Frontline Reports
All In This Together
Over the last few weeks, our world, our organization and the communities in which we serve have experienced rapid amounts of change. Like many of you, my colleagues and I have shifted to working from home for the foreseeable future, and our 16 offices across the U.S. have closed their physical locations. As our teams have moved quickly to create innovative ways to serve our immigrant and refugee neighbors during this time, I have been struck by the idea that we really are all in this together, and have felt compelled to consider what “being in this together” truly means.
Initially, you and I might picture family and friends as we think about weathering this storm together. We might expand our view to include our churches and schools, coworkers and classmates, the healthcare workers and grocery store clerks we see responding on the frontlines. And while all of these are, indeed, included in together, I can’t help but wonder if our view should expand even wider.
When I look to scripture, I see that every tribe, tongue and nation is present at the throne of God, and that’s the very picture I want to inform my definition of together. For over 75 years, World Relief has been coming alongside refugees and other vulnerable immigrants who have been displaced by extreme poverty, violence, oppression and disasters. Many of these people live right here within our own communities and are experiencing the same sorts of hardships we are throughout this pandemic. Sadly, for many of them, unique vulnerabilities including language barriers, fear of ICE and family separation make this time even harder.
Even as we seek to support vulnerable immigrants during this crisis, many of the people in the communities where we serve are using what they have to give back as well. Sei Paw and the Karenni Burmese refugees in Winston Salem, NC is one such community that is pitching in to serve others. Recently, they came together and made over 3,000 masks to give to healthcare workers and other first responders through an initiative called Project Mask.
Rob Cassell, the Executive Director of World Relief Triad, got to talk with Sei Paw about Project Mask and why she got involved. My prayer is that as you read, you would take Sei Paw’s words to heart and begin to see her and other refugees like her as valued members of our community.
When were you first resettled in the United States?
I first came to the United States in October 2009. I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for three years before moving to Winston-Salem.
Where are you originally from, and what caused you to have to flee from your home country?
I am originally from Burma. I had to flee when I was 16 years old because the Karenni people were accused of being involved with insurgents in Burma. The military came and tried to grab me and take me with them. It was very scary. My family fled because it was no longer safe. My grandmother was killed by the government who accused her of being a spy. Thankfully, my mom and I escaped the country and went to live in a refugee camp. My brother, who had been disabled by a mine, also escaped and was eventually resettled in Australia.
After leaving your home, did you have to wait anywhere before being resettled in the U.S? How long did you have to wait?
Yes. I had to live in a refugee camp in Thailand for eight-and-a-half years. There was no freedom in the camp. We were not allowed to go anywhere else.
What role did World Relief play in her resettlement?
I, personally, was resettled by Catholic Charities, but many of the other 500 Karenni refugees in Winston-Salem were resettled by World Relief. Many in our community have also worked with World Relief translators and English teachers.
How has the COVID-19 crisis affected you, your family and your community?
It has created a bad situation for some of us. I started experiencing racism because I am Asian. Some people blamed me and my friends and family for the virus. Once, at a grocery store, a woman in line behind me shouted at me (the only Asian in the store) to get out of the way. I have never experienced this kind of aggression from others before.
Another time, I was in line at the grocery store, and the cashier was chatting nicely with the person in front of me. When it was my turn, the cashier turned away from me and completely ignored me. He then closed his register without even acknowledging me. I had to go use the self-checkout and kept wondering what I did wrong? I was only trying to buy food.
As I left, I noticed they opened the lane up again. I teared up in the car and prayed, “Lord, help me. Help my people. I don’t want it to be like this.”
Before COVID-19, cashiers at the grocery store were very friendly to me and my husband, but lately, I’ve felt very scared to go places.
What is Project Mask?
It’s a community project where people are sewing masks for people on front lines — healthcare workers, firemen, EMS and those working in nursing homes and hospitals.
What inspired you to get involved?
I got involved through my friends at RISE Winston-Salem, which is a program through the local YMCA that helps women learn English and how to sew.
I wanted to show that the Karenni and other refugees have skills to contribute, and we want to give back to our community and to the country. My first year in America I heard Obama quote Kennedy saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” That quote has guided me and led me to encourage more of my friends to get involved.
When did you first learn to sew and who taught you?
I first learned as a teenager in Burma. I attended some classes at a local Catholic Church when I was 15 to 16 years old. When I fled Burma and went to live in the camp, there were some sewing classes there as well that I took.
Is sewing a regular part of your life?
Not really. I haven’t sewed in over 20 years but started again just to make masks.
Who else participated in Project Mask with you?
There were 15 others from my Karenni community who made masks along with me.
How did it feel to participate in this project?
It felt great. It was amazing. I didn’t know it would be like this. I just wanted to help and show that my community could help the wider community.
How many masks have you been able to make?
We have made over 3,000 masks and are still sewing! Our original goal was 1,500, and we’re already passed that.
How has this project impacted your community?
It has given a name to the Karenni and prompted people to learn more about us and where we have come from. There has been a lot of support from others saying how proud they are of our community. We feel very proud of who we are and what we have been able to accomplish.
What would you say to others who want to support those in need during this crisis?
It’s easy to get involved. There is always something you can do. Try to help as much as you can. Even though you may think you can only do small things, when you come together with others, you can make a big impact.
What are your hopes for the end of this crisis? Is there anything you hope changes within your community, within the country, or throughout the world?
I hope that the Karenni people would be known in Winston-Salem and viewed as part of the community. Refugees have skills and we want to give back. I also hope people will visit the Project Mask website to learn more about the work we’re doing.
We are so grateful for Sei Paw and the Karenni community for their contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are just one of several refugee communities across the globe using their skills to give back. In Seattle, refugees have partnered with Aldi Collective to make masks for their community. In North Texas, our refugee Women’s Sewing Initiative made 150 masks and donated them to the Texas Oncology Clinic. And the list goes on, reminding us that together means all of us — refugee, immigrant, American-born alike.
Jennifer Foy joined World Relief in 2007 as a volunteer in serving many refugee families before joining the staff in 2014. She served in the High Point North Carolina Triad office until April 2019 when she moved to World Relief’s headquarters in Baltimore to take on a national role. In her current role she oversees the program management and development across all U.S. network of offices. She brings 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience leading local nonprofits. Jennifer grew up in Oregon and received a B.A. Sociology from Western Oregon University and later a M.P.A. from Norwich University in Vermont. She lives in Maryland with her husband Will.
Love in Action: Volunteering with Outreach Groups in Haiti
This week, our World Relief U.S. offices have been celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Week by sharing stories and celebrations in honor of all the volunteers who serve with us across the United States. Today, we’re expanding that celebration by highlighting one of the many volunteers who serve with us globally.
Recently, World Relief Haiti’s Esther Pyram connected with Suzette over the phone. Suzette is a volunteer with World Relief Haiti’s Outreach Group Initiative (OGI). Suzette’s brother, Dieuquifait, is on staff with World Relief Haiti, and her mother and husband also serve as volunteers.
You can read Esther’s interview with Suzette below to find out what volunteering as an Outreach Group volunteer in Haiti is all about.
What is your name? Tell us about yourself and your family.
My name is Suzette Louis. I have been married to Prince Octavius since March 31, 2012, and God has given us three boys. It hasn’t always been easy for us because he was a widower with children, but God helped us to find balance in our marriage. We have been living in the town of Terre-Rouge for eight years, and we are members of the Gerizim Baptist Church.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your favorite foods to eat? What kind of music do you listen to?
I really like small ripe bananas with ground corn. I don’t have a favorite kind of music, but I do have a dream to learn dressmaking. I think it would allow me to help my husband with some of our household costs.
What is your favorite thing about where you live?
I love Terre-Rouge because it’s an agricultural area and I love the culture. We don’t have problems with livestock or farming and the people here are very supportive.
How did you get connected with World Relief and what made you decide to sign up as a volunteer?
Our church is part of one of World Relief’s Church Empowerment Zones (CEZs) in Haiti. This means we work together with a network of other churches in our region to meet the needs of our communities and share the Gospel at the same time.
When a church joins a CEZ, the pastor chooses someone to attend trainings with World Relief. This person then shares what they learned with their congregation. Illiteracy is a big problem in my community, but since I attended high school and can read and write, my pastor chose me to attend the training. Since then, I have been assigned more tasks and responsibilities as World Relief has brought more programs to our community.
World Relief is like a branch of my family. My husband works to recruit other churches to join our CEZ, my father and brother-in-law are both pastors and their congregations are part of our church network. My mother volunteers with World Relief’s outreach groups (just like me), and my brother is on staff with World Relief Haiti.
Suzette is pictured here on the left with her brother, Dieuquifait who works for World Relief, her mom and her husband — both of whom volunteer with World Relief.
Tell me more about what an Outreach Group is. What kinds of things do you do as an Outreach Group volunteer/team member?
Outreach Groups are teams of church volunteers that go into the community and visit families that are struggling and need help. I help train volunteers using the information I receive from World Relief. Those volunteers then provide their communities with lessons in things like marriage and family, finance, health and faith. I support these volunteers as they go out into the community and visit homes. Sometimes Outreach Group volunteers are nervous, but after training and encouragement, they take charge of the work and enjoy it. The changes we have seen in families that have received visits from our volunteers have been very encouraging.
Every week I also volunteer with World Relief’s Families For Life (FFL) program by providing married couples with lessons on God’s view for marriage, gender equality and how spouses can love and support one another.
What is the most challenging part about volunteering with World Relief?
In the beginning, volunteers were not welcomed by some families. But today there is a very good relationship between our volunteers and the families they visit. Families testify to the positive impact these visits had on them and keep on thanking us.
The other thing that was hard for some volunteers initially was that World Relief doesn’t pay them for this work. In Haiti, volunteers in other programs have often been paid for their work. It took some time for people to understand that what they are doing is a part of God’s call for the church and an act of ministry. In the beginning this was really hard for our volunteers because many households they visited were unkind and humiliated them a lot. But I thank God that this has changed and there is a lot of progress in the community now.
Can you tell us a memorable story about one of your home visits?
I helped my brother-in-law and his wife who were experiencing trouble. The couple was separated, my sister-in-law had abandoned the family home for several months and was preparing to move to Port-au-Prince. I started meeting with each of them separately for a time, but then I organized some sessions and insisted that both of them should be present together. I am always happy to say now their life is much better. The husband agreed to buy a piece of land in Thiotte and they went to live. They have built their house, the husband is working, they are doing very well now.
I also had a volunteer who refused to go for training because she wouldn’t receive any money and she is a very busy woman because of various activities she already had. So I went to her house and taught her the lessons and then I also accompanied her to visit the households. I am happy because she is now one of my best volunteers. Her name is Dieunise.
What do you dream of and hope for your community?
Terre-Rouge is a good area, but I would like to see the people in my community continue to grow in respect for one another as we work together. Sometimes people are not well organized or have a bad habit of not respecting the time or showing up for meetings. I would like them to be more conscious of that. I also want to see more development for Terre-Rouge. I pray to God to send us the support for the construction of a health center and a school for the area. The children are young and they have to walk for more than an hour to get to the pre-school in Marchasse.
How have you seen lives transformed through the lessons you share as a volunteer/team member?
As soon as World Relief started coming with the programs we saw a lot of change. Husbands began accompanying their wives to church. Thanks to the Outreach Groups, many new people have joined savings groups and are now members of our Families for Life program. They have learned to respect basic hygiene principles and many have built tippy taps — simple outdoor hand washing stations, which has become very important right now in fighting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. There is a lot of good change.
How has your life changed personally since becoming a volunteer/team member?
I have learned that if you only give advice and you never take it, you will struggle because people only will follow if you practice what you say, if your testimony is strong. I’ve also learned that there will always be things that will bother you, but being in a leadership position means you have to approach issues with tact and discretion. Volunteering has helped me to communicate better with my husband when we disagree about something. It has also helped me to practice the rules of hygiene and follow the advice we give to other families.
How do you spend your time when you’re not volunteering?
I live off the land. My husband is also a farmer, and I thank God our children can go to school, their school fees are paid and they have enough to eat. But apart from volunteering with World Relief, I also support other child health and agricultural programs in my community.
How can World Relief staff and volunteers around the world be praying for you?
Pray for my family to know God. Pray for a better financial situation in my family, because it is not always easy for us. My husband is getting old and can no longer work the land as he used to. Pray for my dream to learn dressmaking too. Pray for more love between the children, my community and my church. Pray for me, pray for everyone. I will do the same for you.
We are grateful for volunteers like Suzette who put love into action by serving others right within their own communities. Our mission to serve the most vulnerable would not be possible without Suzette and the thousands of other volunteers who serve with us across the globe.
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
A Spirit of Welcome: Volunteering at the Northwest Detention Center RV
Earlier this year, before COVID-19 transformed the ways in which we work and travel, I had the privilege of visiting World Relief’s office in Seattle. The energy in the Seattle office is incredible. English classes, job coaching, meetings with newly arrived families, immigration legal services — the list goes on.
One of the most meaningful parts of my trip was visiting the Northwest Detention Center. In an industrial area outside of downtown Tacoma sits a nondescript cinderblock building that houses thousands of detainees from countries around the world.
Recognizing the incredible stress and anxiety that detainees often experience, World Relief’s Detention Center ministry staff offers spiritual support to those who have been detained. And thankfully, World Relief’s support and care isn’t just limited to those inside the detention center.
In an RV parked outside the detention center gates, World Relief offers released detainees some much-needed hospitality through a Welcome Center run by our partner, AID Northwest. Last year, 274 men and women were welcomed and cared for in the RV Welcome Center by volunteers like Amanda Carlson.
I recently had the chance to talk with Amanda about her experience as an RV Welcome Center volunteer.
Hi, Amanda! How did you first hear about World Relief’s Detention Center ministry and how long have you been volunteering?
I’ve been volunteering for a year-and-a-half and I serve once a month. I had heard of World Relief, but decided to get more involved after learning about the new administration’s rules limiting immigration. I went to a meeting and heard Scott Arbeiter (World Relief’s President) speak and then, Stephanie (World Relief’s Post-Release Coordinator for the Detention Center) came and talked to my church, Urban Grace in downtown Tacoma, about the needs of detainees. It turned out that she had an office right here in our church building, so I signed up for the volunteer training.
Tell me a little bit more about what the Detention Center is and why we have an RV parked outside of it.
The Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma is one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation. People are detained for a number of reasons — not having the right paperwork, illegally crossing the border, or legally claiming asylum and being detained while their court cases are processed. Some people are there for a short time and many are there for quite a long time.
When people are released, there is nothing there for them. It’s a long walk to the bus station or to get someplace where you could make a phone call or charge your phone. The RV is there to meet them as soon as they walk out of the detention center gates. We give newly released detainees a chance to catch their breath and figure out their next steps.
It’s always really fun to welcome people to the United States. We provide backpacks for everyone because most people come out with a hodgepodge of belongings and lots of paperwork. We offer them snacks and drinks, give them toiletries and have phones and iPads to help people contact relatives or make travel arrangements. There’s also a big collection of clothing that people can go through. Some people come out in the Detention Center uniform of gray sweatpants. Some people come out wearing what they were detained in, so if they were detained in the summer they might be wearing shorts but now it’s the dead of winter and they need warmer clothes. People are so happy to go pick out some new things for themselves. We want to do everything we can to try and facilitate a smooth transition for someone who has just been released.
How has volunteering at the RV shifted your perspective on immigration or impacted your faith?
I was so surprised at how many nationalities are represented in the Detention Center. I ignorantly thought that most people would be from Mexico or from Latin America, but there are literally people from all over the world. More importantly, I have never met people who seem so rootless. People seeking asylum often have no support and no connection. They either had everything taken from them because of violence and conflict in their home countries or they had to leave it all behind.
They’ve left their family, children, everything — in search of safety and a better life. All they have is this little stack of papers that they have been released with and then what we are providing them and that is it. I have so many roots here in the U.S.– family, a modest savings account, a home and citizenship in a powerful country that will protect me. I often take these things for granted, but these people have none of it at that moment. While they are incredibly independent people because they have gone through this huge thing on their own, they’re also incredibly dependent on the goodwill of others to help them rebuild their lives.
Are there any memorable stories that you would like to share?
The story that comes to mind is one of a young woman who was from Cameroon. She had been at the RV for a few hours and I ended up taking her to the airport. She shared that she was impatient to get on a plane. I learned that she was flying to reconnect with her husband and her one-year-old twin babies that she had been separated from for four months. She was heading to Denver, so I pulled up some pictures of Denver on my phone and showed them to her, and she just cried. She was so excited to get there and build a new life with her family.
How has COVID-19 impacted the RV welcome center?
Unfortunately, all visitation and church services inside the detention center have stopped. The RV is still functioning, but it’s all happening in a tarped tent outside the RV so we can maintain appropriate social distancing. Everything has been loaded into tubs that can be moved outside. Thankfully it isn’t winter anymore so it’s been okay so far.
What is something that you know now that you didn’t know before you started serving at the RV Welcome Center?
That God’s love is alive and well, functioning and serving outside of the traditional Christian box. World Relief is right in the middle of an issue that can be so politically controversial in the Christian community, but as I have expanded my faith and walked into different communities, I’ve loved discovering how vibrant God’s love is in communities that I was previously unaware of. And I’m very thankful that World Relief is willing to be a part of it. Maybe in the fringes where it’s messier and controversial is where God’s love is the most evident.
What would you say to someone who is wanting to get involved with World Relief or serve in some way but is maybe hesitant?
There are so many ways you can get involved. With my lifestyle and family, I can only volunteer one day a month. It’s so minimal but has impacted me so much. I’ve learned a ton, I talk to people about my experiences, I bring people with me to shadow. You can send letters to people in the Detention Center and when the virus calms down you can go visit. It is a real one-on-one, person-to-person way to serve a really vulnerable community. A lot of times with volunteering, you can’t actually get so close to the people you want to help. But the detention center ministry lets you get close so it’s a really amazing way to try to help a little bit.
As we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week, we are so thankful for amazing people like Amanda who partner with us to bring God’s love to vulnerable and marginalized people around the world.
Toward a Vision for Gender Equality in Kajiado, Kenya
At the southern edge of the former Rift Valley province, just south of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, lies Kajiado, a mountainous region with vast valleys of open space where zebra, giraffe and wildebeest roam. Spread throughout the diverse countryside are communities of the Maasai people — a people known for their brightly colored clothing and the multi-colored, beaded jewelry they wear around their necks and arms. Although they’re widely celebrated for honoring and maintaining their way of life, the Maasai people aren’t without challenges.
World Relief began working in Kajiado in 2018, and it wasn’t long before we came to understand the hard truths of life for people living in this community. 57% of children are under-vaccinated against common yet life-threatening diseases. 10% of children under the age of five are malnourished. 44% of all households are food insecure, meaning that they either do not have enough food or enough money to buy food in the next week. And the rates of preventable diseases are very high due to unclean drinking water and poor hygiene practices.
These numbers alone are difficult to comprehend. And yet, the situation in Kajiado is even more dire for girls and women. Harmful cultural beliefs and traditional practices strip opportunity from thousands of young girls and women and prevent them from achieving their God-given potential, condemning them to a life that is anything but equal.
Among the Maasai tribespeople living in Kajiado today, 78% of all girls undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) — a harmful practice that involves either the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons. FGM typically takes place between infancy and the age of 15 and can result in serious, life-long health consequences such as severe bleeding, life-threatening infection, complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
Today, more than 200 million women and girls living around the world have undergone this brutal practice, and the WHO now classifies FGM as a human rights violation.
FGM, however, is just one way gender injustice manifests itself in Kajiado. Only 10% of young girls attend secondary school due to early teenage marriage and/or unexpected pregnancies. In a community that values men as warriors and chiefs, girls and women are given little to no opportunity to break out of the age-old mold and shape their own futures.
And yet, change is beginning to take root.
With the help of 184 local church partners, World Relief is changing hearts and minds through Bible study, behavior-change workshops and vision casting seminars. Implemented through local churches, these programs teach basic biblical definitions of marriage, friendship and equality. Little by little, men and women of God are embracing the concept of Imago Dei and are beginning to speak out against harmful cultural beliefs — in particular, those that harm or marginalize young girls and women.
Take Josephine, for example, a brave woman of about twenty-five years of age and a mother to five children. Her husband is all but non-existent in her life, except when he has material needs. Every few years, he pops back into Josephine’s life, robs her of the food and material goods that sustain her family, and spends her money on alcohol before leaving again.
In Maasai culture, a woman cannot leave her husband even in the most challenging and unfair of circumstances. Therefore, Josephine is forced to stay in this harmful marriage. And yet, there’s hope.
Josephine is surrounded by a band of women from her church, one which partners with World Relief, who have come alongside her to pray with her. They share food and clothing with her during the harder times, and they check in on her to see how she is doing. Josephine is now one of the few in her community to speak out against domestic violence and inequality in the marriage relationship, which is a little talked about issue despite the high number of marriages facing similar challenges.
And then there’s Beatrice, a woman who is speaking out strongly against the traditional role Maasai women are expected to play – a role that burdens Beatrice daily. Often rising at four o’clock in the morning, she spends her days preparing and cooking food for her family, fetching water that’s a two-hour walk away, raising her children, finding ways to cover school fees, caring for livestock, and building and maintaining her house. Most days, Beatrice doesn’t make it to bed until 11 o’clock at night, only to rise again at 4 am the following day.
Now, Beatrice is raising her voice against this kind of inequality. She’s also speaking out strongly against female genital mutilation, which she herself experienced as a young girl.
Remarkably, not all advocates for gender equality are women. Sabore is one of the last laibons in his community – the highest of chiefs in a Maasai tribe and a role that passes on from father to son. A Laibon acts as a ritual leader and has authority over all political and military decisions. Yet Sabore’s testimony is about more than just his generational status. It’s of his status as a follower of Christ. He now speaks out about a hope that far outshines his role and has become a prominent church leader in the community, advocating for the most vulnerable, including many of the young women in his community.
There is still much work to be done in the Maasai community of Kajiado, but we are seeing change take root, and we are committed to continuing the journey toward a gender-equal world, wherever it takes us. Thank you for being #EachForEqual alongside us.
Amanda Patterson serves as World Relief’s Humanitarian and Disaster Response Unit Program Officer in DR Congo and South Sudan. Prior to joining World Relief, Amanda worked overseas as a humanitarian responder to refugee and conflict emergencies in Niger, South Sudan, Greece, and Ethiopia with a large Christian NGO. She is passionate about helping others experience the beauty and diversity of God’s creation through art, nature and cultural engagement.
Stories from the Border: Jose
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Jose* was granted asylum in the U.S. after fleeing from Central America. When he first arrived at the local World Relief office in Spokane he was homeless, jobless and struggling to process past trauma and the reasons for leaving his home behind.
In just one year, Jose has learned English, began processing his past through Mental Health assistance, found community and support and was accepted into a year-long job training program.
Because of the World Relief staff, volunteers and church partners, Jose feels empowered to pursue his dream of having a stable and secure life here in the U.S.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Name has been changed to protect Jose’s identity.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Stories from the Border: Josef and Moses
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Josef and Moses* are two young professionals who lived in a small African nation. They worked in government until a change in political leadership put a brutal new leader in power. Not long after the new regime took power, they learned that some of their colleagues and their family members had disappeared. Fearing for their lives and the lives of their own families, the two men fled, leaving behind their homes, belongings and, more importantly, their spouses and children.
Eventually, they ended up in Washington where a friend encouraged them to reach out to World Relief. They were connected to the pastor of an African church who provided them with support and hope. World Relief staff and volunteers helped the men navigate the complex legal process of asylum and transition their education and experience into marketable skills within the local economy.
Today, they are active in the community and looking toward a bright future.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identity
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Stories from the Border: Annette
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Annette* is a 57-year-old woman who came to America seeking asylum. When she arrived in the U.S. she was able to find a job but her employer took advantage of her. He paid her so little that she could barely meet her basic needs.
Eventually, she was connected to World Relief and that connection changed her life. She left her exploitative employer and is now earning a living wage. She has earned her driver’s license, enrolled in classes at a local community college and recently, she passed the exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Annette’s asylum case has still not been approved but she waits in hopeful expectation. Not long ago, she was gifted a car and her joy could not be contained. The car will give her more freedom to pursue her goal of nursing without having to spend time on the bus or money on rideshares. The sense of stability and safety created by the car and consistent employment has filled her with faith as she waits and prays for asylum approval.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Stories from the Border: Marty
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Pastoring and planting churches can be difficult no matter where in the world you live. For Marty, a pastor and church planter in rural Kenya who also runs a non-profit focused on women’s rights, this proved to be true when his ministry became the target for violence and hostility.
Marty was nearly killed because of his work, yet, he persevered and was eventually invited to speak at a Christian conference in the U.S. After the conference, he realized returning to Kenya would be too dangerous and sought asylum in the United States.
For nearly a year, Marty relied on the help and generosity of others for basic needs such as food and housing, while he waited to be granted asylum. The World Relief team in Spokane learned of Marty’s situation and reached out. They helped meet his basic needs and connected him with a welcoming church community who provided much needed social and emotional support.
Marty, who was once alone, unable to return to his home, has found a new life in the U.S. and a safe place to live out God’s call on his life, thanks to his church community and World Relief volunteers.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Stories from the Border: Sim
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Sim* arrived at the U.S. Southern border last November. Originally from Belarus, which is a part of the former Soviet Union, Sim had worked in the agri-business industry. His work connected him with people from all over the world. Some of them shared what life was like in their home countries, where people lived in democratic societies and had personal freedoms. This sparked Sim’s imagination. He found others who were covertly talking about democracy and personal freedom in the city where he lived and joined them, dreaming of a reality different from his current experience.
These conversations, however, led to trouble for Sim. In a dictatorship, like the one under which he lived, ideas and talk of democracy are not welcomed, and people who discuss them are considered political dissidents. The government found out about Sim, and listed him as a political enemy. Sim knew he had to flee and used what savings he had to travel West. By the time he got to the U.S.-Mexico. border, his resources were mostly spent. He approached the United States port of entry with hopeful timidity, and presented his legal case for asylum. Sim was detained from December 2018 to May 2019, when his case was finally approved.
Through World Relief’s immigrant integration program, Sim has started rebuilding his life in the U.S. Volunteers have helped him practice English and find appropriate clothing for job interviews. After just a couple of weeks in the U.S., Sim had multiple job offers in hospitality. His English improves daily, and Sim has dreams of utilizing his business and agricultural skills for employment in the future. Though the last year has been difficult, Sim has found support, friendship and hope through volunteers, churches and the staff at World Relief.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Name has been changed to protect Sim’s identity
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
Stories from the Border: Pedro
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Pedro is a 14-year-old boy who has grown up in a Central Mexican town ruled by a violent drug cartel. The cartel operates above the law and the town’s police force is powerless to control their criminal activity. And for boys like Pedro, joining the cartel isn’t just an option, it’s mandatory. Anyone who dares to resist recruitment by the cartel faces torture — even death.
Pedro’s attempts to avoid joining the cartel were met with severe violence. Then the cartel started to threaten Pedro’s brother and mother as well. So, Pedro’s mother had to make a critical choice: stay with her friends and family in the town she loved, or leave everything to protect her two young sons.
With his mother and brother, Pedro made the difficult journey north toward the U.S. border in search of safety. When his family arrived at the border, Pedro found a team of World Relief representatives who made sure his family understood the asylum process.
And with their help, Pedro and his family were able to avoid long-term detention. Their case has been under review for two years and though they await the final decision, Pedro can now attend a local high school. His family is connected with new friends through the local church and they have found refuge and safety in a community.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
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