Jesuit Refugee ServiceStrategic Framework 2012–2015

ContentsForeword 3

Introduction 4Our vision for JRS

Mission & values 6

Goal 1 9Compassion for humanity on the edge

Goal 2 13Rooted in faith, acting in justice

Goal 3 17Kindling hope through learning

Goal 4 21A stronger, more united JRS

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Planning is always difficult. Internationalplanning, especially in the troubled areasof our world, can seem nearly impossible,more like a dream than a reality. There areso many unexpected variables at play. Wehave so little control over the future.

The good news is that, despite all thesechallenges, the Jesuit Refugee Servicehas produced a creative and inspiringframework for the coming four years toguide its ministry to refugees and otherforcibly displaced persons. The StrategicFramework 2012-2015 is a document fullof challenges. It will surely demand hardwork and involve considerable risk, butthis challenging plan gives real promise ofcontinued success in caring for those whoare least and last among us.

St Ignatius, founder of the Society ofJesus, was never reluctant to change hisplans and make new decisions if he saweven the smallest sign that God’s will wasleading him along a new or different path.

To plan with such inspiration is onlypossible if we are filled with his same innerfreedom, with his sense of flexibility,humility and openness to reality.

In this JRS planning effort we reach outto both the heart of our faith and the coreof our world’s emerging needs. The plan isbuilt on deep values of compassion,solidarity, justice, hope, accompaniment,reconciliation and respect for the intrinsicdignity of every human person, that arecentral to the many religions and cultureswith which JRS so often comes intocontact. These values are found as well atthe heart of Christianity. To enliven andshape them through goals and strategiesgives JRS its identity as an apostolic workof the Society of Jesus.

It is a great joy to see that thisframework has been formulated so clearlyand yet so humbly, so imbued with ourChristian commitment and Ignatian vision.In this strategic framework we see faith,

justice and collaboration joined once againin a single unified vision.

I pray earnestly for its successfulimplementation and for God’s blessingson all those involved in making it a reality.

Adolfo Nicolás SJSuperior General, Society of Jesus

14 November 2011

Foreword

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In 1980, deeply shocked by the plight ofthousands of Vietnamese boat peoplefleeing their war-torn country, Fr PedroArrupe, the then Superior General of theSociety of Jesus, felt compelled to act. Hecalled on the Jesuits “to bring at leastsome relief to such a tragic situation.” Andso the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) wasborn, as our global response to a refugeecrisis in Asia.

Today we continue to be invited by Fr Arrupe and by St Ignatius, the founderof the Jesuits, to look at the world in adeeply spiritual way. We see people “sodiverse in dress and behaviour: somewhite and others black, some in peaceand others at war, some weeping andothers laughing, some healthy and otherssick, some being born and others dying”(St Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises).

We see a world growing ever closertogether through greater mobility andbetter communications. But while goods

and finances move freely in the globalmarket, the same is not always true ofpeople. There remain many racial, cultural,religious, political and economic divisionsand borders; the gap between rich andpoor is growing.

Due to unjust structures, a quarter ofhumanity lives on the edge, struggling tosurvive and maintain its dignity. Conflictserupt as people scramble for their share ofdwindling resources. Living amid socialdisintegration and in failed states, theyhave little security, while environmentaldegradation and climate change presentnew threats.

Already excluded from the benefits ofeconomic and technologicaldevelopments, the poor are the victims ofresource wars, of climate change andfailing states. And it is the poor who endup being forcibly displaced from theirhomes. More than 15 million of them arerefugees, and over 25 million have been

internally displaced in their own countries. Today’s major displacements are in

Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.People of Islamic faith and culture nowmake up 70 per cent of all forciblydisplaced persons.

Half of the world’s refugees remain‘invisible’ in urban areas. Refugees andasylum seekers are confronted with everhigher walls and frontiers of exclusion inEurope and other wealthier parts of theworld. They are denied their right toprotection in a growing environment ofhostility towards migrants and refugees.Their hopelessness is a threat to the futureof our world.

We – Jesuits, lay people and religiousworking with JRS – are shocked by thisreality of forcible displacement. For the past30 years, JRS has walked with forciblydisplaced persons; accompanying them,serving them humbly, and advocating forjustice and their rights to protection.

Introduction: Our vision for JRS

together, and sharing knowledge are vitalingredients to nourish hope in people.

Our dream is a world free fromfrontiers, divisions and forcibledisplacement, where people can movefreely and securely – a world where thevalue of hospitality is extended toeveryone.

Peter Balleis SJInternational Director,

Jesuit RefugeeService

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As we look forward to the challenges ofthe years to come, we are sustained byour faith and spiritual values. As aninternational Catholic organisation and awork of the Jesuits, we are inspired by theexample of Jesus and his compassionand love for the poor. Given themagnitude of the challenges, JRS needsto become a stronger and more unitedinternational organisation.

As we plan for the coming years, wewill continue to serve refugees who areforced to live on the edges of humanity.We will strive to overcome geographical,racial, cultural and religious frontiers anddivisions. We will work with compassionand love, which enable us to engage withpeople of all races, cultures and religionsin an open and respectful way.

Although practical in its nature, ourservice will be equally spiritual, promotinghope and reconciliation.

We believe that education, learning

What is arefugee?Following Catholic social

teaching, JRS understands

the term ‘refugee’ to include

not only persons persecuted

because of race, religion,

membership in social or

political groups, but also

internally displaced persons

and ‘de facto refugees’ who

are driven from their homes

by armed conflict, erroneous

economic policy or natural

disasters.

MissionThe mission of the Jesuit

Refugee Service is to

accompany, serve and

advocate for the rights of

refugees and other forcibly

displaced persons. As a

Catholic organisation and a

work of the Society of Jesus

(Jesuits), JRS is inspired by

the compassion and love of

Jesus for the poor and

excluded.

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CompassionCompassion impels us to work to alleviatethe suffering of our fellow beings. JRSsees its service as a call to love, to treatothers with equity and respect, as weourselves wish to be treated.

HopeJRS aims to give hope to refugees andother forcibly displaced persons. Weprovide a spiritual and practical responseto their plight.

DignityJRS believes in the intrinsic dignity ofevery person. We work with refugees andother displaced persons regardless ofrace, gender, religion or politics.

SolidarityJRS is a work of the Society of Jesus,carrying out the Society’s mission of faithand justice through humble and respectfulservice in solidarity with refugees fromdiverse cultures, nationalities and religions.

HospitalityJRS aspires to be hospitality in action. Wewalk alongside, accompany and offerhospitality to the most vulnerable, those“at the frontiers of humanity”, givingpriority to situations of great need, inplaces where a more universal good maybe achieved, and to needs to whichothers are not attending.

JusticeJRS is committed to a justice thatempowers refugees to become “peoplewith a voice of their own”, workingtogether with them to challenge systemsthat deny human rights.

ParticipationJRS upholds the principle of subsidiarity,endeavouring to be openly accountablefor its work and transparent in itsdecision-making. We work in partnershipwith other religious congregations,humanitarian organisations and withrefugees themselves, encouraging co-responsibility, discernment andparticipative decision-making.

ValuesThe JRS mission is built on our faith in God who is present in human history, even in its most tragic

moments. We are inspired by this faith and by core values that inform all the work we do.

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Compassion for humanity on the edge

GOAL 1:

Moved by compassion and respect for human dignity, we will beflexible and focused in our response to the new emerging situations offorced displacement.

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Strategies

Rapid response to forceddisplacementInspired by the same compassion thatgave rise to the founding of JRS, we willstrengthen our capacity to respond flexiblyto new emerging situations of forceddisplacement due to conflict and naturaldisasters. JRS will establish responsecriteria, procedures, structures andalliances for an early response in times ofcrisis. A JRS emergency assessment andstart-up team will be established. We willreview our existing programmes toentrenched situations of displacement anddevelop capacity to respond flexibly tonew emerging displacement.

Urban refugeesIn view of the increasing urbanisation offorced migration, JRS will strengthen andcoordinate its expertise and resources todevelop an appropriate response to urbanrefugees that reflects best practices.

People vulnerable to humantrafficking Confronted with human trafficking as adimension of forced displacement, JRSwill undertake to work with otherorganisations in the protection of thosemost vulnerable to exploitation.

Accompaniment at grassroots levelJRS is internationally recognised for itscloseness to the people it serves. We willstrengthen and support this facet of ourmission and develop in-serviceprogrammes to help team membersrecognise and deepen the‘accompaniment’ aspect of their workwith and for refugees. Particular attentionwill be given to induction programmes fornew staff members into the JRS missionand values.

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Results

2012• A rapid-response team will be fully

operational and will be capable ofresponding effectively to emergencysituations.

• All regions will have evaluated theirurban projects and incorporated thebest practices identified in the March2012 workshop.

• JRS will have developed an in-servicetraining programme in the area of“accompaniment” to be used by allregions in the training of staff members.

2013• Gaps in capacity and all long-term

projects in need of revision will havebeen identified.

2014 • At least three regions will have

developed programmes to respond tohuman trafficking and will have mettogether to share best practices.

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Rooted in faith, acting in justice

GOAL 2:

Inspired by faith and the values of inclusiveness and solidarity, we will seekto understand and address the causes of structural inequality. We willwork in partnership with others to create communities of justice, dialogue,peace and reconciliation.

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Strategies

Intercultural, ecumenical and inter-faith dialogueJRS is inspired by faith and respects thevalues of other religions and cultures. Weshare the values of justice, dialogue,peace and reconciliation to create andsustain communities. Service and thestruggle for justice make up the concreteinter-faith dialogue of daily life. Given thecall to justice and inter-faith dialogue, JRSwill enhance its collaborative responsewith others to the displacement of largelyMuslim populations. We will developinclusive ways of celebrating our sharedspiritual values.

Renewing hospitalityJRS will promote a spirituality and culture ofopen doors that embodies hospitality inaction. We will oppose xenophobia and allforms of marginalisation and exclusion, anddefend the rights of refugees and otherforcibly displaced persons to full protection.

ReconciliationJRS recognises the great need forreconciliation in today’s world. As aneffective sign of God’s love andreconciliation, JRS will deepen thisdimension of its mission throughout itswork.

Local and global advocacyJRS advocacy work addresses theintermediate causes of forced migrationand empowers people to claim the rightsto which they are entitled. To ensure thatadvocacy is linked to our mission,including service and accompaniment atthe grassroots level, all JRS regions willintegrate advocacy into the project cycle,which includes project proposals,monitoring and evaluation. JRS willstrengthen its global networking andalliances that ensure effective coordinationof its advocacy efforts.

Helping refugees to tell their storiesUsing the opportunities afforded by newtechnologies, JRS will explore andimplement coordinated ways of helping tobring the voices and stories of refugees toa wider global audience, while respectingat all times the security and integrity ofthose concerned. All JRS regions will jointhe international website, working togetherto explore new tools of communication.

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2012• All regions will be contributing refugee

stories to the international website, inkeeping with JRS ethical policies.

2013• A JRS communications manual will

provide clear norms for producingelectronic and printed materials.

2014• Three pilot projects in reconciliation will

have been implemented, projects tomap aspects of reconciliation work willbe under way in the regions, and aninternational JRS workshop onreconciliation will have been held.

• Advocacy will be integrated into theprocess of project planning andproposals.

2015• JRS will have published a paper on its

learning and expertise in inter-faithdialogue.

• JRS will have a consolidated presencein the Middle East, North Africa andCentral Asia promoting communities ofinter-faith dialogue and collaboration.

Results

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Kindling hope through learning

GOAL 3:

Based on our belief in the dignity and interdependence of the humanfamily, we will empower uprooted people through learning, fostering afuture filled with hope.

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Strategies

Focus on the most vulnerable ineducationIn our primary and secondary educationprojects, JRS will give priority to theeducation of girls and teacher training. Wewill ensure the protection of all childrenand, where necessary, promote psycho-social care. All JRS educationprogrammes will employ an holisticapproach, respecting and developingstudents’ cultural values and character.

Making tertiary education accessiblefor refugeesIn collaboration with Jesuit universities,JRS will strive to increase refugees’access to higher education through onlinetechnology.

Promoting excellence in refugeeeducation JRS will ensure that its broad experiencein refugee education and theaccomplishments of its educationalprogrammes, including best practices andmaterials, are made accessible to all JRSregions, making the most effective use ofinformation technology.

University collaboration and supportJRS will strengthen relationships withJesuit universities, working with them todevelop opportunities for student learning,internships, joint advocacy projects, andacademic research on refugee-relatedissues.

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Results

2015• JRS will have increased the number of

Jesuit Commons – Higher Education onthe Margins (JC-HEM) learning sites toat least six.

• JRS will have deepened its workingrelationship with Jesuit universities,evidenced through the creation of threeto four new collaborative programmes.

• Educational materials, including bestpractices, will be accessible to JRSregions on the international website.

• The majority of JRS educational projectswill include psychosocial care forvulnerable children.

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GOAL 4:

Firmly rooted in the values of subsidiarity and participation, we will developand apply coherent standards in governance and management, so thatwe work with and for forcibly displaced persons, in international unity, withtransparency and accountability.

A stronger, more united JRS

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Financial sustainabilityJRS will establish a fundraising strategy,engaging an international fundraiser towork in close collaboration with allregions, taking into account operationalneeds and plans, and coordinating withexisting fundraising work at the regionallevel.

Implementation of human resourcespoliciesAll regional offices of JRS will have skilled,well-trained human resources personnel.Regional human resources officers will besupported by the International HumanResources Coordinator and make use ofnewly revised JRS documents (HumanResources Policy Manual, HumanResources Guidelines for Leaders, and theCode of Conduct). They will also makeconsistent and regular use of existing JRShuman resources tools.

JRS staff developmentJRS will achieve greater international unityby developing a well-coordinatedinduction and ongoing trainingprogramme for leaders and all core staff.

Application of programme andfinancial policies and tools JRS will consolidate its organisationaleffectiveness and unity through aconsistent application of policies andprotocols, and consistent monitoring ofproject quality at regional and nationallevels.

Strengthening organisationalcommunicationsJRS will improve and coordinate itsinternal communications efforts, includingrules for e-mail usage and an electroniclibrary of JRS documents at both theregional and international levels.

Respecting mutuality and subsidiarityBased on our respect for the principle ofsubsidiarity, JRS will work to ensureexcellent communications with Jesuitprovinces, Jesuit conferences and alllevels of JRS structures and leadership.JRS will reach out to Jesuits in formationto increase their awareness of the needsof refugees and other forcibly displacedpersons. Plans for assistance to refugeesby JRS and all provinces will be mutuallycomplementary.

Strategies

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2012• The JRS Internal Norms and Guidelines

will be distributed and applied acrossthe organisation.

• All regions will have competent HRpersonnel in place, making use of theupdated JRS Human ResourcesHandbook as well as additionalmaterials and tools.

• The JRS internal e-mail system will beapplied consistently.

2013• All regions will have developed a rotating

schedule for speaking with Jesuits-in-formation communities within theirregions.

• Every region will have a fundraisingstrategy coordinated with that of JRSInternational. JRS will have widened itsfunding base of private individuals andfoundations and will have increased theproportion of income from private andJesuit sources to 50 per cent by 2015.

• Increased fundraising coordinationacross JRS will have reduced the gapbetween operational proposals andavailable resources.

2015 • A culture of learning and staff

development will have been establishedwith regular follow-up training for all coreJRS staff on both mission and technicalaspects of our work.

Results

www.jrs.net

Jesuit Refugee ServiceBorgo Santo Spirito 4, 00193, Rome, Italy

Tel: +39 06 69 868 465Fax: +39 06 69 868 461e-mail: international.office@jrs.net

Photo credits: JRS photos by Peter Balleis SJ, Don Doll SJ,Christian Fuchs, Angela Hellmuth, David Lima SJ; photos onpage 8 and page 11, far right, courtesy of Times of Malta.