Posts by Gaby Keim
Ali’s Story: A Refugee Pharmacist Using His Career to Give Back to Others
In 2010, a man named Ali AlQaisi arrived to the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq. At home in Baghdad, he had worked as a pharmacist. But when he and his family arrived to the United States, he faced the challenge of starting over entirely. He had to rebuild his life. He had to restart his career.
But the journey to gaining his credentials and returning to the health sector would not be an easy one.
The challenges could be easy to overlook In 2022, Ali is a clinical specialist with CVS Health and is board certified in geriatric pharmacy. By any standard, his is a story of massive success. He even won a 2021 Paragon Award, a recognition from Omicron of CVS Health that is “granted to an exceptional employee who best embodies the company’s values, is a model of excellence, and lives its purpose every day.”
But Ali is not just excelling in his career. Part of his mission is to help others in his community…so that all can succeed! One way he does that is by tutoring immigrant medical professionals preparing for pharmacy exams. Each person must pass the exam to practice in the United States, but this can be challenging to manage in a new language while working to support a family and navigating a new cultural environment. Ali walks with other immigrants as they study, and he helps connect them with internship and job opportunities so that they can grow in their careers.
“I know what an overwhelming experience it is to start over in a new country. If I can help ease the transition of one refugee, it is worth it.”
Ali AlQaisi, a refugee from Iraq
Hear Ali share more of his story below.
Fleeing Violence in Search of Hope
My family and I left our hometown in 2006 due to sectarian violence. This violence hits very close because I lost my dad to it. We left the country and went to Lebanon where we registered as a refugee with the United Nations. We waited there for four years and in 2010, we came to the United States.
I arrived here with my wife, my seven-month-old son, my mom, and my younger brother.
I can recall that day as the happiest day in our lives. It was also a day full of uncertainty and fear. As like with many other refugees, our main struggle was the language barrier, cultural gap, and adapting to the new system in the United States. When I say the new system, I mean every single detail in our daily life is a struggle for the immigrant and the new arrival.
When I came here, I was 30 years old, and I did not know how to get groceries or baby formula for my son.
I felt incapable of taking care of myself and my family. I look back and have no idea how we could have made it without the help and support we received from World Relief. World Relief was there from the first day as they waited for us at the airport. They provided us with everything we needed to settle down and they guided us step by step.
They provided ESL classes, helped us find jobs, they connected us with a community of well-established families and volunteers, and helped us adapt to the system.
A Career Pathway Back to Pharmacy
Our first year here, I worked in a factory. I was so happy and grateful to provide for my family while I was navigating a very complicated healthcare system in order to transfer my license as a pharmacist. Back then I did not know any foreign pharmacists who had gone through the same process, and this made it very challenging. I did not know how to start. I did not know when to start.
In June 2011, we had our second baby. At that time, I was preparing to take my first exam and I was so terrified and scared to fail that exam because the exam cost $800. I could not afford to lose $800 if I failed the exam, but my wife encouraged and supported me to take it. I took the exam and passed it. We were so determined to succeed. We did all that we could.
The first couple of years in the United States, we did not have a social life. We would work, study, and prepare to take exams. I worked seven days a week and studied for the exam. My wife took care of the kids and worked a part-time job while she was preparing to take exams.
In the beginning of 2014, I became a registered pharmacist in the state of Illinois. Today, I am a licensed pharmacist in 11 states and a board-certified specialist in geriatric pharmacy. My wife is a hospital pharmacy manager. We are blessed with three kids.
Giving Back as a Pharmacist
Since the first day our struggle ended, we made a commitment to support new arrivals and refugees on their journey.
My story is a great example of when you are helping an individual, you are not just helping one person, but you are helping the community. It has an exponential impact.
Leading From Where You Are
Ali demonstrates what it means to lead from where you are. He is actively engaged in the Chicagoland community using his professional expertise to help newly arriving refugees navigate the American health system, ensure they attend medical appointments, and reduce language and cultural barriers to support adherence to their treatment plan. And by supporting others in their careers, he is helping build a stronger community.
He is creating lasting change.
Continue reading:
5 Ways You Can Lead in Your Community
Partner Spotlight: Greg & Olivia Evans on “Who is my neighbor?”
Partner Spotlight: Greg & Olivia Evans on “Who is my neighbor?”
When their children were school-age and began attending the neighborhood school right around the corner, Greg and Olivia Evans quickly realized something. The students their children were sitting next to in class did not look like them. From a distance, they watched school counselors and teachers meeting the needs of recently resettled refugees. They saw these students learning a new language and navigating a huge life change.
Connecting with World Relief Chicagoland
As they saw this, Olivia (and Greg) began wondering: “How can we be a part of this? Is there a way for us to give kids equal footing in the same way we want to provide for our own kids? Is there a way for us to help make a difference? And that’s where we met World Relief.”
From this point forward, the Evans’ partnership with World Relief has only expanded. They’ve brought multiple neighbors onto the journey with them. They had friends saying – “I can drive a car.” or “I can be of service.” In fact, their neighbor around the corner is still involved. He will say, “I’m doing an airport run tonight.”
For the Evans, it all comes back to the concept of loving your neighbor. Loving your neighbor can be grand or simple, and there is room for all of that in World Relief’s work. It’s just a matter of asking yourself, what will I do?
Answering “Who is my neighbor?”
One of the ways Greg and Olivia are responding is through financial partnership. Each year, they take time to talk with their kids. They talk about where they can have a tangible financial impact and what feels important to them. For the last several years, World Relief has been at the forefront of what is important.
Ultimately, for Greg (and Olivia) it comes back to the question: “Who is my neighbor? Everyone is my neighbor. How do I show love? In any way I can.”
Welcoming New Neighbors
World Relief Chicagoland relies on the generosity of partners, like Greg and Olivia, to welcome and walk alongside immigrants and refugees as they rebuild their lives. For over 40 years because of the generosity of others, World Relief has welcomed thousands of new neighbors helping them reach stability and responding in love.
Will you give to build welcoming and just communities for immigrants and refugees to thrive?
Lent Prayer Guide: A Call to Give
What is Lent?
Lent is a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this time of reflection, Lent is also a call to give up something for 40 days. We do this in order to not only become more aware of God’s presence in us, but to give in to who God is shaping us to be.
Lent feels more poignant this year. We are witnessing widespread suffering across the world and navigating many emotions in our own personal lives. Together we help hundreds of refugees and immigrants who fled their home and are now seeking safety, rebuilding their lives, and finding belonging in a new home. All this takes work and takes people – like you and me – coming together to acknowledge these realities and step forward into what God has for us.
There is a question that begs our attention. How is God calling you to give up, give in, and give out during this season of Lent?
A Season of Giving
The Lenten season is unique for Christians because it reminds us of what Jesus endured on our behalf. He suffered by being beaten and nailed to a cross, died in front of his family and loved ones, was buried in a tomb, and then was resurrected defeating sin once and for all.
The actions Christ displayed for us compels us to respond during this Lenten season. Here are four tangible ways you can enter into Lent with World Relief Chicagoland:
- Pray daily for refugees and immigrants in our community. Pray for those who are currently displaced all around the world.
- Learn from your friends, neighbors, and right here on World Relief Chicagoland’s blog about how you can welcome and walk alongside refugees and immigrants in your community.
- Give your time and resources to help refugees and immigrants rebuild their lives and flourish in their new home.
- Advocate for refugees and immigrants by contacting your elected officials.
As you can see, at World Relief Chicagoland this Lenten season is a call to reflect on giving. What is holding you back from seeing what you need to give up? How can you make space to intentionally reflect and give in to how God is moving? In what way will you give out in response to what God is doing through you?
Download the Lent Prayer Guide: A Call to Give
For these reasons we created this Lent prayer guide for you. Through this guide you will join others throughout the World Relief community in daily prayer for refugee and immigrant neighbors. May this season of Lent be filled with giving up what is holding us back, giving in to what God has for us, and giving out what God pours into us.
More Resources to Pray with World Relief Chicagoland:
4 Resources From World Relief Staff That Have Shaped Their Journey: MLK Day
At World Relief, we are committed to welcoming refugees and immigrants as they rebuild their lives in the United States. Together, we’ve come alongside over 40,000 people seeking refuge in Chicagoland. Yet there still remains over 80 million people displaced from their homes around the world. This reminds us of Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” So, on this day that commemorates his work and legacy, a few World Relief Chicagoland staff took time to share a resource (or two) that has impacted them personally. We hope these personal recommendations from staff will be helpful or thought-provoking on our collective journey to be a welcoming community for refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants.
1. The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri
Author Dina Nayeri in her book The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You shares her own story and the stories of other migrants she’s met over a span of decades. She writes with profound insightfulness and passion for supporting others in their journeys. I am grateful for the ways she’s helped my perspective and empathy in my work to grow.
– Rebecca Larsen, World Relief Chicagoland Preferred Communities Program Manager
2. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
With a new baby at home, my reading materials have shifted a bit this year, but I’ve really enjoyed reading our daughter stories from diverse writers and backgrounds to start to give her a sense of the world around her. Dreamers is a wonderful story of a mother and daughter who come to the U.S. dreaming of a better life. The illustrations are also amazing and include a lot of “mariposas” (butterflies), a symbol associated with support for immigrants.
– Andy DeBoer, World Relief Chicagoland Grants Manager
3. The Intersected Project
I serve as editor-in-chief at an intersectional publication, part of a larger racial equity project that my best friend and I founded in 2020. Intersected Project’s mission is to empower individuals to take practical actions for racial equity in their communities. We have put out several resources that touch on the intersection of race and immigration.
This has been helpful on my journey because I learn as I research and edit, and stay involved in the collective work for liberation.
– Katelyn Skye Bennett, World Relief Chicagoland Employment Counselor
4. “Goats and Soda” & “The Better Samaritan”
Every time I read NPR “Goats and Soda” blog or Christianity Today‘s “The Better Samaritan” blog, I gain a new perspective on global issues and how people in the United States can engage with hard topics like poverty, migration, mental health care for refugees, charitable giving, economic research, and so much more. The “Goats and Soda” blog from NPR is journalism from reporters across different countries and cultures and really sheds light on topics too often overlooked but which deeply impact the most vulnerable people around the world.
The “Better Samaritan” blog challenges Christians to love our neighbors in practical ways while also “using our hearts and smarts” as we seek to do good and provides interesting perspectives from people working in areas like public health, disaster recovery, refugee resettlement, and more. Both blogs are such a great way to learn something new and gain a broader perspective into what our neighbors experience and how we can engage.
– Carrie Woodward, World Relief Chicagoland Foundations Manager
What’s your next step?
We realize there are countless other resources for you to read or listen to the stories of refugees and immigrants. On the one hand, maybe that’s where you’ll go next. If so, check out 4 Ways to Reach, Watch, and Listen to Powerful Immigrant and Refugee Stories. On the other hand, maybe your next step is to get more involved. If so, here’s how you can volunteer and advocate with World Relief Chicagoland. Regardless of your next step, we hope these resources inspire your journey to love and welcome refugees and immigrants.
Continue Reading:
Something New: A Devotional for 2022
by Gaby Keim, Changemaker Team Lead
With a very unpredictable year behind us, we step forward into 2022. We may find ourselves yet again in the unpredictability, but we can have confidence that God is about to do something new just as he has done for generations before. What could that “something new” be for you in 2022?
Making a Way
2021 began the same way it ended: with a surge in the pandemic. With all that has come in the past year, there is a wide range of emotions each of us are met with.
Youth tutors helped children and youth navigate the complexity of e-learning at the beginning of 2021 in isolating times. English tutors found innovative ways to help students learn English virtually against seemingly impossible odds. Countless legal aid appointments were completed providing hope where it felt hopeless. And when tragedy struck in Afghanistan, so many World Relief partners came alongside newly arriving individuals and families setting up apartments for people to call their new home. There was a lot to navigate.
In such a chaotic and overwhelming year, I am drawn back to how chaotic and overwhelming it must have been for Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. When word reached Pharaoh and his officials that the Israelites had fled, he changed his mind and pursued them, eventually catching up.
The Israelites cried out for deliverance from the Egyptians, and God met them in a very tangible way. He called upon Moses to raise his hands, and the Red Sea parted for them to walk through.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God looks back upon this moment in history:
I am the Lord who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea, I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
Isaiah 43:16-17 NLT
God looks back to not only recount how he has been there for the Israelites, but to show how he will always be there for his people.
It makes me think about how he made a way in 2021 within the hardship, chaos, and unpredictability. What waters did God part for you walk through this past year?
Created for a New Work
Isaiah served as God’s mouthpiece to the Israelites and called them beyond what had already happened in human history. He spoke the direct words of God:
But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT
I attend a church plant and our new space is currently undergoing renovations. With that, we held our Christmas service at a church who graciously offered their space to us in the neighborhood. When I walked into the church, I was struck by how the ceilings soared, and stained glass stretched high. Church architecture has historically been designed to draw our eyes and hearts upward to Jesus Christ. Likewise in this passage, God is calling us to direct our eyes upward.
With the past year being anything but ordinary, the prophet Isaiah’s words provide us hope. His words tell us that even when circumstances seem bleak, God is making a pathway through the wilderness; and even when situations seem dry and difficult, God is creating rivers that flow.
As we enter into the new year, where do you need to look up to see Christ?
Seeing it Through for Eternity
Have you thought about how coming into a new year the picture we have on our minds is the birth of Christ? God bending himself to us, coming in human form as a baby, serves as a tangible reminder that God is at work. He came to meet with us and be with us.
And this is what God tells us next through Isaiah:
The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and the owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make them rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
Isaiah 43:20-21 NLT
God has yet to give up on his people and he has no plans to. As we step into a new year, we have a surefooted faith that God will be with us. He will be with us as we welcome hundreds of refugees and immigrants to Chicagoland. Furthermore, he will work in us to transform our heart, mind, and body to be more like him so we are ready to welcome just as he has welcomed us.
Isaiah tells us that refreshing is coming. Where do you need refreshment, so you can walk into the “something new” God has for you in 2022?
A New Year Prayer for You
God, thank you for helping us to make it through this difficult year. Thank you that you’ve carried us through the uncertainty of deep waters, through the flames of trials, and through the pain of hard losses. We are constantly aware of how much we need you, your grace, your strength, your power working through even the toughest days.
Thank you for your reminder that both in seasons of celebration and in seasons of brokenness, you are still with us. For you never leave us. Thank you for your powerful presence in our lives, that we can be assured your heart is towards us, your eyes are over us, and your ears are open to our prayers.
As we begin a new year, we choose to press in close to you and keep you first in our hearts and lives. Without you, we would surely fail, but with you, there is great hope. Thank you for your healing power, thank you for bringing us into this new season up ahead. We look forward to all that you still have in store. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stories of Hope from 2021:
Thanksgiving: Inviting You to a Moment of Praise and Prayer
As we enter into the holiday season, what are you most thankful for? Maybe it is the birth of a new grandchild this year, more time spent with your family, tending a garden this past summer, spending time in nature, or even experiencing the struggles in life that led to growth.
As an organization motivated by Christian faith, World Relief Chicagoland considers our gratitude as a moment to see God at work in our midst and respond in prayer. How can you do the same? The Psalmist captures this gratitude as he celebrates God’s love and compassion. He responds in praise.
In Psalm 103, we read:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV
Moments of Praise
A call to praise God is often the climax of praise in the Psalter. Here at World Relief, there are many ways we can praise God for his work as we enter into Thanksgiving. May we take a moment to recognize and praise God for his love and compassion.
- Between our three offices in Aurora, Chicago, and DuPage County, we have welcomed nearly 200 arrivals since September 1st.
- Our Chicago office began welcoming newly arriving refugee families for the first time since 2018.
- Well over 1100 people have inquired to volunteer in the past three months.
- Students attending the Careers Pathways class were hired in well-paying positions to support their families.
- More students have been able to take part in English classes because they are virtual.
Moments of Prayer
At the same time, there are many ways we are asking God to move in the months ahead. This Thanksgiving, will you join the World Relief community in prayer for lasting change?
- For all the new refugee arrivals for smooth adjustments to the United States and to be able to adapt to the weather this winter.
- For our refugee and Afghan evacuee’s who are arriving to the United States with high expectations and finding everything much more difficult than they expect it to be from housing to jobs.
- More volunteers to tutor students who are learning English.
- The right people to join the World Relief Chicagoland team as there are many open positions and that these new staff members would feel welcomed.
- Permanent housing options that are affordable for families to move into upon their arrival.
- For our Immigration Legal Services team who are hearing about many situations of people processing trauma and feeling very overwhelmed.
- For World Relief Chicagoland staff to find times of rest and renewal this holiday season.
Join us in Prayer
We’re reminded that while creating change isn’t easy, it’s possible when we move together. May we pray this prayer of thanksgiving as we gather with friends and family this holiday season.
God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: […]
We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands, who call us to grow in understanding, for children, who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
Vienna Cobb Anderson
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.
For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We would love for you to share these moments of praise and prayer with your family and friends. When you share this post, tag World Relief Chicagoland on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thank you for joining World Relief Chicagoland in praying for our refugee and immigrant neighbors as they rebuild a new life in our community.
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