refugees and learn their stories. They took translators and a pediatrician from their congregation. The team visited for three and a half weeks. They helped with translation and cultural understanding and they listened to the refugee's stories. They made friends with people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Marco, Egypt, Iran, Eritrea, and many other African countries.

This video was put together upon their return using photos taken during their trip.