The Power of Education: Empowering Refugees and Migrants | Armia

One of the worst experiences a human being can go through is exile. To be forced to leave your motherland, your loved ones, to suddenly leave everything and flee to unknown foreign lands, at times with totally different languages or cultures, where you must start a new life from zero. It is a lonely and difficult experience, and it is even more difficult when you don't know anyone to help you.

In Australia, there is this expression that it's not what you know but who you know. This may sound like nepotism, but it is how the real world works. The issue is that refugees and migrants often don't know anyone to help them restart from zero, to show them the way. That is how and why many refugees endlessly stay on welfare dependency, which leads to a long series of dramas including but not limited to mental health complications, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, chronic unemployment or underemployment, youth crime, and prostitution.

With my friend Peter, we always discuss how one person properly empowered, a kid at school or in homework support, an adult through English classes and holistic employment support, is a lot of unimaginable contribution to the society multi-dimensionally. Let's challenge ourselves every day against Matthew 25:31-46: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothes,1 I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."2

This month, Pope Francis's intention is the right to an education. Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that they right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, is always respected. Education, as part of a holistic approach, is the way to help refugees, young and adults, to restart from zero. I like the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime." I know what this means because that's exactly what my organization, Armia, has been doing for the last 10 years: teach them to fish for themselves, which also preserves their dignity. Rapid integration as well as Multicultural interactions, we holistically empowered thousands of men and women who are now healthy, proud, and productive Australians.

But remember, we still have more than a million Australians who can't speak English, which means they can't integrate, they can't work, etc. It is extremely complicated to holistically empower new Australians. They often don't even know they need help. Many were not educated even in home countries. 10 years ago, with our Armia wonderful retired teachers, school principles, we started homework and academic support for refugee kids that had significant learning difficulties. But with our compassion, the teachers' professionalism and wisdom, those kids who could have left school before year 12 and potentially taken wrong directions are now successful workers, entrepreneurs, many are happily married. They are proud productive Australians, which they weren't 10 years ago.

To cut the long story short, don't give a man a fish, teach them to fish. Then they can feed themselves and own families, pay taxes, contribute to the entire social economy of our land. Then that restart in a foreign land that has become their new home is possible, sustainably after practically healing their deep multidimensional internal wounds from brutal wars in Burma, Congo, Somalia, Ukraine, Syria, Palestine, Colombia, Venezuela, etc. As a ning society, we need our youths in their home and community, not in overcrowded and super costly detention centers. As hardworking people, we need all fit men and women to actively and proudly participate in our social economy. Education plays an enormous role to achieve that, and this applies in Australia but also elsewhere.

Let us pray: Jesus my Lord and my God, I know how much you love the poor, the hopeless, defenseless, the widow and orphan. I thank you for looking after refugees who don't know anyone in so many foreign lands. I thank you for making the impossible possible for them. I have heard of so many miracles, but so many people continue to be persecuted in their Homeland. Many continue to be killed. Many continue to flee defenselessly. Please bring peace to the Earth. Promote responsible leaders who invest 100% in peace and zero in violence. Those in exile, please keep them and ANS under your loving and protective wings, help to finally have a dream. Guide the host countries and their leaders to adopt proper systems, including but not limited to education, so that refugees and migrants can rapidly and sustainably integrate in the new mil. With your blessings, help us to see you in every refugee, every disadvantage person, every widow, every orphan, every sick person, every isolated person. The world is losing compassion, please restore it. I pray for Pope Francis and the whole clergy, they are the best to lead this education mission, they have proven this for centuries across the world. Lord guide your church to compassionately continue your mission for the poor, defenseless, widow, orphan, refugee and migrant. Mary Mother of God pray for us. St Joseph pray for us. Amen.