Escort for Refugiees
Refugees escort
The escorts of refugees were delegated to Aviation Sans Frontières by IOM ( International Organization for Migration ).
The mission of ASF volunteers is to lead to a new life, groups of migrants, which have been confined for a long time to refugee camps. These families are allowed to join in a host country relatives or associations that are already installed, in the following countries: The United States of America, Canada, Australia or Northern Europe.
Assessment
In total, since the beginning of these operations, 3388 refugees from countries as diverse as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nepal were escorted by ASF.
(Photo) Bhutanese refugees leaving Kathmandu.
Since the beginning of the year, about 300 people in 7 groups have been escorted to the United States of America.
ASF escorts volunteers have sometimes to make detours that significantly lengthen the duration of the trip, for instance flying from Entebbe (Uganda) to New York (United States) via Dubai (UAE). Overall the groups starting their journey from Uganda and Rwanda are made up of an average of 35 people. Some Somali refugees are mixed with Congolese who no longer wish to return to their country (Democratic Republic of Congo) because they have lost everything in the many conflicts that have erupted in recent years in the Northern provinces. They all made the choice of starting a new life in the US, a choice of exile, hoping for a better life, leaving their roots behind. Their first “port of entry” on American soil is either New York or Chicago. From then, they continue their journey to the major cities of the United States. No doubt they will keep forever the memory of that first flight. A 24 hours journey without counting airport wait, transit and delays... Freedom has a cost and it is won at that price!
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