The report comes from a U.N. refugee agency. They noted more confrontations occurring at bakeries, where refugees have often been made to wait for bread behind Lebanese citizens.

Rawan Haddad with Tent schools International says, “The situation of the refugees is sometimes better than most Lebanese. Nations do provide basic support and limited facilities for refugees. But the Lebanese below the poverty line have no one to support them.”

Difficult conditions

Haddad recently traveled to Lebanon. She saw shortages of bread, flour, and medicine. People don’t make enough to buy what they need, and the government won’t help.

With these concerns in mind, Lebanese officials have announced plans to repatriate refugees back to Syria. Haddad says, “Despite this, Lebanon cannot return them to Syria, because the European countries will not agree to it.”

Tent Schools

Tent Schools continues working to provide education for refugees in Lebanon. Haddad says, “Please continue to pray for Tent Schools International, so we can continue to help the children and their families there. Because this next generation of children needs love, compassion and attention.”

“They need a place to grow mentally, emotionally, physically and educationally, more than ever before.”

Pray for healing to come to Lebanon. And pray for stability in the economic situation of the Middle East.

Header photo courtesy of Tent Schools International on Facebook. 

The entire school rides on the bed of a truck and includes space for kids to sit and learn.

Rawan Haddad says 12 children have been enrolled during the first month. “With increased funding, our partner will later add two more classes during warmer months, for a total of 36 Syrian children who would otherwise have no access to education.”

“The mobile school includes a bathroom, a small kitchen to serve healthy school lunches, and learning materials.”

In fact, Tent Schools hopes to see more mobile schools working across the Bekaa Valley. Haddad says, “All the kids are excited to start their new classes, inside and outside the truck. They are amazed that the school will come to them instead of walking miles to get there. With loving teachers, of course.”

Get involved

Want to help this work? You can donate to Tent Schools International here. Haddad says, “And please pray for our partners in the field, that God gives them health, wisdom, and strength so they can continue what they are doing.”

Header photo courtesy of Tent Schools International. 

Fear of terrorism

Why is that? First, many Europeans fear letting Islamic terrorists into their countries.

But Emily Klooster with Tent Schools International says Middle Eastern refugees are fleeing war and terrorism, just like Ukrainians. Most are women and children. “Here’s an example: our partner in Jordan provides a safe school for the children of Iraqi Christian families who have fled ISIS.”

Klooster says it is natural for people to feel suspicious of groups outside their own. “But this is something that really needs to be fought against within ourselves and not promoted.”

Education

A Bulgarian official described the Ukrainian refugees as “intelligent” and “educated” in contrast to refugees from the Middle East.

But Klooster says refugees who are uneducated deserve access to education. “In addition, many refugees from both the Middle East and elsewhere held positions of prestige within their own communities, positions that required high levels of education.”

“So to lump everyone together and imply they are unintelligent because they’re from outside of Europe is obviously inaccurate.”

Jesus commanded His Church to care for the vulnerable, no matter where they came from or who they are. Want to support Tent School’s work? Click here.

The header photo shows Ukrainian refugees in Poland in early February. (Photo courtesy of Pakkin Leung, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Belarus has forced some refugees to cross the border, using them as political leverage against the European Union. Lithuanian and Polish border guards push them back. At least 13 refugees have died as winter sets in. Belarus has provided shelter for some of the refugees, but many remain in the cold.

Anne Hamming with Tent Schools International says Belarus offered refugees easy passage into Europe. “Many of them are fleeing from Iraq, fleeing from Syria. I think the vast majority are fleeing from Syria. Because again, that conflict is now in its 10th year, and it has not abated. My understanding too is a small number of them are from Yemen, as that conflict continues.”

The Image of God

Tent Schools International serves refugee kids from these same countries. How can Christians respond to this use of refugees as political pawns? Hamming says we need to see the Image of God in them. “But for the grace of God, we could be pushed from our homes by war or religious persecution. We need to see them as people who just want a safe place to raise their children, and who want someplace to call home.”

Want to get involved and help refugees? Hamming says 2022 will see many refugees resettled in the U.S. and other western countries. “Resettlement agencies are very rapidly ramping up efforts to find communities that can support resettled populations. For instance, many churches are sponsoring resettled refugees. They’re needing volunteers and financial donations to help provide a welcome.”

You can also support Tent Schools International’s work here.

The header photo shows the border between Belarus and Lithuania. (Photo courtesy of Aidas U., CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

That’s why the Tent Schools partner in Lebanon takes a different approach. Hamming says, “Once they get past, say, the sixth grade or so, many of them never return to school. And instead of fighting that, instead of trying to fill these impossible gaps, he accepts that. His school tries to still give them an avenue to access employment. And he does that through languages.”

This partner has learned that if his students know just 500-1000 words in Lebanon’s most-spoken languages, they can get several different jobs. By learning English and French, for example, they will be able to work in tourism or retail.

Get involved

Pray the love of Jesus will shine through this school. Syrian refugees still face an unsettled situation in Lebanon as well. Hamming says, “Lebanon seems to be a land where the bigger nations around them like to carry out their squabbles, which creates great instability there. So pray for peace and stability and strength for the nation of Lebanon and the neighboring nation of Jordan.”

Lebanon and Jordan are not wealthy countries. But they bear the heaviest strain of caring for Syrian refugees. Hamming says, “Our support for them is critical for helping them meet the need. I think people need to appreciate how far U.S. support goes. Dollars go very far in Jordan and Lebanon. It’s the currency of choice compared to their home currencies, which are under distress and devaluation.”

Want to help? Click here to learn more about Tent Schools and donate. Hamming says, “Your support for Tent Schools goes directly to very tangible support like teacher salaries, fuel, food for students, and textbooks.

Photo courtesy of Tent Schools International on Facebook. 

Anne Hamming of Tent Schools International says up to half of these refugees may be “school-aged children from zero to 17. While they’re on the move, of course, they are missing school. And God willing, once they find a safe place (not under immediate threat, shelter from the elements, food, and access to basic medical care) their children are again likely not to have access to school.”

Tent School’s work

Without schooling, the situation won’t get any better for these children. That’s why Tent Schools international works with refugee students in places like Lebanon, where they have started a mobile school on a truck. Learn more here.

In the U.S., they provide refurbished laptops for students in resettled families. Hamming says, “The pandemic showed us all just how essential having a device in the home was for children to learn.”

And most resettled families don’t have 400 dollars to spend on a laptop. Hamming says, “The resettlement agencies work with them to make sure they have reliable internet access. And then we grant them a laptop or a desktop.”

Hamming says adults in the families can benefit greatly from these computers as well. “Many of these families are taking vocational training or language training, so it really gets used by the entire family.”

You can join this work to provide computers to refugees in Jesus’s name. Donate to Tent Schools here. Plus, you can supply used laptops to be refurbished. Tent Schools works with Comprenew, a refurbishing company in West Michigan, but you can donate no matter where you live in the U.S. Learn more here.

Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 

The Taliban has promised to not interfere. The U.S. believes it has enough leverage over the Taliban to ensure a safe transfer.

Meanwhile, some of these refugees have begun arriving in the United States. Last week, several arrived at a military base in Virginia. One girl arrived without her parents. Another woman had given birth just before leaving Kabul.

Tent Schools

Anne Hamming of Tent Schools International says, “As the educational needs become evident, we will be looking and listening to try to find a partner to help directly with the educational needs abroad. And when they are resettled here in the US, we will be partnering with our local resettlement agencies (really with any Midwestern resettlement agency) to support them with educational technology.”

Tent Schools works with refugee students overseas in places like Lebanon and Jordan, but they also provide used laptops for resettled students here in the U.S. You can join this work by donating to Tent Schools here.

And ask God to rest upon those fleeing Afghanistan. Hamming says while they may be in danger, it is still a difficult choice for Afghans to leave their homeland. Many leave behind have large networks of family or friends. “If we had to pick up and run for our safety, how many people might we feel we need to take with us? It doesn’t take long to see how chaotic and just heartbreaking it could be to have to leave someone behind, a brother or a sister.”

The header image shows the evacuation from Kabul. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Anne Hamming says, “Every time he needs to go to a government office, he’s had to work around closures. Because the government workers are striking. Their paychecks are now worth roughly five to ten percent what they were before this economic crisis.”

Even when the truck gets registered, it might not be able to run. Hamming says, “We don’t even know if he’ll be able to secure gasoline to get to the refugee camps. Because people are waiting for hours for gas. There has been violence at some gas stations. It takes hours to secure something so basic.”

Providing food

During the crisis, Tent Schools has been providing food for refugee families in Jesus’ name. But even that has proven difficult. Hamming says, “People are living on bread, fruit, vegetables, and what cheeses they can find. Meat has become a rare luxury for everyone.”

Pray many will experience Jesus’ love through this ministry. Learn how to support Tent Schools International’s work here.

Header photo courtesy of Tent Schools International. 

Anne Hamming of Tent Schools International says most of these refugees come from dire situations, forced to leave their homelands. They have no money and must adapt to a new culture and learn a new language. “They face their resettlement with an astonishing and inspiring amount of hope. Because this is so much better than what they left behind. And they accept that it would never be safe for them to go back. By the time they get to the US, they’ve grappled with that heartache, and the grief over the losing their homes, their family members, many of their cultural traditions.”

Tent Schools’ work with resettled students

Tent Schools aids students of resettled families in the West Michigan area, supplying them with recycled computers. Hamming says, “It’s easy to forget in our homes where we may have four laptops. Try to imagine what it is like to not have the dollars on hand to buy a computer for your children. Even an inexpensive Chromebook is out of reach. So we heard over and over about children trying to do schoolwork on a parent’s phone.”

You can help with this program, even if you don’t live in the West Michigan area. Hamming says, “If you have old electronics, please do find your local certified electronics recycler. Many of the certified recyclers refurbish computers and sell them at a discount. Many of them also have community programs, where they will donate or steeply discount for people who are needing support.”

Also, pray the care of Christians for refugees will show who Jesus is and draw many to Him.

Header image courtesy of StockSnap from Pixabay.

Photo courtesy of Tent Schools International.

Anne Hamming says the truck will be able to reach refugee kids anywhere in Lebanon. “Our partner in Lebanon has had a fair amount of success reaching out to Syrian refugees with schools in shipping containers that he has set up in or on the perimeter of different refugee camps. However, with time, we’ve learned that there is a problem with that system because the refugee camps can actually be disbanded with pretty short notice.”

“Basically, there are several camps that have a lease on farmland. And the farmer sometimes just says, ‘I’m done with this.’”

At different times, the truck will be used to train kids of different ages, including teaching trade skills to young adults. When the truck isn’t being used for school, it won’t sit idle. Hamming says, “It can be used to help meet any of several dire needs in Lebanon right now. Lebanon has been on lockdown. And they’ve only partially reopened, where only banks and grocery stores are open right now.”

Photo courtesy of Tent Schools International.

Tent Schools has finished funding for the project, and the truck school should be rolling around Lebanon by sometime this summer. If the project goes well, Hamming says they hope to replicate this format in other countries as well.

Visit the Tent Schools International website to find out how you can get involved. And pray the care of Christians for refugee kids will point many to Jesus.

The header photo shows concept art for the project. (Photo courtesy of Tent Schools International)