Resettlement

After Monday's class discussion, I found myself thinking about resettlement.  The nonprofit “Oxfam” is a combination of 20 independent charitable organizations focusing on alleviating global poverty. Oxfam was founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International, out of Oxford, UK. According to Oxfam, “more than 65 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes because of violence, persecution, and war.” The United Nations Refugee Agency reported that only 1% of the world’s refugees are ever resettled. Since 1975, the United States has accepted 3 million refugees from around the world, Michigan being the #6 state for resettlement in 2017. 

https://www.wuft.org/news/2015/11/23/
local-organizations-discuss-refugee-resettlement-prepare-for-syrians/

This year, the United States admitted 45,000 refugees. This number comes directly from the President. Although historically the U.S. has resettled more refugees than any other country, the resettlement program has not been able to keep up with increase of the refugee population. Over the past five years, this has risen 50%. Since there were about 16.5 million around the world in 2016, the U.S. really only resettled .27%. 

In "Exit West", by Mohsin Hamid, resettlement becomes a magical thing. While keeping the tone of the novel a somber, unsettling one, Nadia and Saeed climb through doors to get from place to place, looking for somewhere safe to call home. These doorways could symbolize many things from resettlement organizations, to the feeling refugees can have on their journeys.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170724000598

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is a partner in the U.S. refugee resettlement program and identifies those refugees most in need of urgent resettlement. Resettlement organizations can either be public or private. Public organizations include The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and The Office of Refugee Resettlement.