Number of people served in 2017: 17,340

The JRS South Asia regional office, based in New Delhi, India, coordinates the work in India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Currently, in India, there are 61,800 Sri Lankan refugees living in 107 camps throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. In 2017, over 8,700 refugees directly benefited from JRS’s efforts, such as formal and non-formal education, vocational training, community services, capacity building of camp leaders, women and youth development, and advocacy training and protection.

In Afghanistan, JRS served 8,460 war-affected youth in 2017, primarily through educational programmes in Kabul, Herat, Bamiyan, and Daikundi. JRS is engaged in teaching at various Afghani universities, the National Institute of Management and Administration, and the Herat Technical Institute in Bamiyan, where we conduct the online/onsite education program in partnership with Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL). Moreover, JRS delivers English language training for schoolteachers and less-privileged youth, in addition to supporting the sustainable development of returnee communities.

In Bangladesh, JRS has recently begun partnering with Caritas Bangladesh to run six child-friendly spaces for Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong camp, located in Cox’s Bazar.