Standing in Solidarity with the Refugees Around us  

June twenty-first is World Refugee Day, which is a day to acknowledge and welcome the millions of people around the world who are forced to flee their home countries and seek asylum elsewhere due to circumstances like war or persecution. This year, World Refugee Day focuses on solidarity, open doors and finding solutions to their plights. Today, news Five’s Britney Gordon visited Trio Village, one of several communities in Belize where asylum seekers are relocated by the U.N. Refugee Agency.  The U.N.H.C.R. hosted a football game to bring the community together. Here’s that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

There are over four thousand refugees currently registered in Belize and every year, the country’s melting pot of cultures only becomes more diverse as it gains about five hundred more. About twenty percent of those refugees are living in southern Belize. So today, on World Refugee Day, the team at the U.N. Refugee Agency, U.N.H.C.R. gathered the community in Trio village to participate in a football match. Myrat Myradov, U.N.H.C.R. Head of Office told us why community bonding activities such as these are important for refugee heavy areas.

 

Myrat Myradov, U.N.H.C.R. Head of Office

“We’re focusing on a number of the community projects because we’re not only looking from legal protection and documentation point of view, but also making sure that people are able to integrate in the community. And we have a number of livelihoods projects income generation, so they’re not dependent, they’re able to have their business opening a possibility of opening businesses. We have English as a second language courses available to children. Access to schools is also available and possible so kids can receive proper education. Projects related to access to health and working with the local. local clinics. So a lot of community related work and the community volunteers, mobilization of community, the matches like that, also a part of sports strategy and engaging youth more in various sports projects as well.”

 

Trio village is one of several southern communities where refugees are integrated into. A resident, who goes by the name Cristina, said she’s grateful for being able to make a life for herself in Belize.

 

Britney Gordon

“Do you like being a part of this community?”

 

 

Cristina, Refugee

“Yeah, I like it.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Have you been able to make friends with the Belizeans here? Do you feel like a Belizean living here now?”

 

Cristina

“Yeah, I like it.”

 

Britney Gordon

“How long have you been living here”

 

Cristina

“Twenty years.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And now being a part of this program, do you feel like it’s made your life better?”

 

Cristina

“Yeah, for me better.”

 

 

Britney Gordon

“Would you recommend other people to be a part of this program too if they need the help?”

 

Cristina

 “Yeah, I recommend to people who want help and make them go look for them.”

 

The U.N.H.R.C. helps to ensure that displaced people can access documentation, education, work and healthcare. Grayson Rash, a Trio Village community volunteer, told us how much he loves being part of that mission.

 

Grayson Rash, Community Volunteer

“It has given me many experience. It has given me ideas and it does even changing the way I see.  Society or persons, because a lot of time we might see individuals walking in the streets, running, but we don’t know exactly why are they walking, why are they running, or where are they going to. And then, this has opened  opportunities for me to speak to these people, to get to know people, get to know agencies, and also to provide more information to these persons or refugees who need help. So this also helps me to get more knowledge about these refugees.”

 

 

 

What may have looked like an average football game to onlookers, is but one small part of a greater endeavor, ensuring that the millions of people who are forced to flee their countries from war or persecution are able to call their new host countries home. Aida Escobar, U.N.H.C.R.’s Senior Information Assistant, said that offering the support and peace to the refugees that were not able to find in their homes is a great way to create a close-knit community.

 

Aida Escobar, U.N.H.C.R.’s Senior information Assistant

“We wanted to bring together both refugees and members of the community. And it’s very important for us to do that because in Belize, refugees live side by side with Belizean, with others who live here all  We see that for the most part, once you get to know them, once you welcome them a little, you say hi. They’re really nice. They’re very grateful to be here. They’ve gone through a lot of traumas and tragedies because refugees, they didn’t have a choice. They were forced to flee their home because their life was in danger. They were in a situation that was unsafe in their countries. And so they found peace in Belize. They found asylum. And so coming here, when you talk to them, they’re super grateful and they just want to give back to the community.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.