Christian leaders and practitioners who work with refugees and other displaced people in South Asia say the work leaves many of them isolated and exposed to personal risk, according to a recent report by Philoi Global, a Christian humanitarian organization that organized a regional consultation on the issue in Sri Lanka.
The gathering, held Sept. 14-16 in Colombo, drew participants from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Although the agenda centered on theology, law and policy, the issue of loneliness among those doing the work came up repeatedly, organizers said.
"The church and authorities often do not see the plight of displaced people," a participant from Pakistan said, according to the report. "Anyone who chooses to support refugees does so with a significant amount of personal risk."
Philoi did not name the participants it quoted due to security concerns.
Several attendees described feeling misunderstood and unsupported by both church and government institutions. They highlighted personal, financial, social and political risks that come with working alongside forcibly displaced people.
Some said the wider church seldom treats forced displacement as a significant concern for its mission. Others said governments tend to view refugee ministry mainly as a security matter, which has made engagement with officials harder.
Participants from India said regulatory restrictions had affected a number of Christian organizations serving displaced people in the country, limiting their response to growing needs.
Formally titled the South Asia Consultation on Forced Displacement, Protection, and Durable Solutions, the meeting covered three main topics. Participants discussed a theology of suffering, ways to support refugees' return and reintegration, and complementary migration pathways, which are legal routes for refugees outside traditional resettlement programs.
Members of the global leadership team of the Refugee Highway Partnership, a Christian network that serves forcibly displaced people, also took part. Invited representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar were unable to attend because of travel restrictions, Philoi said.
At the Colombo meeting, participants agreed that responders need a supportive community and prayer in addition to funding and training.
One participant from Sri Lanka said they had worked with displaced communities for 10 to 12 years, mostly independently, and that the consultation had renewed their motivation.
"It reminded me that I am not alone in this work," the participant said.
