Change of location: from train station to Congregational Church
June 19, 2009
by Christine Yeres
With activities for all ages, including live music and films, the Interfaith Council of Chappaqua will mark World Refugee Day indoors, at the First Congregational Church, located at the intersection of Orchard Ridge Road and Route 117 on Saturday, June 20, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. With the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, the space will be transformed into a refugee camp with tents, cooking utensils and the kind of food packages that UNHCR distributes throughout the world in real emergencies.
The theme of the installation is “Real People, Real Needs,” and “it commemorates the government programs and private companies that are partners to the UNHCR in helping the millions of people who are displaced, without refuge or a home,” explained New Castle resident Wei-Meng Lim-Kabba, deputy-director of the UNHCR. “It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to those refugees who have succeeded in the host country, are getting on with their lives and contributing to their new societies.”
Continuous events include tent installation, games, storytelling and drawing for children, information displays, guided tours and refugee music. See the day’s schedule by clicking here.
The members of Chappaqua Interfaith Council are: Baha’is of New Castle, Chappaqua Friends Meeting, The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Episcopal, First Congregational Church, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, St. John and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Upper Westchester Muslim Society.
Did you know . . .
There are 11.4 million refugees in the world, hosted by some 167 countries. *
Asia is hosting more than half of the world’s refugees (55%), followed by Africa (22%), Europe (14%), Latin America and the Caribbean (5%) and Northern America (4%).
The five main origin countries of refugees are Afghanistan (3.1 million), Iraq (2.3 million), Colombia (550,000), Sudan (530,000) and Somalia (460,000).
The five largest refugee hosting countries are Pakistan (2 million), Syria (1.5 million), Iran (960,000), Germany (580,000) and Jordan (500,000).
UNHCR was created in 1950 to oversee the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. 144 countries have signed the Convention.
UNHCR is present in 116 countries with 260 offices and 6,300 staff members. The agency works with more than 600 non‐governmental organizations (NGOs).
UNHCR’s 2008 budget was U$ 1.5 bln. The USA was the largest donor (510 mln.), followed by the European Commission (130 mln.), Japan (110 mln.), Sweden (100 mln.) and the Netherlands (85 mln.)
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* Does not include 4.6 million registered Palestinian refugees who fall under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
For more information contact Rev.Tom Lenhart, First Congregational Church, at (914) 238-4411 or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or Bela Hovy at (914) 602-3370, email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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