A year ago, the French federation of Protestant churches launched an appeal to take action and pray for Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and assigned our French member FEP the mission to collect housing proposals and coordinate the reception and integration of the hosted refugees.
Over the last year, FEP has searched and collected housing opportunities from individuals, parishes and diaconal associations. In parallel, our member tries to facilitate access of refugees to visas so they can come to France safely, and coordinates the hosts with their guests from their arrival to their actual settlement.
As of today, 150 refugees found refuge in venues made available by individuals, churches or local authorities. Beyond housing and basic material assistance, the great majority of them receive for free language classes, vocational training, school support for children, medical care and are supported to attend cultural outings and discover their new living area.
FEP created a booklet that draws on the main actions undertaken by FEP and Protestant churches to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees over the last year. You can download it here.