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The Triad prepares to welcome nearly 1200 Afghan evacuees
World Relief Triad is excited to report that we are officially welcoming Afghan arrivals. As one of the many agencies welcoming nearly 1,200 afghan evacuees in the coming months, there are many needs.
Director of the Triad office, Rob Cassell, spoke on our offices’ integration services that will be provided. While there are many resources that have already been provided, the need is still prevalent.
“So, for the community to come around and help us give some direct support. Helping with housing, helping with food, helping with medical support is very important,” Cassell said.
Learn more about how you can respond here, and watch this piece to hear about World Relief Triad’s position as a partner to the community in welcoming their new neighbors.
5 Impacts of Resettling Refugees
What happens when countries increase refugee resettlement?
The current U.S. presidential administration recently announced that the refugee ceiling for the 2022 federal fiscal year (which began on October 1, 2021, and will continue through September 30, 2022) will be 125,000. Reaching this number will be difficult. Policy changes from the former presidential administration and the ongoing pandemic are complex challenges. However, we can still expect that the U.S. will be accepting many more refugees in the next 12 months… and welcoming an increasing number of refugees may make Americans wonder: how does refugee resettlement impact the communities that receive new arrivals?
At World Relief, we believe that our Christian faith calls us to welcome and love our immigrant and refugee neighbors – regardless of any benefits that they might bring to us. However, we know that the increase of refugees might bring up questions or concerns, so here’s what happens when a country like the United States resettles more refugees.
1. Entrepreneurship grows as refugees and immigrants found new businesses
What is the quality that so many MBAs say makes a good entrepreneur? So often, the quality is the ability to tolerate risk! Starting a new business is risky and can be very scary – especially if you are taking out a loan, spending your life savings, or starting a new partnership! With that in mind, it’s not surprising that refugees are incredibly entrepreneurial and have the highest entrepreneurship rates along both the U.S.-born and foreign-born populations! Refugees are forced to exercise adaptability, innovation, and resilience often – think about the risk of leaving your home to start a life in a new country.
Refugees are so entrepreneurial that in 2015, 181,000 refugee entrepreneurs generated $4.6 billion in business income, providing all kinds of tangible benefits to Americans! New businesses are also responsible for a big chunk of new job creation, so by becoming entrepreneurs, refugees benefit the job sector in amazing ways that impact everyone for the better!
2. Businesses gain employees to fill in labor gaps
Did you know that the foreign-born population (immigrants and refugees) works at a higher rate than the native-born population (people who were born in the U.S. or are native U.S. citizens)? It’s true! In fact, the refugee population coming to the U.S. tends to be of working age (25-64 years old) and has a higher employment rate! The data shows that refugees who come to the U.S. get to work – and rather than taking jobs from native-born workers, they fill important positions in sectors that have a high need for labor!
3. Receiving communities gain new perspectives as refugees bring skills and insights
Don’t you love meeting someone who brings a whole different perspective and list of skills and experiences to the conversation? Refugees often speak multiple languages, have professional qualifications and skills, and know life in more than one culture. That makes them a huge asset to the workplaces they join and important contributors to community life! Refugee resettlement can bring new ideas, customs, cuisine, art, and poetry.
4. Cities come back to life
Refugees have the power to bring dying cities back to life! Past success stories show how refugee resettlement in a city can bring new vibrancy, economic life, and culture to cities experiencing economic slowdowns and declining populations. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 7,000 Vietnamese families changed an entire neighborhood for the better. In Utica, New York, refugee families are 25% of the population. There, the county’s executive officer says that they have “renovated and revitalized whole neighborhoods.” In Cleveland, Ohio, a 2012 study showed that refugees from Bhutan, Ukraine, Burma, and Somalia created new jobs and boosted the Cleveland economy by $48 million. Over just one year, refugee-owned businesses directly brought $7.6 million in economic activity to Cleveland.
“[T]he refugees have renovated and revitalized whole neighborhoods.”
Anthony Picente, Jr., Oneida County’s Executive Officer
And this can be so much more than a short-term solution for these cities! Not only do refugee arrivals boost the population and bring new development, but the impact continues well into the future! Refugees are magnets. Their thriving communities attract friends and family who join in transforming the neighborhood for good! These new arrivals buy homes, start businesses, raise children, and get involved in the neighborhood. And by doing that, they create a need for jobs, bring new vibrancy, and boost the economy.
5. Economies flourish
To make a long story short – refugees help their new economies to flourish! Over and over again, there have been reports showing that refugees are positive contributors to the U.S. economy. Though there are educational and resettlement costs to welcoming new refugee arrivals, they are far surpassed by the benefits!
A report in 2017 found that refugees contributed $63 billion more than they cost between 2005 and 2014. Specifically, refugees brought $41 billion in net fiscal benefits to the federal government and $22 billion to state and local governments. That is after you take out the costs of $35.9 billion that were largely due to education! And second-generation Americans – including the children of refugees—go on to have higher incomes, educations, and rates of homeownership than their parents. Refugee resettlement reaps rewards for future generations!
Refugee Resettlement: A Unique Calling and Opportunity
The global crisis of displaced people is worse than ever. The good news is that the U.S. has a unique opportunity to respond by accepting more refugee arrivals this year.
World Relief provides the services that refugees need. But you have the opportunity to help refugees rebuild their lives. You can make a life-long impact when you act out of love and compassion to love your refugee neighbor.
We don’t welcome refugees because of the benefits they bring to us. Our faith calls us to “welcome the stranger.”
For us, the word refugee is no longer an abstract descriptor, or merely a legal designation or a statistic: he or she is our neighbor, colleague, friend, or even family.
iSSAM sMEIR, MATT SOERENS, AND STEPHAN BAUMAN
SEEKING REFUGE: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis
And yet, the evidence shows that the communities that do welcome refugees are often richly blessed in return. In other words, refugee resettlement is a win-win!
Join World Relief in welcoming our immigrant and refugee neighbors this year.
Read more:
Triad agencies say they’ll help Afghan arrivals.
World Relief Triad’s office director speaks on behalf of nonprofit in response to Afghan crisis.
As the U.S. prepare to welcome Afghan evacuees, World Relief Triad is one of the many agencies listed as an agency welcoming to Afghan parolees. There is no clear number from Governor Cooper’s office, but agencies are preparing. Additionally, there is an expected 150 people to resettle in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Rob Cassell, Office Executive Director, speaks on behalf of office concerning the situation.
“This isn’t going to be a massive flow of people in the next few weeks,” says Cassell. “This is going to be people entering into our community over the next few months. So the need isn’t just going to be over the next few weeks.”
To learn more, watch this piece at WFMY News 2.
Todd Unzicker and Adam Clark: Christians must heed the call to welcome Afghan refugees and other vulnerable immigrants
By Todd Unzicker and Adam Clark //
More than 1,000 Afghans will resettle in North Carolina in the coming months after fleeing violence and oppression from the Taliban. When they arrive here, it will be up to North Carolinians to welcome them.
This presents a challenge, but it is also an opportunity. We can and must answer the call to welcome our vulnerable neighbors from across the world. As Christian leaders, we think a big part of the responsibility for doing so falls to us and our fellow believers, to those of us who call ourselves the body of Christ.
Our faith commands that we empathize with the suffering of refugees. Jesus himself, our Lord, fled persecution with his family as a child. Caring for the vulnerable demonstrates the great love that Christ first showed us, and we live out our calling as Christ-followers by welcoming and seeking justice for the “sojourner.”
Many are already answering this call to welcome. For example, Vic and Michele Wallace are long-time members of The Summit Church in Durham. The Wallaces have been serving refugees in the local community for the past decade as they have lived out biblical hospitality and been blessed by their new refugee friends. Read more at the Greensboro News & Record
A Working Dream
More than 15 years ago, Yvette and her siblings fled the Democratic Republic of Congo because of war. They would spend the next part of their lives in limbo, waiting in a refugee camp in Burundi to see where they would be allowed to resettle.
“If you’re a refugee, it’s the organization that chooses the country,” Yvette said. “We were very happy when they chose the U.S. for us.”
After years of waiting, Yvette’s family would get the chance to start anew in a foreign country. Despite the challenges that it would present, she knew it wouldn’t be as difficult as what she had already experienced.
“It’s difficult over there. If you don’t have a job, how will you find food or a house?” she said. “I was very happy—very, very, very happy [when I found out]. I thanked God, and I prayed a lot.”
No longer would she be selling clothes in a market in Burundi. Instead, she would finally be realizing her dream of working.
“My dream is to work,” Yvette explained with a smile. “I have a lot of ideas, but we’ll start with working. It’s the most important.”
With the help of World Relief Memphis, Yvette and her two sisters were able to do just that. World Relief’s Economic Empowerment team helped them find open positions, apply and prepare for the interview.
“I’m waiting to work right now,” Yvette said the night before her job orientation. “I start tomorrow, and I’m very happy to work because it will change my life. I’ll have a better life, of good quality.”
She knows that there is still a long road ahead of her in the journey to rebuild her life in the U.S., but she is grateful for the second chance she and her family have been given and for the help of the team at World Relief Memphis.
“When we saw the people there to welcome us, we were very happy because we weren’t expecting that,” said Yvette, 37. “They helped us with English school, with financial aid, just welcoming us. We thank World Relief for everything.”
In addition to English classes at the Connect Language Center, Yvette also went through a cultural orientation with the resettlement team where she learned how to call 911, how to enroll her daughter in school, etc.
Three months after arriving in the U.S., Yvette is still excited about what lies ahead of her. Now that her dream of working is within reach, she’s shifting her focus to her daughter, Divine.
“My dream for Divine is that she studies,” she explained. “Others will come after.”
Yvette, thank you for sharing your story. We are so glad to have you and your family in Memphis, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.
If you want to help others like Yvette begin rebuilding their lives in the U.S., consider joining us as a volunteer! Or, check out our open positions and join us as a permanent member of the team.Â
Welcome Afghans Event
Toba’s idea was simple: give hot meals to Afghan families. “They say the smallest act of kindness can make the biggest difference.”
Toba Adina, an Afghan refugee and World Relief Sacramento volunteer, felt compelled to help Afghan families build relationships with Sacramento neighbors. So, she decided to plan a Welcome Afghans event with the help of local organizations and Afghan businesses.
World Relief Sacramento partnered with River City Christian, Capital Community Athletics, Zainab at Fresh Mediterranean, Ariana Afghan Market, DJ Ahmed, Loomis Basin Charter School, and CalFire to provide free local Afghan meals (halal) and activities for new friends to enjoy together. Teens and adults of all ages and cultures played volleyball and soccer in the park, and a bounce house was set up for youth. CalFire also brought firetrucks and spoke to families about work in their communities.
Here we are today: an example of community, support, teamwork, kindness and passion to serve and help others,” Toba said. The Welcome Afghans event was more than just the hot meals Toba planned – Afghan and Sacramento families began building the foundation for lifelong friendships.
Here are four ways you can help Afghan families arriving to the United States:
Host Homes: Become a temporary host home for newly arrived families waiting to transition to more permanent housing. Apply >>
Economic Empowerment Kits: Give items that will support refugees to be successful in finding employment. Our Amazon wish list >>
Groceries: We’ve created a shopping list with the best options. This list follows religious guidelines to ensure there is culturally appropriate food for newly arrived refugee families. Download the grocery list >>
Giving: America is a place of welcome and that we are a people of welcome. When you give today, you join us in bringing hope, healing and restoration right here in Sacramento. Give >>
10 Timely Ways to Pray This Fall
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
As an organization motivated by Christian faith to serve those in vulnerable situations, World Relief Chicagoland believes in the power of prayer to transform lives and communities. This fall, will you join the community of staff, church partners, and individuals praying for lasting change as we walk alongside immigrants and refugees?
Prayers and Praises
1. Pray for the new school year.
With a new school year underway, pray for the success of all the students in school. That includes the young people who recently arrived in the United States and are attending school here for the very first time! Additionally, you can also ask God to bless the students returning for another year. We desire that they all feel supported, find belonging, and gain the knowledge they need to reach their goals.
2. Pray for refugee arrivals.
As World Relief Chicagoland, along with people like you, prepares to welcome 700 refugees to Chicagoland from all over the world starting this fall, praise God for this significant increase in arrivals! With so many new people coming, you can also pray for a smooth resettlement process for all the arriving families and individuals. Pray that we will serve them well.
3. Pray for Afghan evacuees.
In addition to the 700 refugees, World Relief Chicagoland will welcome an additional 150 people from Afghanistan in need of support. Ask God for them to receive a warm welcome from World Relief volunteers, donors, and the surrounding community. And pray for those in Afghanistan. Many are still seeking to leave the country in search of safety. And they have family here who are worried for them! You can ask that all feel comfort and peace and that families be reunited.
4. Pray for English learners.
Pray for World Relief Chicagoland’s Education Team, who are enrolling new English language learners in classes this fall. You can pray for those who are in beginner or career-focused English classes to improve their skills. Because we want all people to build community, we want to see them use their English skills to build relationships! Also, pray that they find satisfaction and success in the learning process and do not become discouraged.
5. Pray for asylum seekers.
This fall, we are connecting churches with families seeking asylum. These new relationships can be transformational for everyone involved, so ask that God help friendships form and for the financial and relational support that churches provide to make a lasting impact.
6. Pray for job searchers.
World Relief’s Employment Team works hard to help individuals find careers where they will thrive. We want them to use their gifts, skills, and passions to earn a living! Pray for the job seekers currently in training courses or studying for tests. We want them to prepare effectively for new jobs.
7. Pray for legal justice and family reunification.
Pray for the Immigration Legal Services Team. They provide legal information, counsel, and representation to people seeking justice and stability after arriving in the United States. Also, pray for people applying to be reunited with family members or seeking legal status to allow them to build lives in the United States for the long-term. Ask God that they have the opportunity to experience safety and lasting relationships.
8. Praise God for churches and volunteers.
Join in praising God for the outpouring of support from churches, volunteers, and financial partners! They are making it possible for us to welcome so many new families! Volunteers, groups who construct Welcome Kits for new refugee families, and those who pray and give financially play an important role. They are encouraging, inspiring, and a vital part of creating communities where everyone can thrive.
9. Praise God for partnership opportunities.
This year, we are thanking God for World Relief’s employer, organization, foundation, and church partners! Together, we make the biggest impact for immigrant and refugee families in Chicago and northern Illinois! Collaboration makes the biggest difference possible.
10. Praise God for advocates.
World Relief’s Advocates play an important role in raising immigrant issues to the public eye! Because of that, we are thankful for those who speak up! We praise God for voices of hope, love, and belonging in our churches and communities!
Join Us in Prayer
Father God, we thank you for providing for us. We ask that you would bless our immigrant and refugee neighbors. Meet their needs. Bring them comfort, joy, and peace. And use us as your hands and feet to show them your love. God, we thank you and praise you. Amen.
Thank you for joining World Relief Chicagoland in praying for our immigrant and refugee neighbors.
Afghans in Spokane reflect on the situation in Afghanistan
Last week, we sat down with Sayed and Hashemi to hear their perspective on the situation in Afghanistan. Sayed and Hashemi had been friends for years before they each decided to move to the United States. They worked for the same company, contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Seven years ago, they came to Spokane on Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). Now, their relatives are trying to follow in their footsteps.
“Even with that government, we didn’t feel safe and we moved here,” Sayed said. “Now you see everything’s changing, and it’s much worse than even we were thinking.”
Nine years ago, Sayed was traveling in a car on a routine trip from Kabul to Ghazni when his vehicle struck another driven by Taliban fighters. Sayed said it was “good fortune” that the Taliban let them go – but he knew he had to leave Afghanistan. He arrived in the U.S. as an SIV a year and a half before Hashemi. With assistance from World Relief Spokane, he resettled in Spokane and has lived here ever since.
Hashemi did not have such a close call with the Taliban, but still felt unsafe in Afghanistan. Not only was he working for the U.S. government, but he and Sayed are also from the Hazaras ethnic group, who predominantly follow Shia Islam and have faced persecution for over a century.
“Many times, repeatedly, they [the Taliban] have mentioned killing Hazara people is allowed,” Hashemi said. “No limitation on it.”
Hashemi had also worked with local media in Afghanistan, so his “picture and name was everywhere.” This, in combination with his Hazara identity and connections to the U.S., made him decide to apply for an SIV. Hashemi came to Spokane with Sayed as a reference, and resettled here through our Resettlement and Placement (R&P) Program.
“Actually, it was not really hard,” he said about the SIV process. “It took just a year for me. But I know some people – they came earlier than me, when we have applied at the same time.”
Watching from Spokane
On August 30, 2021, the U.S. military ended its withdrawal from Afghanistan, finalizing Taliban control over the country. Sayed and Hashemi felt the effects of the takeover immediately. Both of their extended families still live in Afghanistan. Sayed has four sisters-in-law who worked in important academic and government positions in Kabul. Because the Taliban does not allow women to work, they have been forced to stay at home.
“Now, they all have no jobs,” he said. “And look at those four critical jobs, in a country like Afghanistan…it’s been two months. They haven’t received any income.”
Sayed said he tried to help his sister and sisters-in-law, but there are problems on both sides. He has applied for humanitarian parole for his family, but has to wait weeks to months to hear back. In Afghanistan, his relatives have experienced difficulty receiving the money he has sent them.
“They don’t have access to their bank account,” Sayed said. “Because, if you go to the bank, you can only withdraw 10,000 Afghani, which is less than $200.”
Other family members who were part of the Afghan military will not go to the bank at all, for fear of being spotted by the Taliban. Hashemi’s family is in a similar situation. One of his brothers had to leave Afghanistan and his family because he had previously spoken out against the Taliban. Another relative was killed while serving as a commander in the Afghan military.
Hashemi has also tried sending money to his family, but like Sayed, they have had problems with the bank.
“My wife’s niece, she is also a dentist, but now she lost her job,” he said. “And now, she is in Kabul, but not living at her dad’s house. In another part of Kabul. She is alone over there.
“Women, girls, they all lose their jobs. They stay home, like prisoners.”
Hashemi and Sayed agree that the hardships their families are facing are not unique to them. They believe all Afghan families are facing these problems, especially members of minority groups. One of their concerns is that when winter arrives, many families will not have the resources to take care of themselves.
“It’s more than a challenge,” Sayed said. “Especially when winter comes. It’s super cold, freezing, in Kabul, in most of the cities in Afghanistan. So they cannot supply their needs.”
Support from the community
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic began and Spokane went into lockdown, the Afghan Jafaria community, which Sayed and Hashemi are part of, formed a connection with Shadle Park Presbyterian Church, one of our local church partners. They have a good relationship with Steve Lympus, the head pastor at Shadle Park.
“He’s helping us as much as he can,” Sayed said.
He and Hashemi both expressed appreciation for the support they have received from Shadle Park’s community. Hashemi said his American-born friends in Spokane often checked on him and his family.
“We have friends repeatedly asking how we can help you, financially,” he said. “They’re praying for us. A lot of people like that, living in Spokane. Thank you so much, to all Spokane.”
He and Sayed agreed that advocacy was crucial for them. They asked their neighbors in Spokane to address their local representatives and advocate increased support for Afghan allies.
“Physically we’re here, but mentally not,” Sayed said. “The situation affects our job, the quality of our job, the way we live here.
“I would ask people in Spokane to understand Afghans and the Afghan community, including the Jafaria community. Because if they understand, we can live better.”
Justin Li | 10/1/21
Abdul’s Story
by Adrienne Morton //
Abdul* began working for the United States Government in Afghanistan in 2007. Prior to his employment with the US military, he had served as a border soldier in Afghanistan and also spent time working for the United Nations. Abdul had always been a hard worker, and his work ethic was quickly recognized by the United States as he rapidly moved his way up the ladder and ultimately served as Chief of Support for a team of Afghan soldiers working alongside Americans.
Even now with the horrific images the world is seeing out of Afghanistan, he speaks fondly of his former life. “We had a good life back home. My family was in a village while I worked in the country…we felt comfortable there…my family was in a good position.” Having worked for the U.S. Government, Abdul qualified for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), which allowed him to enter the U.S. under refugee status, along with his family. The SIV program is designed to protect global citizens who were formerly employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government overseas. Abdul’s family was resettled by World Relief Durham in November 2020.
Abdul was appreciative when asked about his family in Afghanistan, with whom he speaks every day. “They are safe because they are not in Kabul. They don’t go outside very often and are staying at home.” As the only member of his extended family who served with the U.S. Government, he was the sole family member who qualified for SIV status.
He believes his family in Afghanistan is safe – for now. While his extended family is healthy and has food on the table, he acknowledges that their future in Afghanistan is fraught with uncertainty and fear. “Those who worked with the U.S. and Afghan governments are not safe; there is no trust. Everyone is in danger right now…people’s lives are unsafe…every moment is very dangerous.”
Abdul says that all Afghans are sad right now. “We are all thinking about our families back home and how we can support them.” When asked about how the local community can help, his answer was quick and simple – “It’s your kindness.”
Starting again in the U.S. has been hard. “There are new people, it’s a new and different country, sometimes very happy and sometimes very sad. But it is better than Afghanistan. No one wants to leave their country, but we will do our best to have a good life here.”
After being offered several employment opportunities, Abdul opted to work as a cashier at a gas station due to its proximity to his apartment. He’s currently supporting his immediate family of nine in the U.S. and his extended family in Afghanistan through this job, though he aspires to gain employment more like what he had back in Afghanistan. “I had a big position with the U.S. Government and I will do my best to find a better job.”
When asked what he would like others to know about the situation in Afghanistan he replied, “I ask all of the world to help Afghanistan, to understand the situation there, because only Afghan people suffer from everything (happening there). I don’t want this situation to continue.”
*Name changed for confidentiality
Economic Empowerment in Action
This month, we’ve been focusing on our economic empowerment department. They work alongside our families to help prepare them to enter into the workforce, and they also partner with companies to bring in new employees. We spoke with Leigh Ann Frazier, who works at SIMOS Solutions, about our partnership.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Can you tell me a little bit about your role and what Simos does?
SIMOS is a staffing partner that helps companies fill jobs in distribution, fulfillment, reverse logistics and light manufacturing. We hire workers for a client warehouse site and we manage that part of the business for the client.
My role as the recruiting manager is to manage the recruiters that interview, select, and assign the people that come and work at the warehouse with SIMOS.
How did World Relief come to get connected with you all?
I connected with World Relief back in 2016-17 while working at a warehouse in South Memphis, and we would have some of your employment counsellors come and help with applications, help with orientation, help with the first day of training [for WRM clients].
One of our clients really valued themselves on the diversity of the site and had flags for every country that we had people working, and it was like thirty flags. There were tons of flags, and we were able to add three flags to the display by working through World Relief.
But sometimes there were language barriers and we needed help translating so that people could learn how to do their jobs and fill out necessary paperwork. We partnered with World Relief and once we started to get a bigger group of specific nationalities, there was always somebody that we would be able to communicate with.
We were really proud of what we did at this organization.
Do you still work with the same warehouse or are there multiple different ones?
There’s multiple different warehouses.
So at each warehouse the role looks a little bit different, but each time World Relief helped with applications, and it’s not necessarily a job where they need English?
Right. That’s how my relationships started because they welcomed people that didn’t speak English.
Over the past couple of years, how would you say your partnerships have evolved?
Recruiting has taken a totally different flavor over the last couple of years, especially with the pandemic so I will say that we haven’t been as involved with World Relief as I wanted to.
I was really excited to get an email from Donroy that things are opening back up, that you guys have a new employment specialist there working in Memphis, so hopefully I can start a new relationship growing and fostering again.
Since you have worked with so many different warehouses and World Relief clients, have they said anything about the benefits of having such a diverse applicant pool?
Of course. Their reliability and work ethic are both strong, and they’re great workers. They don’t have as many opportunities, so when we give them that opportunity, they tend to be really reliable workers.
If other people were looking to join us as employment partners, would you have any advice?
Have an open mind. You have to be willing to flex outside of your normal onboarding and training procedures. You have to be able to flex and go because it’s different, and it takes a little more work but the benefits are there if you put in the effort.
Leigh Ann, thank you for your continued partnership and for taking the time to speak with us. If you would like to join us in welcoming our neighbors as they prepare to enter the workforce, see how you can do so here. If you want to get involved in another way, consider volunteering or donating items to help provide a warm welcome to the 901.