OpEd

OpEd

              The current refugee crisis is one that we all need to consider more. Many may believe that the refugee crisis is something that only affects refugees but, it affects us all.  We all play a part in either helping or hurting the current situation. I believe that we all have a duty to help refugees coming into our country.

Yet many argue that letting these immigrants into our country would only lead to destruction, tension and conflict that our country at its current state cannot afford. Yes, we may not be in the best place as a country but one thing we do have is resources. Resources that we take for granted that any refugee would die for.  Everyday items like food, clothing and other necessities are things we need to offer, we can surely do this. They are starving, they are unaware if they will even make it to their new host families, they are unsure if they will see their families. This crisis is not temporary, this conflict has been affecting our country for years now. So, what is getting in the way? I believe currently what is getting in the way of us using our resources is our prejudices, and fear of the unknown. Another reason this problem is that the refugees have little to no support. To truly succeed in building durable solutions for refugees we must look past our differences and see these people as people just as us, trying to build a better life. The areas for improvement center on helping other countries, showing support and seeing the refugees as the people they are and not as another task off the to do list.

One line that I read in another article I was reading stated: “Hope is not lost, but it is getting impatient, and we should be too.” This quote was one that I really liked because it shows that there is still hope for refugees out there, but hope begins with our action.