Struggling to Survive

CRS humanitarian response officer addresses
‘plight of the forgotten’

CLIFTON  While the fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine government forces and the terrorist attacks by ISIS dominate the headlines in newspapers and the TV nightly newscasts, there are many stories that aren’t being told.

children living in an abandon building in northern Iraq; or Zahaya, a Syrian woman with a husband and son who fled to Lebanon? Likely not.

Caroline Brennan, senior communications officer for Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) humanitarian response department, wants the world to know about these people. During a recent visit to the Paterson Diocese, Brennan spoke with parish ministers and diocesan Catholic Charities agency workers at the St. John Paul II Center here and with students at Morris Catholic High School in Denville, sharing the stories of so many who are suffering and struggling to survive in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

With CRS, the U.S. Catholic Church’s official humanitarian agency, Brennan has traveled to these places in the midst of conflict to help those people who are many times forgotten.

“They are definitely forgotten in the news,” said Brennan. “But I want people to think about these slivers of life in Ukraine and in the Middle East. It is the greatest tragedy if their stories become lost in the world.”

In her talk, Brennan gave a lens into the reality of life in the three nations, where millions of people have had to leave their homes and essentially their lives behind.

In the Ukraine, 1.6 million people have been uprooted from their homes and as Brennan and the CRS team toured and surveyed the Eastern European country, they realized five key factors: the vulnerability of the elderly; the severity of the loss due to the destruction; the issues of trauma and anxiety among people of all ages; the absolute upheaval of normal; and generosity of host communities.

“Many Ukrainians were living a normal middle class European life when all this began and then, suddenly, they lost their homes and their jobs. The people didn’t see this coming. It was an abrupt shift when suddenly many Ukrainians found themselves homeless,” said Brennan. Many had to find refuge in abandon trains and houses.

Brennan said, “The question for many became not what they left before but what to do now?” Through all of this violence and loss, Ukrainians found a strong sense of community and not much tension among each other. “What we found was that there was generosity among host communities who welcomed refugees. In Ukraine, non-profit organizations aren’t really structured but there was a true grassroots effort among individuals,” said Brennan.

One story Brennan shared was about a woman name Galina, a widow who welcomed a mother and daughter. “The woman thought to herself: ‘I have this house, why don’t I help these people,’ ” said Brennan. “The generosity among the people was inspiring in spite of having so little. That generosity has become a source of pride for Ukrainians.”

CRS has so far helped 20,000 people in Ukraine. They have focused their work on supporting vulnerable families, providing shelter and working with local agencies.

In Iraq, 2 million people have fled their homes to northern Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Much is written about the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, which has brutalized many innocent people including a significant number Christian and Yazidi families. Because of this great humanitarian tragedy, Pope Francis has made many pleas to help the people suffering there. On his Twitter account, he tweeted a picture taken by a CRS photographer with the caption, “I pray every day for all who are suffering in Iraq. Please join me.” This is the only picture the pope has ever posted on Twitter.

“Seeing that the pope was retweeting, we felt relief that the world would get the message about the situation of the people here,” said Brennan.

With the help of the local Catholic Church in northern Iraq, CRS has been able to assist. Brennan recalled meeting a man named Noel, who was living in an abandon building with his wife and two children. Emotional at the conditions, Brennan’s face reflected sympathy towards Noel and his family “But Noel was apologizing to me instead of me apologizing to him. He felt embarrassed and told me he was very worried about me. He said to me, ‘I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I don’t want your heart to hurt after coming here,’” said Brennan.

In addition to Iraqis, CRS has also been helping Syrian refugees affected by civil wars in their country. Brennan announced that donations made by the faithful in the Paterson Diocese to CRS’ Rice Bowl program directly helped Syrians who are displaced. It is believed about 10 million people have been left destitute, inside and outside of Syria.

CRS is currently working with Church partners across the region to assist more than 700,000 refugees with shelter, education, food, medical care, hygiene and living supplies, livelihoods support and trauma counseling for children.

Brennan said, “Syria was one of the most stable countries with thriving markets and gorgeous scenery. Today. it is a ghost town with destruction beyond comprehension.”

About 70 percent of the refugees are women and children. When the women saw that CRS was present, many of them would talk to the representatives pleading to have their stories heard. “Many of them, believe this is a temporary situation and they want to go back home. Also their families are all separated from each other because they fled at different times,” said Brennan.

According Brennan, for Syrian refugees it goes beyond losing their homes, jobs and everyday lives. “The loss of identity is the biggest loss for them,” she said. Brennan recalled the story of one refugee, who was so frustrated because she had no way to prove that her son was her son because she had no papers. “When I visited her in her tent, she would describe her old house. She was determined not to let this situation define her,” said Brennan.

As CRS continues to work in these war-torn areas, Brennan told those at her presentation: “We hope these stories don’t stop here. Tell your family and your friends about what is going on. There are so many wonderful people in the world, sometimes all they ask for is your prayers.”

Information: www.crs.org.