Interfaith partnerships foster understanding to help refugees

Gail Anderson likes to tell a story about an interaction she had with an Eritrean refugee who recently arrived in Minneapolis. The man lived in a refugee camp before he came to the U.S. to resettle, assisted by the Minnesota Council of Churches, an Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate and Anderson’s employer.

Anderson was driving the refugee home from a job interview when he picked up his phone to share a bit of good news: the interview had gone well, and he was going to start his first job since coming to this country.

“The first person he called was an Eritrean friend,” Anderson said. “And the next people were his co-sponsors.”

Co-sponsors are groups of volunteer supporters who come together to assist refugees through their initial months in the U.S. They can help in a variety of ways, by offering friendship, material donations, tutoring, rides to appointments, community orientation, aid with job searches or other forms of support.

Episcopal Migration Ministries often relies on co-sponsors from Episcopal churches and other faith and community groups to complement the services provided by its affiliates. But the group aiding the Eritrean man in Anderson’s story represents a successful new spin on the time-tested model.

The group is one of several collaborations between the Christian and Muslim communities in the Twin Cities. Organized through an initiative called “Taking Root,” the teams are made up of people representing different faith backgrounds, usually strangers, who collaborate to help refugees through their difficult first months in the U.S.

Anderson, an Episcopalian herself, is Director of Unity and Relationships at the Minnesota Council of Churches, and she oversees the work of one Christian and one Muslim organizer who recruit volunteers and build the teams. So far the council has filled 12 different co-sponsorship groups, who help 40 refugees, and they've set the goal of assisting as many as 100.

Anderson says the project is certainly fulfilling its primary objective to help refugees transition to a new life, but it’s also had a number of other positive impacts. Participants of all faiths are reporting an encouraging sense of understanding and respect for their partners from other backgrounds. In a time of great tension between certain Christian groups and Islam, Anderson says these volunteers are building valuable bridges in their community.

And the refugees, who often come from regions traumatized by conflict between ethnic and religious groups, are witnessing a commitment to interfaith and intercultural cooperation among their new neighbors.

For more information on the “Taking Root” program, click HERE.
 

Beatrice Mbaya, a  former refugee from the Congo, and a case worker at Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate Kentucky Refugee Ministries, is the proud owner of a house in Lexington, KY. The Lexington Herald-Leader ran this story describing how good credit is helping resettled refugees like Beatrice purchase homes.

The New Haven Independent published this story about Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services and the agency's efforts to open "Clothing Without Borders," a thrift store that will raise money for refugees.
 

As of August 31, Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliates have assisted 4,434 refugees in fiscal year 2010, with the support of diocese and many volunteers. Those refugees have come from the following regions:

Africa -- 588

East Asia -- 985

Latin America/Caribbean -- 318

Near-East and South Asia -- 2,482

Europe -- 61

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Or find the Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate program nearest you by referring to our directory HERE .
 

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Affiliate director reflects on end of fiscal year, changes from years past

September is a month of beginnings for many people, as schools start up and folks return to work after summer vacations. For Episcopal Migration Ministries and its affiliate offices, the end of the month marks the end of the fiscal year, a typically busy time for assisting large numbers of refugees as the federal government strives to meet annual admissions goals.

This year, Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate offices are reporting a different experience, as increases in federal, and in some cases state-level, funding have allowed for more local staff to help shoulder the load. Also, a more even distribution of refugee arrivals is preventing the crunch that usually comes at this time of year. To find out what’s happening on the local level, we spoke with Ferdi Mevlani, Executive Director of Ecumenical Refugee Services , Episcopal Migration Ministries' affiliate in Denver, Colorado.

Q: How are things going this September?

A: This September we didn’t get slammed. As of right now, it’s been great to distribute arrivals. Every month it’s been 45 or 50 refugees; for September we were prepared for 80 arrivals, but it [may not] happen. With arrivals that come gradually, of course it’s nice. Even if that increased from month to month, we are prepared for it. You learn what you need to have ready.

Q: How are things different from previous years?

A: I have the staff now, which is nice. The ratio [of resettlement staff to refugee clients] is way down. Before it used to run 1 to 100, now it’s 1 to 80, and that helps with staff not getting worn out. I had 12 employees three years ago, and now we’re at 29. From movers to health and housing coordinators, it does help a lot. Before the case managers used to do the whole thing, and when September came it was just horrible. They didn’t have time to eat.

Q: What were some challenges you faced this fiscal year?

A: The arrivals we got in 2010 were a big increase from 2009, so we’re kind of learning what we need to do and getting everybody organized. And informing the other providers – health providers, English programs – what we’re doing and how many arrivals we’re going to get. [For the upcoming year] we increased the arrivals slightly, because we have the capacity, but it’s close to the level for 2010.

Q: What’s your challenge for the months ahead?

A: Getting prepared for next year: securing housing and donations, talking to food pantries, getting churches involved. We are securing housing like a month ahead. We have a great relationship with about 14 or 15 properties that really work with us. They will save [a unit] for us, so it’s ready as soon as the refugee comes.

 Ohio youth group welcomes Somali family to community

Most kids spend their summers hanging out with their friends, taking family trips or just relaxing. The members of the youth group at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Ohio, may have done those things this summer, but they also put a lot of time toward an unusual vacation activity.

The youth group, which has around 20 members of middle-school and high-school age, has been assisting a family of Somali refugees since April.

They’ve been working with Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), an Episcopal Migration Ministries affiliate, to co-sponsor the family of four children and two adults.

They’ve been making regular visits to the refugees’ home since last spring, playing soccer and chess with the family’s children, and establishing relationships that they hope will help make the family’s transition to life in the United States easier.

“It’s a really interesting opportunity to get more of an inside look at someone else’s culture and learning a little bit of their language,” said Kelsey Pierson, 15. “It’s interesting getting them acclimated to America.”

Kelsey’s mother, Heather Pierson, is one of three adult advisors to the youth group, and she’s taken the lead on the co-sponsorship project. Heather said the youth decided to make assisting refugees their yearly service project last fall, choosing it over a number of other worthy causes. Months of preparation led up to the arrival of the family in April.

“Unitarian Universalists, part of our spirituality is learning how different religions and churches think. This [project] can make it real,” she said. “It gives you a chance to make some of these abstract values concrete, because these are real people.”

To read more about the group's experience, find the full story HERE.