Thursday night Stand Together Lipscomb welcomed guest speaker Megan Caddell to educate students on the global refugee crisis.
Stand Together Lipscomb is an on-campus organization dedicated to raising awareness for the devastating refugee crisis. This newly-instituted group wants to start a movement on Lipscomb’s campus by educating, advocating and acting on the crisis.
Megan Caddell is a Child Ambassador Team Leader at World Vision and has seen first-hand the effects of the refugee crisis and so many other crises around the world. Her passion for the people has led her and thousands of others to dedicate their lives to helping in any way possible.
“God didn’t intend that these would be stories of his children. We are responsible for this,” Caddell said. “This is a hard conversation. It’s political, it’s religious, but we’re going to go there.”
Caddell shared a brief history of the country of Syria and of the violence that has led to millions of people’s fleeing the country.
“These are people just like us. Families are literally fleeing to keep their children safe. They are fleeing out of utter desperation, having to make unimaginable decisions,” Caddell said. “We get to be the resolution. We get to be the hope on the other side.”
World Vision is the leading organization for providing clean water to nearly 100 countries around the world. Caddell shared how World Vision is providing food, sanitation, clothes, blankets and fuel to refugee camps in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Along with these necessities, World Vision also provides children’s supplies such as diapers, toys and education centers where children can continue their education. World Vision also provides safe rooms so children can get psychological help for the atrocities they have seen. These safe rooms provide a space for children to play, learn and be a kid.
“These children are in the middle of war. They are being robbed of their childhood,” Caddell said. “Those kids deserve to be defended don’t they? They deserve to have and education. They deserve to play, and they don’t have that right now.”
Caddell described how students can get involved and help raise awareness. Though many students can’t give financial support, she shared how they can give their time and effort by getting others to support World Vision.
“This is not what God created for his people, and as a follower of Christ I am called to care about it,” Caddell said. “So with this, the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, this is our opportunity. This is your opportunity to rise up, to respond, to show what it means to be a follower of Christ.”
Stand Together Lipscomb will be holding “Never Walk Alone” next Saturday, April 1, in Bison Square. This event will be another chance for students to get involved and help the refugee crisis.
“You have what it takes to stand up,” Caddell said. “Create a movement on your campus and be apart of this change.”
To stay involved, follow Stand Together Lipscomb on Facebook and Instagram, or visit their donation page.