A Book Review by Philoi Global
During the height of the Vietnam war, Kim Phuc Phan Thi was a child at the time a napalm bomb landed near her. The chemical bomb caused her clothes and skin to melt right off her body. As she ran in pain and fear a famous photograph was taken of Kim. This photo became a pivotal Human Right’s turn in the war. It was because of the photo that Kim was evacuated to Cuba to receive immediate medical care for her indescribable wounds. She went on to have dozens of surgeries and had been carrying a bitterness towards her circumstances. At the age of 19, a pastor taught Kim that Jesus Christ came to take our burden and bitterness and it was then that she gave her unforgiveness to Jesus Christ and followed Him. It was through her faith in Jesus and the church that she was able to heal from her trauma as a child. She knew that is was God that protected her from death, allowed her to move to a safe country, and find a strength to help others.
Philoi education
- Philoi have been creating a Learning Management System (LMS) that will be accessible to anyone with a device and internet connection around the world. It will prepare forcibly displaced communities, vulnerable groups, and those who serve them, to be better prepared to face their challenges by providing high-quality, relevant online non-formal learning resources at no cost.
- We are offering two main educational courses for free:
- 1. Vocation English Training (VET) Most English training programs are focused on functional English. There is a large gap for non-English speakers when navigating vocational English. Philoi aims to bridge the gap between functional and vocational English so that non-English speakers can maximise their opportunities in the workforce, and are able to be employed in meaningful jobs when resettling in a third country. Currently, this program is being implemented with the Afghan refugees through Zoom to their rooms in the refugee camps. We are hoping to expand this program to other CALD communities. Philoi desires to equip people who go through the 40 hours of the Vocational English Program with skills that will tremendously help them with effective communication, introducing job seeking and job landing skills, writing strong cover letters and resumes, interview skills, learning about how to handle complaint and conflict at work and in day to day life in a new country, and eventually feel at home in the new land. 2. Counselling First-Aid Refugees and asylum seekers experience profound trauma and distressing events that impact how they think, act and relate to others. Many cultures hear the words 'mental health or 'therapy' and instantly want nothing to do with it due to cultural taboos and shame. This deters refugees from pursuing mental help. This project will offer refugees who have experienced trauma to receive help without directly being associated with culturally triggering words such as 'mental health and 'counselling.' To do this effectively, Philoi has a series of 'entry programmes' (points of natural access) with some refugees so that we can hear them talk about what they have gone through. An example of Philoi's entry point is our Vocational English Training (VET), where we teach English and have conversations with these refugees about their situations through zoom.
- Philoi Education enables frontal organisations and churches to serve the displaced effectively. These particular courses are not listed on public domain; but please don’t hesitate to contact us for the course prospectors. Individuals can sign up and take these courses for free and learning resources will be available in vernacular languages. On Philoi Education, you can access the following:
- Online self-directed and self-paced courses
- Webinars
- Information and registration for hybrid or face-to-face workshops
- Videos, documents, and resources
- Quizzes and assessments
We are excited to see where this LMS goes and playing a part in bridging the gap in resources for refugees and those displaced throughout the world.
“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”Titus 3:14 ESV
Other Projects:
Second Generation Network
Migrant Workers Network
Bible Project - India