What does it mean on an individual basis for those suffering around the world? A senior communications officer for humanitarian relief for Catholic Relief Services helped shed light on this question.
Caroline Brennan, senior communications officer for humanitarian relief for CRS, spoke Thursday, Nov. 6 to Dr. Jerry Zurek’s Engagement in the Common Good “Working for Global Justice” class.
“She’s a wonderful connection to the human face of these crises that we hear about in the media and news all the time,” Cheryl Mrazik, relationship manager/advocacy for CRS, said.
Most recently, Brennan’s work has brought her to Iraq and Syria. Needs in these countries range from immediate relief to long-term development. In Syria alone, there have been 140,000 people killed, 7 million internally displaced and 2.5 million have fled to neighboring countries.
According to CRS’ website, there are approximately 34 million people displaced around the world–20.3 million of those people are displaced within their own country.
“Many people just describe the journey is not only getting out as being traumatic in terms of a feeling of being hunted in some way and knowing you’re targeted because of either your faith or your way of life but also just the journey itself,” Brennan said.
CRS works in places that need assistance and help. Counseling and education are also of the utmost importance. For children in Syria that have experienced or lived through traumatic experiences, 45 percent suffer from PTSD, while 60 percent have depression.
Brennan recounted one specific instance where a young girl thought the word “Catholic” literally translated to “help.”
Brennan also discussed how some people feel a loss of identity. She described how many people try to hold on to who they know they are. “People want you to understand their life as it was before,” Brennan said. “They all talk about wanting to go back home.”
Zurek’s ECG class will be lobbying in D.C. Friday, Dec. 5 for poverty-focused development assistance. Brennan offered advice for advocacy, saying that people need to see themselves in a situation for it to resonate and have an emotional pull form action to be taken. “Be aware of the individuals that are caught in the heart of these matters,” Brennan said. “They are not just a statistic.
Closing out her presentation, Brennan quoted Pope Francis, “How much suffering? How much poverty? How much pain? We cannot turn our backs on situations of great suffering.”
@erica_abbott
