Kenya: JRS efforts to combat xenophobia affecting refugees in Nairobi
Nairobi, 09 April 2013 – Since the December 2012 Government of Kenya (GoK) directive for refugees to be relocated to the camps, the message has not been well received by refugees and some local Kenyans particularly in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Attacks on refugees have increased with the perpetrators terming them as terrorists and criminals. Many of the refugees locked themselves in their houses fearing such attacks. Others sought help from Churches especially where the refugees knew JRS operates.
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Video: hospitality, united communities are stronger communities
Rome, 19 June 2012 – Bringing refugees out of obscurity, that is the message of the Jesuit Refugee Service for World Refugee Day this year.
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Video: Jesuit Refugee Service and urban refugees
Jesuit Refugee Service, one of the few organizations to assist refugees in urban settings worldwide, has long recognized the severe state of neglect of urban refugees, and has tried to address these needs. Through advocacy to UNHCR and local authorities, direct assistance with food, housing and medical expenses, education, livelihood projects, and counseling and referral services, JRS addresses the broad spectrum of needs of urban refugees.
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Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas
(Washington, D.C.) December 4, 2009 — Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and our partners welcome the release of the “UNHCR Policy on Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas” and are pleased with the principles and general direction reflected in the document. It represents a considerable improvement over previous iterations of UNHCR’s policy and approach to these populations.
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Video: JRS accompanies Urban Refugees
(Rome) June 20, 2010 — From the beginning, Jesuit Refugee Service has made it a priority to work with "forgotten" refugees, those living in the shadows, whose plight is overlooked by others.
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Video: JRS services for Urban Refugees
(Rome) June 20, 2010 — Jesuit Refugee Service provides a variety of aid to urban refugees, but perhaps the most important of these is education. "Education provides hope," says Fr. Peter Balleis, S.J., the International Director of JRS.
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Uganda: New class provides path to self-sufficiency
Kampala, 4 April 2011 – As part of a new initiative to help urban refugees become more self-reliant, JRS has started a new course, training refugees in the production of arts and handicrafts in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
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Uganda: Congolese primary student scores highest
Kampala, 31 March 2011 – This academic year, a JRS-sponsored Congolese primary four student, fulfilled a promise to himself by scoring the highest grade in his class.
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Kenya: urban refugee children and education
Nairobi, 1 September 2010 – Education has always been one of the greatest tools for building and rebuilding life. Through education many nations have been able to leave poverty and inequality behind and promote development. While the UN millennium development goals stipulate universal primary education for girls and boys alike by 2015, most children living in countries wracked by war and conflict are left without the chance to go to school.

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Urban refugees can be a benefit, not a burden

Nairobi, 20 June 2010 — On 20 June, World Refugee Day, Jesuit Refugee Service/Eastern Africa urges the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia to tap into the potential of refugees and other forced migrants in urban areas. This not only promotes their self-sufficiency, it also contributes to well-being in their host countries.

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