Go Beyond

Adi Haroush and Mai-Ayni Refugee Camps in northern Ethiopia

Walking slowly among people who are struggling to survive in difficult places can change you. Prior to coming to Ethiopia, I had read about the plight of Eritrean refugees — especially the unaccompanied minors living in the refugee camps. Caring for unaccompanied children presents special challenges for the agencies that aid refugees. Those challenges certainly came into sharper focus for me this week.

The first stop for Eritrean children who have fled to Ethiopia without their parents is the transition center in Endabaguna. While adults and families are processed quickly and then transferred to one of four refugee camps, unaccompanied children tend to stay much longer — often months longer. This waiting period is tough because the children have nothing to do all day. No school. No sports equipment. No planned activities apart from meals. Nothing.

After spending two days with the unaccompanied kids in Endabaguna, we drove on winding mountain roads to visit the kids in the two refugee camps that accept unaccompanied minors. Our first stop was at the Adi Haroush Refugee Camp located at the outskirts of the small town of Mytsebri. Unaccompanied kids at this camp live in group homes under the watchful eye of house parents who are also Eritrean refugees. The kids at this camp have some structure to their day. They are expected to attend either school or one of several vocational training programs.

A short distance down the road from Adi Haroush is Mai-Ayni. Of the 18,500 Eritrean refugees in this camp, 468 of them are unaccompanied minors. The downside to this camp is that there is no school, only a large soccer field where the kids can pass the time. The kids at both camps have little more than the clothes on their backs. We were given permission to distribute clothing at both camps. I have never seen a more organized distribution or more polite and grateful children.

Our partnership with Innovative Humanitarian Solutions includes helping to fund a secure dormitory for girls at Endabaguna and providing bunk beds for both the girls and the boys. In addition to that, we would like to hire a teacher(s) so that the kids at this transition center can at least continue whatever education they may have started in Eritrea. We agree that adding some structure to the daily schedule can make a big difference in the morale of the kids who are waiting to be transferred to one of the other refugee camps.

The stream of unaccompanied minors from Eritrea will likely continue for some time. As this particular segment of the refugee population grows, aid agencies will continue to face even greater challenges. As Christ-followers, we should be concerned about the welfare of children like these, who through no fault of their own have become the victims of an oppressive government. We can and should work to change their world, to help them experience the love of the God, and to teach them that they are valued by God.

There is a responsibility that comes with having a deeper awareness about the plight of those who are hurting and in desperate need. Once you know, looking the other way is no longer an option. Like the good Samaritan, we must instead respond in a compassionate way. This summer, we will once again challenge the kids who attend Kingsland’s Vacation Bible School to make a difference in the lives of children they have never met.

Leslee McWhirter, Kingsland’s Interim Children’s Minister, and I have videotaped the story of the unaccompanied minors. We will share their story every morning at VBS and challenge our kids to help make a difference in the lives of the hundreds of kids who come through the Endabaguna Transition Center. We will also tell the story of these children in the next issue of our Go Beyond Just for Kids magazine. I can hardly wait to see how God will once again use our kids to bring glory to His name among the nations.