More Information About Helping Iraqi Refugees
As a follow-on to the previous post, the information below is from Transitionland, who has worked on refugee resettlement issues.
People often ask what they can do from the States to help with various humanitarian crises and catastrophes - I can't think of anything more needed than helping refugees, who often arrive with nothing at all. If anyone is looking for a volunteer activity in the States, please consider her suggestions below.
There are resettlement offices in nearly every state. A great many of these offices are hurting badly in the economic downturn, and struggling to provide essential services to the refugees they resettle. Volunteers can make a very big difference.
A few things your local resettlement office can probably use:
1) Mentors, especially for refugee youth.
2) Volunteer English teachers.
3) Community health volunteers to run workshops on nutrition, women's health, and personal safety.
4) Donations of furniture for use in the office and in refugees' new homes.
5) Volunteer movers with vans or pick-up trucks.
6) Web-design and general technology volunteers.
7) Volunteer grant-writers. (Note to those of you looking for humanitarian jobs: this can be easily turned into an internship or fellowship.)
8) Lawyers and activists to run civil rights/civil liberties and anti-discrimination workshops, and to do pro bono work on asylum cases.
9) Volunteer interpreters and translators. (Karen, Burmese, Arabic, Farsi, Somali, French, Spanish, Nepalese and Russian are in high demand.)
10) Job development volunteers to help refugees create or edit their resumes, practice interviewing, and look for jobs.
11) Volunteers (ideally but not necessarily clinical psychologists) experienced with providing care to trauma victims.
When you get in touch with a resettlement office, it's good to be specific about what skills you have and what kind of volunteering you would like to do. That gives volunteer coordinators an idea of what special talents they can call on. That said, you don't need any special qualifications to be a general support volunteer or a mentor, just the right attitude.
You can find your local resettlement field office by checking the websites of the following organizations:
International Rescue Committee
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Heartland Alliance for Human Rights and Human Needs
Iowa Department of Human Services
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services
For more information about refugee resettlement, read the excellent Transitionland blog.
[Iraqi refugees in the US are briefed by their sponsor - Photo from the AP article 'Policy turn diverts Iraqis from Michigan' (4 October 20080)]
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