World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day is celebrated on 20th June of every year.

This year’s event falls on Saturday 20th June, we at the Information and Support Unit for New Communities hosted an event on Wednesday 17th June to mark it. There are over 15 million people worldwide seeking Refugee outside their birth country, these Refugees left their country of birth for reasons related to War, Political persecution, Tribal dispute, Religious conflict and so many more. On this day we gather to honour the spirit and courage of millions of Refugees worldwide, to recognise and acknowledge the many contributions Refugees haves brought to Waterford City.

Individuals seekingrefugee outside their birth country can be individuals from different walks of life, their migration to another country does not make them anything less than what they used to be, they move out of their country with wealth of knowledge, skills, experiences and capabilities, attained higher education status and qualifications. Some Refugees encounter difficulty settling well into their receiving country due to obvious reasons such as Language and Cultural barrier to mention but a few.

The Information and Support Unit for New Communities (ISU) was established in September 2006 in direct response to needs of Migrants living in Waterford of which majority are Refugees. The aim of the ISU is to provide opportunity for New Communities living in Waterford to enhance their lives and their ability to be contributing members of the Irish Society.
This we do by providing services through:

• Educational Programmes (e.g., English language class, Literacy, Computer Skills, Information Sessions etc),
• Work Readiness Programmes (e.g. Preparation, Job Seeking Skills, Experience/Job Placement)
• Cultural Integration Programmes (e.g. Cultural Events/Activities, Cultural Exposure to Ireland).

Different activities went on in celebration of the World Refugee Day here in the Edmund Rice Centre. On display were Exhibitions which formed part of the final project of ISU clients showcasing their talents and skills. These exhibitions included Food, Photographs, Arts, Crafts and souvenirs from different Nationalities. There was dance performance by African Children (products of Refugees) from the Mercy School, Sing-Song Performance by the ISU Voluntary English Class, Short Speech presentations by ISU staff, Pat Murphy, Waterford Garda Chief Superintendent and Ray O’Dwyer, a representative from the Congregation of Presentation Brothers. The event was extremely well attended and well represented by different Community Organisations in Waterford.

Beverly Elechukwu, ISU Staff wrote the following short poem in honour of all Refugees everywhere who once had a dream.

I Once Had a Dream

I once had a dream, a dream to be somebody
I once had a dream, a dream to make a difference
My dream seemed to fade away
Events of life swept my dream away

When I had a voice, I felt very tall
When I became voiceless, I felt really small
Change came with its challenge
Some good, some bad, as in all baggage

I still dream, I will not let go of all I want to be
Piece by piece my dream is making real of what I want to be
I am beginning to feel tall because my voice is coming back
All I want is an opportunity to stand tall and not look back

Dreams come true; with hard work I can achieve it.
If I don’t give up, I can become it