The JRS mission is to accompany, to advocate and to serve the cause of refugees and forcibly displaced persons worldwide.

To Accompany

Accompaniment means creating opportunities for refugees and displaced persons to regain their dignity, while responding to their material and spiritual needs. JRS places an emphasis on being with rather than doing for. Volunteers are encouraged to open themselves up to the refugees' experience. It is through sharing in that experience that we come to know how best to be of service. Accompaniment is a commitment to walking with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through their journey from the moment of their first contact.

To Advocate

Service flows from accompaniment. Understanding the challenges refugees, asylum seekers and migrants face calls us to respond with meaningful solutions. Over the past 25 years JRS internationally has been involved in a wide range of humanitarian activities including programs in health and nutrition, emergency assistance, income-generating activities and social and pastoral services. As a result of asylum and immigration policy at national and European level, JRS in Europe has found itself defending the rights of asylum seekers and providing services to address shortcomings in those systems. In particular, JRS national offices in Europe work with migrants who are in detention, who are amongst the most vulnerable.

To Serve

In addition to addressing immediate needs, JRS also understands the importance of addressing the causes of forced migration, which is why we work to defend the rights of the displaced. Awareness campaigns, lobbying governments and collaborating with other humanitarian agencies are some of the ways we advocate on behalf of refugees. Advocacy in JRS starts by listening to the concerns of the vulnerable and then working with them to find solutions. In this sense, advocacy can be seen as a natural complement to both accompaniment and service.