More people are on the move worldwide than ever before.
244 million people worldwide are migrants or refugees. One in every 122 humans is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum. Half of all refugees are children.
Conflict forces people to seek safe refuge elsewhere.
Poverty, inequality and a lack of decent jobs drive people from home in search of a better future for themselves and their families – a desperate search that puts them at risk of being trafficked. An estimated 35.8 million people are trapped in this modern form of slavery.
Anglican churches across the globe are actively supporting and advocating for these, some of the most vulnerable people in the world – something central to the Christian tradition of ‘welcoming the stranger’ (Matthew 25:38-40).
Work with migrants and refugees across the Anglican Communion
A Hong Kong-based network ministers to migrant workers and advocates for and with them for their rights.
Many churches, such as those in Kenya or Zambia, have a long tradition of hosting refugees fleeing civil strife and rallying faith leaders to respond to crisis.
Other churches are helping repatriated families physically, emotionally and spiritually – for example in Burundi, equipping returnees to start to rebuild their lives with skills training and peace and reconciliation programmes.
And in the Pacific, the churches are facing the reality of climate change refugees as rising sea levels threaten fragile island nations.
Across Europe, local churches are mobilising their assets to respond to the influx of refugees from Syria and elsewhere.