Having an identity unconnected to their status is one of the challenges facing refugees. It is a challenge to create an alternative to the definitional context of being and belonging since the refugee phenomenon is arguably the largest migratory movement among all forms of human mobility. In South Africa, refugees often suffer in silence with little or no help even as they go through painful experiences. These and related phenomena pose a practical challenge for theology in South Africa and raise questions on the practice of diakonia in light of the refugee phenomenon. The question could, therefore, be asked: "How can we respond to the growing migratory trend"? This paper demonstrates how the church as an agent of hope can translate the multilayered dynamics of vulnerability experienced by refugees into a diaconal opportunity, so they can be able to say with confidence, for example, in South Africa, "We live, and move, and have our being." The article uses the findings from a recently completed doctoral dissertation on the health and well-being of refugees in Cape Town, South Africa. The data on which this article is based were collected qualitatively through interviews and focus-group discussions and reflects the findings of the doctoral research of the first author.
There is growing interest in the wellbeing of refugees and particularly the strategies they employ in their quest for improved livelihoods. This article reports on a recent study on the dynamics of the refugee phenomenon. It focuses largely on the longterm livelihood strategies that refugee migrants bring into play so as to earn their living and improve their wellbeing amid sheer vulnerability. The study reveals that the majority of African refugees in Cape Town have shifted from short-term survival mechanisms such as the dependence on relief from churches, faith-based organisations, mosques, etc., to long-term strategies. The article concludes by exploring the concept of development as hope in action. Here, it is established that although a considerable number of refugees leave their home countries with a certain level of uncertainty concerning their survival in the hosting country, they use their hope as a resource to improve their livelihoods.
The refugee phenomenon is indeed a shared human condition – affecting every sector of society. This article explores the meaning and relevance of hope in the lives of refugees. It analyses the extent to which hope features in their lived experiences and the impact of its role in empowering them to meet their manifold challenges. The study is a compendium of qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with refugee migrants in Cape Town, a wide range of existing scholarly literature, and the author’s lived experiences as a refugee migrant in several African countries. The aim of this evidence-based information is to provide a platform for research, advocacy, and mobilisation of the refugee populations in order to optimise their care and establish hope as an empowering resource. In so doing, the article highlights the primacy of hope in line with the African kairos of dread.
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