Caring for Christian Refugee Children
By William J. Murray (Amman Jordan – 12/19/17) Christmas for Refugees events celebrating the birth of Jesus have begun for 2017. Celebrations have already taken place in Nigeria, Lebanon and Iraq. Displaced Christian children have come together to have fun, games, songs and gifts along with programs that center on the true meaning of Christmas….
Orphanage in conflict zone holds Christmas program The first Christmas for Refugees event in Nigeria was held at an orphanage in the heart of the conflict zone. The orphanage is located in the town of Miango, Plateau State just about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Jos which has seen church bombings and the massacre of…
The Religious Freedom Coalition is moving forward with plans for our Christmas for Refugees program in Iraq. In some cases, the only question that remains is where the children will be. One of the new towns in which we intended to hold a Christmas program was Telskuf. It now appears that the children who…
Iraqi Christian children will have a Christmas celebration – one way or another: The Religious Freedom Coalition is moving forward with plans for our Christmas for Refugees program in Iraq. In some cases, the only question that remains is where the children will be. One of the new towns in which we intended to hold…
The Kurds held an “independence vote” to create an independent state. The reaction of the Iraqi government was to shut down airline operations into the Kurdish region including the Erbil airport. The closure causes great problems for our aid programs in Iraq.
The core of the Christmas for Refugees program is the same in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, but the local needs in each of those nations are different, as are the customs. In Lebanon, the Christmas events for the children are held in locations all over the country, as the Christian families are scattered. Because Lebanon…
Christians who are now returning to their homes in areas of the Nineveh Plains liberated from the Islamic State’s control are finding chaos and destruction. Sister Diana Momeka, a nun with the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, ministers to those who have been displaced by ISIS: “(When) we went to see what happened…
Last week, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the December 18 attack in Karak, Jordan, which killed ten people and injured 34 others. Following the attacks, pro-ISIS social media users, especially on the Telegram, posted pictures and messages celebrating the attack and the harm and hurt that it came from it. Many of these posts…
The Religious Freedom Coalition’s Christmas for Refugees program is now in its 2nd year in Iraq and has grown from 600 children to more than 2,000 children participating. New photos and video of events in Iraq are now available.
Religious Freedom Coalition’s Christmas for Refugees program was featured on Fox News. Fox News correspondent Lauren Green interviewed William Murray and showed footage of one of the Christmas celebrations in a church in an undisclosed location in the region, where refugee children sang songs and visited with Santa Claus. Christmas for Refugees began in 2013…