Photo Share - Helping Refugees Help Refugees |
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March 21st, 2005 - 06:31AM |
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Photo: The IRC From Vanessa Ortiz, project officer, Project SOAR, IRC resettlement program: Refugees who come to the U.S. to start a new life have always depended on those who arrived before them to help them adjust. One of the ways the IRC assists them is by strengthening organizations founded by refugees, for refugees. On February 10 and 11, IRC staff met with representatives from four refugee-run non-profits helping Iraqi refugees and immigrant communities in Chicago, Dearborn, Nashville and St. Louis. The deputy director of the IRC's Miami office, Nicola Rigby, walked the group through the basics of strategic planning for non-profits. It was a long day with lots of discussion about the importance of establishing a mission statement, and how to determine the needs of a community and develop your programs around those needs. Eqdam, Nabaz, Fuad and Alyasiri (who likes to be called Al) discussed the special challenges and needs that Iraqi refugees face in the U.S., reading the daily headlines and watching their country as it fluctuates between violence and hope. They said that Iraqis in the U.S. are torn between their new home and events that affect loved ones back in Iraq. Posted By: Kathleen Sands | Photo Shares, Refugees in the U.S. Permalink |
