Poems of Hope from Kakuma, Rukiya Ibrahim, 19.
When The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was founded in 1947, its first service program provided assistance to refugees in Europe. Today the LWF continues to work with and for refugees and displaced persons, providing service and care for 1.2 million of the world’s refugees and displaced persons in Africa and Asia. In these camps, people from many nations live side by side seeking refuge from conflict and natural disaster.
The theme of the United Nations World Refugee Day 2012 is “one refugee without hope is one too many.”
A young Ethiopian woman, Rukiya Ibrahim, who lives in the LWF-managed Kakuma refugee camp, in northwestern Kenya, puts it powerfully: “when we do have hope that tomorrow will come and that tomorrow will come with a new change within itself, a new place to build you up, then that gives you hope to carry on.”
The ELCA, a member of the LWF, works as part of this 145 Lutheran member church communion which represents a total of 70 million members. This means that 70 Lutherans together take care of one refugee in this world. As a member of the the LWF, the ELCA is dedicated to our vocation to uphold the rights of the poor and oppressed and promote dignity through our continuing work with refugees through ELCA Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger. Every person we serve has a history of struggle yet has hopes and dreams for the future.
On World Refugee Day, we are reminded of the suffering of too many people who are living as refugees and internally displaced persons in our world. But we are also reminded of the difference we can make by offering a basis of hope for the future through the efforts we participate in as a member of the Lutheran World Federation.
As a meditation for the day, I want to leave us with a poem written by Rukiya:
Came as stranger
with lost hope
no home
and became your members
We found friends and family
a safe ground to stand
strength and a helping hand
a new life and a chapter to carry on
You made us see far
unlocked our potentials
with strength and hope
we stood firm
You took time and listened
came down and reached us
brought us to light
and exposed our hidden talents
We have dreams and visions
hopes and missions
to fulfil our live ambitions
and reach every hill top
Now we are up and strong
built on strong base
stand with every race
and move on same pace
Thank you for your continued commitment to serve and provide hope to those most in need. ~ Megan Bradfield, Director for International Disaster Response, ELCA.
Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.
