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Quote by Alexander Betts

“But generosity of spirit is not enough: our responses must be grounded in wisdom. The headless heart may lead to outcomes little better than the heartless head. So we need to be a little more specific about what generosity of spirit implies. What shoud it mean in the context of Syria, and, by extension, what should it mean more widely in the global context of refugees?”

Quote by Alexander Betts

Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
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Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System

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Alexander Betts

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“Historically, on average international wars have lasted only six months. In contrast, the average civil war has been much longer, with estimates ranging from seven to fifteen years. If a family are going to be refugees for over a decade, their priority is not emergency food and shelter. It is to re-establish the threads of normal famiy life, anchored materially by a capacity of whoever is the breadwinner to earn a living. The camps run by UNHCR met the basic material needs of refugees, but they provided few opportunities to earn a living. Consequently, they left families bereft of autonomy.”

WarCivil WarRefugeeUnited NationsRefugeesRefugee CrisisUnhcrInternational Warfare
Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
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“One way of grounding how we should identify refugees in a changing world is through the concept of force majeure - the absence of a reasonable choice but to leave. More specifically, the threshold for refuge would be: fear of serious physical harm. And the test would be: when would a reasonable person not see her- or himself as having a choice but to flee? In other words, if you were in the same situation, what would you do?”

RefugeRefugeeRefugeesFleeingRefugee CrisisSurvival ModeRefugee ExperienceRefugee Resettlement
Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
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“On city harp strings ‘neath cotton ball clouds, Pigeon to pigeon their stories they sing, Wafting flocks gather in soft, cooing crowds; Amid rush traffic, a prelude to spring, One with their nature, harmony within, Above street clatter, perched, resting their bones, Primed for the vernal bounty to begin, Soothing the clamor with light, dulcet tones; Whiffs of smog-filled drafts like bellows pulse through, Unfazed are they by our mad world of haste, The calm bevy awaits winter’s adieu, Unconsumed by thoughts of no time to waste, Nature presides with unshakable pride, The seasons shall turn with a feather’s glide.”

InspirationalMotivationalNaturePoemTrafficFeathersSonnetBirdsPigeonsCity Life
Author:Marie Helen Abramyan
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