“60 Million Refugees: A Global Challenge, The Response of the Jesuit Refugee Service;” an evening with Fr. Tom Smolich SJ.
About the speaker: Fr. Tom Smolich is the International Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service – JRS, based in Rome. JRS is a Jesuit organization founded by Fr. Arrupe, SJ in 1980 to respond to the crisis of the so called “boat people”. Today it is present in over 50 countries and serves over 750,000 refugees worldwide.
Answering to the call of Pope Francis for a Year of Mercy, JRS has launched a campaign called Mercy in Motion – providing education, investing in peace. Fr. Smolich will share details of the campaign which aims to support the Global Education Initiative with a goal to educate 220,000 refugees and displaced people by 2020.
Refugees face a variety of barriers to access education, from overcrowding in schools to xenophobia in host communities. Their fundamental right to education is often lost. Among refugee children, only 36 percent globally go to secondary school and less than one percent have the opportunity to pursue a higher education.
Co-sponsored by Canadian Jesuits International, Jesuit Refugee Service Canada, and Mary Ward Centre.
For more information, call 416-465-1824. RSVP: cji@jesuits.ca or 416-465-1824